Late Roman Empire: The Decline of Cities

Rome was an empire of cities and its decline as an empire was accompanied by a decline of its great cities. However, there were new monumental structures being built in old cities and a few cities increased in importance due to imperial largess.

[wraithstrongopark]

back in the 80's this is how we learned history in school, a minimalist slide presentation and a lecture. most of my classmates were bored to sleep, but i loved this style learning and still do.

[kristinab]

I am from Split and very glad you included the palace into your presentation. However, that what you call “catacombs” are actually cellars that were used to store grains and mostly wine during Diocletian’s time. We still refer to them as such. For example, we say: “I am in the cellars right now.” There’s always constant cool temperature there, even if 40C outside. It feels like that there’s air conditioning but there’s none, of course. Cellars are vast in size and a small part of it is a free public space that serves as a kind of underground street. There’s a labyrinth-like larger part, accessible with ticket admission. When I was child there’s was annual flower art fair that took place in the cellars, that we loved to visit and get lost there, to our parents’ horror, but I’m not sure if it still takes place there since I don’t live in Split anymore. Anyway, if you say “the cellars” in Split, you’ll be generally understood, contrary to if you say “catacombs “.
P.S. In my parents’ time, the cellars served as - a night club, a very popular place with live music where young people gathered to dance and mingle with local celebrities. By the time I grow up that was unfortunately gone. Incredible how many purposes the cellars served in the stretch of 1700 years!

[selvoselvo]

The basilica of Maxentius and Constantine was absolutely huge. I was on the spot, standing bellow arches, incredible height. And it is not the full height of the building. It is an interesting point about how complex skills (like the architecture ) are lost if there are not cities or governments with enough funds to make large public projects. And when the generation of artists and specialist dies out, we truly have dark ages of lost skills and knowledge.

[ericcloud]

Thank you! This timely upload just helped me win an argument with a not so much history educated friend. He thought that the "Vikings" were the ones to collapse the Roman Empire. Had to tell him that the myriad of causes aside, they weren't were just Germanic

[followyourbliss]

It's amazing that the Old St Peter's Basilica was 1000 years old when it was demolished to make way for the new one. Wonder if there was any resistance from Preservationists at the time!

[sergioacevedo]

I appreciate you publicly posting your Roman Empire lectures on Youtube.
When I took the class last year, they were videos that were only available to access for that semester on a school website.

[rockstar]

Your distaste for Honorius leaves me 100% in agreement. His failure to think anything through or take action for his people is unforgivable.

[chriswigen]

It had never occurred to me how vulnerable the aqueducts must have been the manpower required to defend them against sabotage must have been

[Epsilonsama]

The more you read on the Late Roman Empire the more in common you see with modern times.

[irishalbino]

Aurelian is a very underrated emperor.

[brasstacksboxing]

Love listening to this guy. He reminds me of a contemporary literature professor I had. Love this style of explanation and teaching. Some just got it... Subbed. Watched it all...

[tiersolutions]

Thank you for this documentary on the US

[Moepowerplant]

I wondered if things would have turned out differently had Rome relied on Byzantine-style themes instead of standing armies for border or provincial defense. The distant provincial legions/troops were at the center of probably every troublemaking adventure that led to the collapse of the Western empire. Also, Byzantium did pretty well while the themes were intact, and the abolition of those themes was followed by an irreversible decline.

Edit: That last sentence was not necessarily causation, but I think it does show the themes wouldn't have hurt, either. Landholding, after all, was the foundation of the growth of early Rome.

[MasisReubenPanos]

@39:20 the "local ruler" who destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the Fatimid Shia caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah who himself ordered the complete destruction of that church as part of a campaign against native Christian places of worship in Palestine and Egypt then under his control.

[pompeiusmagnus]

Three points: First, the last Western Roman Emperor recognized by his co-emperor in Constantinople was Julius Nepos whose practical jurisdiction was limited to the region of Dalmatia on the Adriatic. Odoacer in 476 did indeed send the official Western Roman Imperial regalia back to Constantinople when he deposed Romulus "Augustulus" in 476 with the message that there was no longer an Emperor in the West. But the Emperor in Constantinople (Eastern Roman Empire) still recognized Julius Nepos as official Western Roman Emperor until he was assassinated in 480.

Second point: In the Western Roman Empire, only port cities like Carthage and Syracuse were economic producers in their own right. Most other Western Roman cities, especially in Spain, Gaul, and Britain, were chiefly administrative/religious centers that sometimes housed barracks for the military, but whose economic production, such as it was, was overwhelmingly for the local metropolitan economy, and also for whatever Imperial facilities happened to be present (e.g., Trier, Milan/Ravenna, and Sirmium on the Danube were regional Imperial capitals and so had thriving urban economies). Such Western Roman cities did indeed decline rapidly as local landowners ceased patronizing the cities with new construction, games, etc. Also, especially in the Western Roman Empire, urban producers increasingly fled to local "latifundia" or "massae" (gigantic agricultural estates) whose landowners had the means to protect them from Imperial tax collectors and military conscription.

Third point: After Christianity was made the Roman state religion in 394 CE (391?), the resident Christian bishop replaced local landowners as the chief economic patron of each Western Roman city, especially in Italy and Roman Africa, at a very reduced level. The Christian church in each city derived the bulk of its revenue from local agricultural estates donated by Christian lay owners in exchange for remission of sins (the Bishopric of Rome was gifted considerable estates in Sicily, administered by the Bishop of Rome). Most of such revenue went to pay for stipends for clergy and for physical maintenance of churches/monasteries. What was left available was sometimes used to maintain secular urban infrastructure, especially in the City of Rome from the 5th century CE onwards.

[zazaza]

finally one complete explanation from beginning till the end.. all stages very well detailed explained

[miketheyunggod]

The Roman Empire collapsed became it got too big for the time. The left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing.

[MalloryMinerva]

I find late Roman history such as this very fascinating and underrated; sure it's a bit depressing but it's quite gothic in a way (pun only slightly intended)

[sistakia]

I might get booed for this but learning about how impressive the Roman empire was happened to me when I read the Bible. I learned about how great it was to be a Roman citizen and how much respect such a position gave you especially if there was a legal dispute. Unfortunately the Bible doesn't cover this part of the empire. The only thing you learn in Daniel's prophecy was the empire that would come after Rome.

[jameswilliams]

Great material, shocked you don't have more subscribers. You can add at least one! Will be reviewing the archive in short order!