Centralization and Particularism in Late Antiquity

An International Network for the Study of Late Antiquity

Sponsored by

DFG and

Universität Heidelberg-Exzellenzinitiative

Late Antiquity, a period ranging from c. A.D. 300 to 800, is currently one of the most dynamic fields of research in ancient studies. Research into Late Antiquity has set new standards in adopting methodology from cultural studies and an emphasis on interdisciplinary work. Established in April 2008, the network's goals ...
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	Central Power and Local Powers The unique and enormous size of the bureaucratic apparatus of the late Roman state allowed it to extend its area of control to a hitherto unknown extent. Many governmental functions, which had formerly been performed ... [more]
	Central government and autonomous states within the Empire A key aspect of the regionalisation of Roman statehood in late antiquity is the central government's loss of authority in large areas of the empire. In the place of the central imperial government, we see the formation ... [more]
	Legal Culture The popular image of legal culture in Late Antiquity gives the impression of a nearly complete monopolisation of jurisdiction by means of a centrally constructed state legal system that included courts ... [more]
	Elites Even in the early imperial period, we can observe a trend by which the hitherto mainly local upper classes, stemming from diverse social backgrounds, are replaced by a new centralised elite ... [more]
	Unity and Division of the Church The struggle between a centralised and dogmatically unified imperial church against the particularising tendencies of diverse parishes and church leaders is an important aspect of late antique history ... [more]
	The Economy For a long time, a discussion of the significance of state-linked economic activities has played a major role in late antique economic history. Scholarship has seen these activities as evidence for the ... [more]
	Imperial and Local Cultures The uniform monumentalisation of the cities, the near total disappearance of local languages in the official sphere, and the "Romanisation" of many other aspects of life, furnished the material culture of the early and ... [more]