Early medieval Rome had a distinctive ecology, owing to the city’s transformation from imperial capital to medieval metropolis fundamentally altered the relationships between human communities and their natural resources. Until about the year 1000 Rome was perhaps the largest city in the Mediterranean world, but it nonetheless was a fraction of its earlier scale (we can imagine a decline from roughly 1,000,000 to perhaps 30,000-50,000 by about 700. Rome’s transitions after the end of the Roman empire brought about major changes not only in economies – and what kinds of products passed through Rome – but also in cultures – and where people concentrated their resources; both aspects reshaped the interactions of plants, animals, natural resources, and people here at Rome.
This lecture draws upon recent research in archeological sources, material culture, and textual sources to reconstruct the environmental history of post-imperial Rome. When did spectacle games using horses, lions, and bears cease at Rome, and what replaced these imperial displays of human dominion over nature? Did Christian Romans view flowers and garlands differently from their ancestors? Where did the glass from Rome’s medieval mosaics come from, when Egypt ceased to produce raw glass? The answers to these questions provide us with new understandings of the distinctiveness of early medieval Rome, what set it apart from any other place in the medieval world, and what drew people to it from afar. By examining the intersection of environmental and cultural history, this study demonstrates how Rome’s unique position as former imperial capital and rising ecclesiastical court created unprecedented ecological relationships.
Caroline Goodson, Ph.D., is Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Cambridge, a Fellow of King’s College, and from 2024, is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Humanities at the American Academy in Rome. She takes a transdisciplinary approach to the rise of early medieval polities in the Western Mediterranean, including North Africa and in particular, Italy. Her research focusses on the period between c. 500 and c. 1100, taking as evidence archaeology and material culture as well as a range of texts. Her most recent book, Cultivating the City in Early Medieval Italy (Cambridge, 2021) examined the phenomenon of urban gardening and the ways in which horticulture and the spaces of gardens and orchards provided opportunities for social negotiation.
The event is hybrid. You’re welcome to attend in person—no registration is needed, and access is free. If you would like to join us online, please make sure to register using the link above.
