02-03-2021, 03:18 AM
Here we have one author who claims that the effort that the central state mustered to fortify Gaul against the barbarian tide, along with the parallel cathedral building program by the rising church (what do we know of that?) proved that Gaul was still very much prospering in the 3rd-4th centuries AD. What do we make of that?
From: Bernard Bachrach, The Fortification of Gaul and the Economy of the Third and Fourth Centuries, Journal of Late Antiquity, Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2010, pp. 38-64
Quote:It hardly seems unfair to suggest that scholars would be hard put to identify any comparable century in the history of Roman Gaul where a greater investment was made in monumental construction. The military and religious construction effort dwarfed governmental building projects executed in a similar period of time in the history of Roman Gaul that took place when both the economy and the population are seen to be on the increase. In light of what would seem to have been a very rapid “recovery” from the “Crisis of the Third Century,” it seems reasonable to suggest that we should reevaluate its supposedly devastating impact on the population and economic infrastructure in Gaul.
From: Bernard Bachrach, The Fortification of Gaul and the Economy of the Third and Fourth Centuries, Journal of Late Antiquity, Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2010, pp. 38-64
Stefan (Literary references to the discussed topics are always appreciated.)