This dissertation focuses on the Roman city of Augusta Emerita, modern Mérida, Spain, as a case study for understanding changes in the culture, economy, and society of Hispania in late antiquity. The evidence presented here shows that some of the major cultural shifts that appear in the archaeological record for the sixth and seventh centuries have their roots in the fourth century, when Emerita was still fully integrated into the Roman Empire. This evidence also shows that Visigothic period residents were driven by a different set of values and interests from those that inspired urban investment in the Roman period, while the wealthy Christian hierarchy was a key stabilizing force throughout the Late Antique period.
A presentation of the physical setting and the infrastructure of the Roman city serves as the foundation for my analysis of the ancient city of Emerita. Public buildings were important venues for elite display, at times even receiving attention from provincial and imperial officials, especially in the early Roman period. In the Late Roman period, the class that had built the Roman face of the city was also instrumental in the de-Romanization of Emerita, by permitting or even participating in the deconstruction and privatization of the public monuments and spaces. For the Visigothic period, archaeological and textual evidence, including the Vitae Patrum Emeritensium, both point to shifting venues for elite investment, away from structures associated with traditional Roman identity to those associated with Christianity. The elite of Visigothic Emerita expressed and enhanced their status not through further contributions to the city’s Roman identity, but through new contributions to the promotion of Christian ideals.
My unprecedented analysis of the ceramic record from a cross-section of Emerita’s late antique sites has allowed me to provide new insights into changing trade networks, dining habits, and the technology of pottery production. I have included a discussion of the potential causes for, and ramifications of, these changes, in order to flesh out the image of the city that is cast by architectural remains and written sources. By offering a comprehensive analysis of the available evidence, this dissertation goes beyond the narrative of decline and stagnation that often frames discussion of the late antique West.