THE LOCUS IN THE CONTEXT OF LATE ANTIQUE SPAIN

Abstract

At a conference some years ago, I briefly examined the relationship between local power and wine production in Visigothic Spain. On that occasion, I mentioned the transformed legal nature of the locus, a topic I now wish to explore further, in the same geographical scope. The hypothesis is twofold. First, I argue that some recently excavated timber structures are not representative of a change in rural settlement patterns. Second, that despite its terminological ambivalence, the locus evolved from a legal definition to a broader use, and would have been commonly applied to villages in the 6th century. A connection between archaeological evidence and literary sources is suggested.

Keywords

• visigothic law, loci, villages, rural settlement, continuity