Abstract:

In this article we assess the structural changes that took place in the coastal area of eastern Hispania (now corresponding to Catalonia and the northern region of Valencia), focusing particularly on the relationship between city and countryside. We also consider the extent of the Crisis of the Third Century in the light of archaeology, as well as the population’s evolution from a Roman model typical of the fi rst half of the Roman Empire to Late Antiquity, trying to assess whether this was a case of depopulation or concentration of ownership or both. Finally, we analyse the transition from the Roman model of settlement and the Visigoth period with the transition to early medieval settlement.