No General Descriptions provided.
| Year Range | Italian Kingdom Late Antiquity (it_italy_k) was in: |
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“‘Gothic’ was probably the military pidgin cant of the Mediterranean armies, a mix of Greek, Latin, and Germanic elements, the product of the intermingling of soldiers of diverse backgrounds in the 5th and 6th centuries. It should not be thought of as widely known or as the primary language of the people our sources call Goths. Latin held that distinction, a language known by all inhabitants of Italy regardless of origin.113 This can be inferred because the sources never indicate that communication was a problem. Liberius is not known to have spoken Gothic, but had no trouble leading troops. Many of Cassiodorus’ letters are addressed to people with Germanic names and they were written in Latin.” [1]
[1]: (Swain 2016: 223) Swain, B. 2016. Goths and Gothic Identity in the Ostrogothic Kingdom. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 203-233. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/87H7UDXS/item-list
“‘Gothic’ was probably the military pidgin cant of the Mediterranean armies, a mix of Greek, Latin, and Germanic elements, the product of the intermingling of soldiers of diverse backgrounds in the 5th and 6th centuries. It should not be thought of as widely known or as the primary language of the people our sources call Goths. Latin held that distinction, a language known by all inhabitants of Italy regardless of origin.113 This can be inferred because the sources never indicate that communication was a problem. Liberius is not known to have spoken Gothic, but had no trouble leading troops. Many of Cassiodorus’ letters are addressed to people with Germanic names and they were written in Latin.” [1]
[1]: (Swain 2016: 223) Swain, B. 2016. Goths and Gothic Identity in the Ostrogothic Kingdom. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 203-233. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/87H7UDXS/item-list
"How large were Ostrogothic cities? In the absence of any definite surveys, all we have are estimates. Rome’s population, which may have once been as high as 1,000,000, might have been down to 300,000 in the late 4th century and down to 100,000 by 500, but it was still by far the largest city in Italy. Under Theoderic the population of Ravenna swelled to its largest size, perhaps as large as 10,000. Naples, too, may have had a population as large as 10,000 at this time. We know little about the cities of northern Italy, except that the most notable—Aquileia, Pavia, and Milan—and doubtless others had been sacked by the Huns in 452. What this might have done to their infrastructures and populations is not entirely clear, but certainly Theoderic at least did much to rebuild Pavia."
[1]
"The remarkable downward trajectory of the city of Rome’s population, from ca. 500,000 in 400 to less than 50,000 after the Gothic War (535–54) is perhaps an extreme example."
[2]
[1]: (Deliyannis 2016: 251) Deliyannis, D. M. 2016. Urban Life and Culture. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 234-262. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/JG677MNK/item-list
[2]: (Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa 2016: 9) Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa, 2016. Introduction. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 1-16. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/IPS45IXC/item-list
Population of Italy between the 5th and 6th centuries CE according to McEvedy and Jones. [1]
[1]: (McEvedy and Jones: 106-107) McEvedy and Jones. 1978. Atlas of World Population History. Penguin. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/search/mcevedy/titleCreatorYear/items/6U4QZXCG/item-list
"[D]uring the 5th century clerical identity was clearly defined through an emphasis on sexual continence and the delineation of external characteristics (e.g. distinctive clothing, tonsure, and specific ritual access to the sacred orders), which made the clerical ordo recognizable as a class, distinct from the laity." [1]
[1]: (Testa 2016: 453) Testa, L. Bishops, Ecclesiastical Institutions, and the Ostrogothic Regime. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 451-479. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/WDZRJZID/library
Mint.
“Furthermore, Odovacer bestowed the Senate with the right to mint coins and to lobby the church (although possibly only theoretically and as part of a royal campaign, respectively).”
[1]
[1]: (Radtki 2016: 127) Radtki, C. 2016. The Senate at Rome in Ostrogothic Italy. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 121-146. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XRH6FW4T/item-list
The following quote refers to continuity between the late Roman Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom under Theoderic. It seems reasonable to infer that the "traditional structures of patronage and career options" that Theoderic preserved were also present during Odovacer’s interregnum. "Appointment to offices within the palatine bureaucracy was generally bestowed upon members of the Roman aristocracy, which meant that traditional structures of patronage and career options remained largely intact." [1]
[1]: (Heydemann 2016: 25) Heydemann, G. 2016. The Ostrogothic Kingdom: Ideologies and Transitions. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 17-46. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/ZKWTCNSM/library
Inferred from continuity between immediately preceding and succeeding polities. Also the final paragraph of the following quote seems to suggest the existence of lawyers.
"Both in terms of ideology and organization, therefore, Theoderic sought and largely maintained the institutions and administrative procedures of the later western imperial administration as he found them. The same can be said of Rome’s laws. Several letters within the collection stress the need to preserve the rule of Roman law, demand respect for it, reflect upon its fundamental correctness, or even cite it.
"[...]
"Despite the fact that the justice system was by its nature an imperfect one, biased in favour of the wealthy and well connected, it was nevertheless a legitimate system. Where its integrity came under threat was in the actions of the judges and court officials responsible for putting otherwise abstract rules into effect. As in the later empire, the courts were administered by the central administration through provincial governors and their staff, as well as officers of the local municipalities, including the Roman defensores, duumviri, quinquennales, and the ubiquitous decurions, who had the authority to deal with civil and minor criminal matters. Also at the local level was the bishop’s court (episcopalis audientia), which had jurisdiction over cases involving ecclesiastic officials. But it is clear from our sources that this was a much simplified and watered-down version wherein the bulk of cases were dealt with by the provincial governor irrespective of the type of case or considerations of a person’s ethnicity or status.
