A Long Late Antiquity?: Considerations on a Controversial Periodization
Arnaldo Marcone
Late Antiquity as a period has complex history with moments when the issues pertaining to it seem intensify. One of these was without doubt aftermath World War I and reached its apex in 1923 during International Congress Historical Sciences Brussels. The tragic events that had shaken Europe deep impact on historiography. In II, this trend reversed account progressive change perspective sensibility. new late antique studies is linked especially work Henri-Irénée Marrou and, more recently, Peter Brown. responsible for acquisition esthetic standards promoted an appreciation literary artistic values Antiquity. very innovative reading (“a long Antiquity”) proposed by Brown also great impact: one hand, Brown’s made useless periodization based historical events, other, rendered impossible concepts crisis decline. Recently, however, comeback decline fall Roman Empire again seems worthy consideration.
Journal of Late Antiquity