7 March 2019 Mateusz Fafiński (Freie Universität Berlin), Late antique provincial capital in the Early Middle Ages: observations from the periphery

7 marca wystąpi Mateusz Fafiński (Freie Universität Berlin) z referatem Late antique provincial capital in the Early Middle Ages: observations from the periphery

In this talk we shall look at the role and fate of the peripheral Roman provincial capitals in the Early Middle Ages. Starting with general questions: what defined their urbanity, what was their role in the transformation period, and what new forms they developed into, we shall then move to look in detail at one case study: Mainz on the Rhine. By sketching its role as an administrative centre, economic hub and a cultural reference point we will have a chance to see its evolution from a city into a paraurban space and a particular role played in this evolution by its peripheral position. Inclusion of documentary and archaeological evidence allows us to see Mainz in a new light, as an entity existing beyond simple urban definitions and yet continuing many of its functions from the Roman period.