"Outside the courtroom there existed several less formal (but by no means less-legal) methods of dispute settlement. Arbitration, or other forms of dispute resolution such as mediation, negotiation, or self-help, offered an important alternative to formal litigation, which could be an expensive, unpredictable, and even risky endeavour. Unfortunately, the law took little notice of these, and what references we have in the Variae to such informal methods of dispute resolution reveal no more than one stage in what was, in most cases, a lengthy and protracted process."
[1]
[1]: (Lafferty 2016: 148, 162) Lafferty, S. The Law. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 147-172. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VQ8MC72F/item-list
"As in the later Roman Empire, officers of the royal bureaucracy were expected to fulfil any number of functions on behalf of the king. Under this administrative prerogative a judge was any officer who possessed executive authority, such as a count, duke, governor, or prefect. In other words, there was no branch of government dedicated exclusively to the maintenance of the law. This lack of a professional judiciary meant that the majority of judges performed their duties without the benefit of significant legal training or expertize." [1]
[1]: (Lafferty 2016: 162) Lafferty, S. The Law. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 147-172. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VQ8MC72F/item-list
Inferred from continuity between preceding and succeeding polities (late Roman Empire and Ostrogothic Kingdom, respectively). "Both in terms of ideology and organization, therefore, Theoderic sought and largely maintained the institutions and administrative procedures of the later western imperial administration as he found them. The same can be said of Rome’s laws. Several letters within the collection stress the need to preserve the rule of Roman law, demand respect for it, reflect upon its fundamental correctness, or even cite it." [1]
[1]: (Lafferty 2016: 148) Lafferty, S. The Law. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 147-172. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VQ8MC72F/item-list
Inferred from continuity between immediately preceding and succeeding polities.
"Both in terms of ideology and organization, therefore, Theoderic sought and largely maintained the institutions and administrative procedures of the later western imperial administration as he found them. The same can be said of Rome’s laws. Several letters within the collection stress the need to preserve the rule of Roman law, demand respect for it, reflect upon its fundamental correctness, or even cite it.
"[...]
"Despite the fact that the justice system was by its nature an imperfect one, biased in favour of the wealthy and well connected, it was nevertheless a legitimate system. Where its integrity came under threat was in the actions of the judges and court officials responsible for putting otherwise abstract rules into effect. As in the later empire, the courts were administered by the central administration through provincial governors and their staff, as well as officers of the local municipalities, including the Roman defensores, duumviri, quinquennales, and the ubiquitous decurions, who had the authority to deal with civil and minor criminal matters. Also at the local level was the bishop’s court (episcopalis audientia), which had jurisdiction over cases involving ecclesiastic officials. But it is clear from our sources that this was a much simplified and watered-down version wherein the bulk of cases were dealt with by the provincial governor irrespective of the type of case or considerations of a person’s ethnicity or status.
"Outside the courtroom there existed several less formal (but by no means less-legal) methods of dispute settlement. Arbitration, or other forms of dispute resolution such as mediation, negotiation, or self-help, offered an important alternative to formal litigation, which could be an expensive, unpredictable, and even risky endeavour. Unfortunately, the law took little notice of these, and what references we have in the Variae to such informal methods of dispute resolution reveal no more than one stage in what was, in most cases, a lengthy and protracted process."
[1]
[1]: (Lafferty 2016: 148, 162) Lafferty, S. The Law. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 147-172. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VQ8MC72F/item-list
“There is evidence for the persistence of the forum as a central or market space in many cities, but in others the forum may have gone out of use even before the Ostrogothic period.” [1]
[1]: (Deliyannis 2016: 241) Deliyannis, D. M. 2016. Urban Life and Culture. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 234-262. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/JG677MNK/item-list
The following quote implies that granaries continued to exist between the "fall" of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the Ostrogothic Kingdom.
"Letters in the Variae state that Theoderic ordered numerous construction works for the walls, sewers, palace, Curia, Theatre of Pompey, aqueducts, and granaries. In many if not most of the cases, what is being done is not new construction but repair."
[1]
[1]: (Deliyannis 2016: 237) Deliyannis, D. M. 2016. Urban Life and Culture. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 234-262. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/JG677MNK/item-list
"To be sure, civic life continued, but on a much smaller scale. Walls, roads, and aqueducts continued to be maintained well into the early Middle Ages, at least in Rome. But by the 6th century this had become a matter of private initiative more so than public policy." [1]
[1]: (Lafferty 2016: 157) Lafferty, S. The Law. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 147-172. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VQ8MC72F/item-list
"Classe continued to function as an important commercial port throughout the Ostrogothic period, actively encouraged by Theoderic." [1]
[1]: (Deliyannis 2016: 255) Deliyannis, D. M. 2016. Urban Life and Culture. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 234-262. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/JG677MNK/item-list
“Furthermore, Odovacer bestowed the Senate with the right to mint coins and to lobby the church (although possibly only theoretically and as part of a royal campaign, respectively).” [1]
[1]: (Radtki 2016: 127) Radtki, C. 2016. The Senate at Rome in Ostrogothic Italy. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy pp. 121-146. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/XRH6FW4T/item-list
Inferred from continuity between immediate predecessor (late Roman Empire) and successor (Ostrogothic Kingdom). "The laws of Theoderic’s Italy preserved the basic principles of Roman criminal law and penal policy. [...] Financial penalties varied widely, from confiscations and fines (to the benefit of the fisc) to compensation in money or kind, and established according to a fixed amount (usually fourfold the amount originally taken)." [1]
[1]: (Lafferty 2016: 158) Lafferty, S. The Law. In Arnold, Bjornlie and Sessa (eds) A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy. Brill. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/VQ8MC72F/item-list