... simplistic to think that the Roman cities in the Eastern Provinces and those in the Western provinces ended at the same time. More fundamentally we must ask what we mean by the ending of an Ancient City. Different definitions will certainly bring differing dates. The remains of Ancient Cities co-existed with the new forms of cities for centuries. Indeed many buildings from the Ancient City were converted or simply abandoned. It is wiser therefore to talk of the ending of the political and cultural characteristics. Clearly no precise date will fit all cities, but by the end of the 6th century, and certainly at the start of 7th century, we can say that most Ancient Cities had ended. By this point many cities in the Balkans, such as Stobbi, Nicpolis and Phillioopopolis had few signs of urban life at all. A more common consequence seems to be the fortification of ...

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