SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY AD

When one thinks of the once mighty Roman Empire, a vision of the proverbial “eternal city” of Rome with its beautiful white colonnaded marble buildings comes to mind. However, Rome did not last eternally, in fact, more than 200 years before the traditional date of the “fall” of the Roman Empire in t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: L. Cilliers
Format: Article
Language:Afrikaans
Published: Stellenbsoch University, Department of Ancient Studies 2012-03-01
Series:Akroterion
Online Access:http://akroterion.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/51
_version_ 1829517394110840832
author L. Cilliers
author_facet L. Cilliers
author_sort L. Cilliers
collection DOAJ
description When one thinks of the once mighty Roman Empire, a vision of the proverbial “eternal city” of Rome with its beautiful white colonnaded marble buildings comes to mind. However, Rome did not last eternally, in fact, more than 200 years before the traditional date of the “fall” of the Roman Empire in the West (AD 476), the Golden Age of Rome had shifted towards the southern shore of the Mediterranean, to the previously rather neglected provinces of North Africa. From the 2nd century AD until it was overrun by the Vandals in the 5th century, Roman North Africa enjoyed a period of unequalled prosperity; during the Vandal reign Roman influence still endured in small measure, followed by a brief renaissance under the Byzantines in the 6th century, but after the Arab conquest in the late 7th century it vanished as completely as if the Romans had never set foot in North Africa. <br />The exceptional prosperity of North Africa at a time when the rest of the Empire was already in a state of decline, and the complete disappearance of any Roman influence whatsoever on the culture and language of a region which was at the time the most Romanized of all the Roman provinces, will be discussed in this article.
first_indexed 2024-12-16T14:00:46Z
format Article
id doaj.art-67f55edfc0454313b678bb5834a4797d
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0303-1896
2079-2883
language Afrikaans
last_indexed 2024-12-16T14:00:46Z
publishDate 2012-03-01
publisher Stellenbsoch University, Department of Ancient Studies
record_format Article
series Akroterion
spelling doaj.art-67f55edfc0454313b678bb5834a4797d2022-12-21T22:29:05ZafrStellenbsoch University, Department of Ancient StudiesAkroterion0303-18962079-28832012-03-0152010.7445/52-0-51SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY ADL. CilliersWhen one thinks of the once mighty Roman Empire, a vision of the proverbial “eternal city” of Rome with its beautiful white colonnaded marble buildings comes to mind. However, Rome did not last eternally, in fact, more than 200 years before the traditional date of the “fall” of the Roman Empire in the West (AD 476), the Golden Age of Rome had shifted towards the southern shore of the Mediterranean, to the previously rather neglected provinces of North Africa. From the 2nd century AD until it was overrun by the Vandals in the 5th century, Roman North Africa enjoyed a period of unequalled prosperity; during the Vandal reign Roman influence still endured in small measure, followed by a brief renaissance under the Byzantines in the 6th century, but after the Arab conquest in the late 7th century it vanished as completely as if the Romans had never set foot in North Africa. <br />The exceptional prosperity of North Africa at a time when the rest of the Empire was already in a state of decline, and the complete disappearance of any Roman influence whatsoever on the culture and language of a region which was at the time the most Romanized of all the Roman provinces, will be discussed in this article.http://akroterion.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/51
spellingShingle L. Cilliers
SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY AD
Akroterion
title SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY AD
title_full SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY AD
title_fullStr SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY AD
title_full_unstemmed SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY AD
title_short SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DEMISE OF ROMAN INFLUENCE IN NORTH AFRICA, 5th/ 6th CENTURY AD
title_sort some thoughts on the demise of roman influence in north africa 5th 6th century ad
url http://akroterion.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/51
work_keys_str_mv AT lcilliers somethoughtsonthedemiseofromaninfluenceinnorthafrica5th6thcenturyad