HIST 804 'Late Antiquity' East and West
The notion that there is a distinct historical period, "Late Antiquity," has become immensely popular in the past fifty years; and yet the notion has also been challenged by scholars in the field. Both enthusiasm and misgiving have been focused on both the "post-Roman" West and the early "Byzantine" empire (together with the new Islamic polity that grew up alongside it). After surveying the development of the concept, the course will examine recent debates and analyze the issues at stake - which include the supposed differences between western settler kingdoms and the apparently enduring "Roman" empire centered in Constantinople, disciplinary boundaries (which often reinforce positions adopted in the controversy), and the claims made for "transformation" over "fall" or "decline" in relation to ancient culture.