This chapter offers a summarized overview of late Roman Spain, especially
during the fourth century ad. The break between Roman Spain and the
world of the barbarian kingdoms was not as sudden and brutal as scholars
have traditionally imagined. Roman Hispania dissolved gradually, in a
process that seems to have been spread over several decades. The new
barbarian kingdom adopted numerous features of the Roman provincial
organization and civilization. In order to give this summarized and updated
picture, this chapter will discuss various elements, paying particular
attention to the historiographical background and current scholarship
debates and issues of each. The chapter will finally attempt to give a
general point of view on the current interpretation of the economics and
society of late Roman Spain.
