THOMAS BROWN

IN the late fourth century there was little sign of imminent
upheaval in the Mediterranean heartlands of the Roman
Empire. The disorders. of the third century had been over-
come by soldier-emperors whose reforms had safeguarded the
frontiers and created political stability. Following the con-
version of Constantine Christianity had established a firm hold
and lavish programmes of artistic and architectural patronage
testified to the wealth and self-confidence of a revivified empire.

After the death of the Emperor Theodosius I in 395, how-
ever, divisions between the Latin and Greek halves of the
empire became more evident. The east far outshone the west
in intellectual achievement, prosperity, and the number and
size of its cities; whereas Gaul and Britain could muster 114
civitates, more than 900 cities constituted the thriving centres,
of political and economic life in the east. Not only the re-
sources but the ideological backing for imperial authority were
stronger in the east, where the Hellenistic heritage reinforced
acceptance of the imperial cult and the trappings of autocratic
power. Papyri from Egypt and excavations of Syrian villages
suggest a level of agricultural prosperity in sharp contrast with
the slave-run latifundia of Italy or the peasant hovels of Gaul.

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