, ▁labor ▁was ▁the ▁key ▁factor ▁of ▁production . ▁Success ive ▁administr ations ▁tried ▁to ▁stabil ise ▁the ▁imperial ▁economy ▁by ▁free zing ▁the ▁social ▁structure ▁into ▁place : ▁sons ▁were ▁to ▁succeed ▁their ▁f athers ▁in ▁their ▁trade , ▁council ors ▁were ▁forb idden ▁to ▁res ign , ▁and ▁col oni , ▁the ▁cultiv ators ▁of ▁land , ▁were ▁not ▁to ▁move ▁from ▁the ▁land ▁they ▁were ▁attached ▁to . ▁The ▁workers ▁of ▁the ▁land ▁were ▁on ▁their ▁way ▁to ▁becoming ▁ser fs . ▁ ▁Several ▁factors ▁consp ired ▁to ▁merge ▁the ▁status ▁of ▁former ▁slaves ▁and ▁former ▁free ▁far mers ▁into ▁a ▁dependent ▁class ▁of ▁such ▁col oni : ▁it ▁was ▁possible ▁to ▁be ▁described ▁as ▁serv us ▁et ▁colon us , ▁" both ▁slave ▁and ▁colon us ". ▁La ws ▁of ▁Const antine ▁I ▁around ▁ 3 2 5 ▁both ▁rein for ced ▁the ▁semi - serv ile ▁status ▁of ▁the ▁col oni ▁and ▁limited ▁their ▁rights ▁to ▁sue ▁in ▁the ▁courts ; ▁the ▁Code x ▁The odos ian us ▁prom ul g ated ▁under ▁The odos ius ▁II ▁extended ▁these ▁restrictions . ▁The ▁legal ▁status ▁of ▁ad script i , ▁" bound ▁to ▁the ▁soil ", ▁contrast ed ▁with ▁bar bar ian ▁fo eder ati , ▁who ▁were ▁permitted ▁to ▁sett le ▁within ▁the ▁imperial ▁boundaries , ▁remaining ▁subject ▁to ▁their ▁own ▁traditional ▁law . ▁ ▁As ▁the ▁German ic ▁kingdom s ▁succeeded ▁Roman ▁authority ▁in ▁the ▁West ▁in ▁the ▁fifth ▁century , ▁Roman ▁land l ords ▁were ▁often