Recopolis the representation of power in a complex landscape
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[1] Universidad de Alcalá
Universidad de Alcalá
Alcalá de Henares, España
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- Localización: The Visigothic kingdom: the negotiation of power in Post-Roman Iberia / Sabine Panzram (ed. lit.), Paulo Pachá (ed. lit.), 2020, ISBN 978-94-6372-063-2, págs. 215-233
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
The foundation of the city of Recopolis on the initiative of King Liuvigild in ad 578 is the clearest material expression of the participation of the Visigothic state in urban development and in the creation of power landscapes. The ex novo construction of the city – city walls, palatial complex, elite houses, commercial and industrial buildings, hierarchical organization of space – and its impact on the wider territory, with the reorganization and renovation of the road network and creation of new rural settlements, was a clear demonstration of political prowess and an expression of the tax-collecting power of the state. Contextualizing these features within the broader landscape helps in understanding the spatial and social inequality that characterized the beginning of the early medieval period.
