The Archaeology of the Late Roman Empire, AD 284-641

The paper studies the archaeology and art of the Roman Empire from Diocletian through the death of Heraclitus. This is a period when the Western Roman Empire came to an end (in the 5th century), while the Eastern Empire experienced a period of expansion under a new imperial capital at Constantinople (founded in 324). Subjects include urban change, development of the countryside in the east, industry, patterns of trade, persistence of pagan art, and the impact of Christianity (church building, pilgrimage, monasticism) on architecture and art. Particular attention is paid to the following cities and sites: Rome, Constantinople, Trier, Verulamium, Ravenna, Justiniana Prima, Ephesus, Caesarea Maritima, Scythopolis, Jerusalem, and sites in the Roman provinces of Syria and Palestine.