Normative texts and the movements of barbarian population
Normative texts, which play a crucial role in the reconstruction of fifth-century Italy, tend to paint a bleak picture of the Roman society. Recently, scholars have blurred the mechanical correlation between the scenario outlined in the laws and the actual conditions of the inhabitants of the Roman provinces. At the methodological level, special attention was given to the performative, communicative and rhetorical aspects of the laws.
At the same time, however, the variations in the content of these texts should be regarded as an indicator of the emergence of new problems. After 408/410, for example, the laws show a closer link between external stresses, the restraint of the res publica and legislative activity. In this way, a traditional theme, such as the restoration of legality in the provinces, goes beyond the perimeter of the usual power dynamics within the res publica and fits into a broader scenario, that of a changing geography of Western Europe.
The aim of this project is to assess the impact of the movements of barbarian peoples in the West as an element of specificity in fifth-century legislation. On this basis, it will be possible to include further issues in the debate concerning the relations between legislation and the actual conditions of late antique Roman society.