Die kulturelle Desintegration des Römischen Reiches. Kulturelle Diversität an Rhein und Donau zwischen Spätantike und Frühmittelalter

Aim of this dissertation project is to reconstruct the “disintegration” of the Western Roman Empire and to develop a historical narrative using material instead of textual sources.

Research

The focus of the PhD project is to develop an up-to-date theoretical framework to link archaeological, cultural and social theory. To test the potential of this framework, I will apply this set to the results of a statistical analysis of the material culture from the 4th to 6th century AD in the area of the rivers Rhine and Danube. Ultimately, the results are to be used to construct a (new) narrative for the period traditionally refered to as Migration Period, Völkerwanderungszeit or Barbarian Invasions.

This Ph.D. thesis is being written within the program Ancient Object(s) and Visual Studies (AOViS) of the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS).