Aspectos de la Hispania romana del siglo IV. Límites cronológicos y consideraciones sobre las fuentes para su reconstrucción histórica.

Abstract

SUMMARY: In this article there is a description of the features of the Iberian Peninsula during the 4th century A.D., where it is shown how the administrative reforms of Diocletian affected Spain. The main lines of political development are pointed out: existence ot the bagaudae, fortification of towns, insecurity, arrival of barbarians at the beginning ot the 5th century. There is also an allusion to the religious situation. It is proposed to study Spain during the 4th century in the general context of the Roman Empire taking into account the specific characteristics of the Iberian Peninsula: The economic, social and demographic evolution is referred to. The way to research these problems is to make use of all the available sources: literary, archaeological, epigraphic, numismatic without forgetting the prosopography, administrative documents and geographic information. Finally, the problem of continuity or break between Antiquity and Middle Ages is displayed; at the same time the period of Late Antiquity is considered as an entity in itself.