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<p>[QUOTE="Severus Alexander, post: 2719495, member: 84744"]The city gate hypothesis makes the most sense to me. Here are some amateurish thoughts on why. </p><p><br /></p><p>I understand that the 3rd century crisis resulted in a gradual transition in defensive strategy. The earlier strategy required very large standing armies to protect entire frontiers (the Rhine legions, the Danube legions etc.), with the aim of preventing barbarian incursions. That strategy failed in the face of more organized foes and financial problems, not to mention the constant refrain of usurpers making use of regional armies to overthrow the current emperor. </p><p><br /></p><p>The new strategy involved not worrying too much about barbarian forays getting across the frontier. Instead, every city had a wall so the population could retreat there in the face of a barbarian incursion, while a mobile cavalry-heavy army came quickly to drive off the invaders. (Even Rome itself received a wall under Aurelian.) This was more efficient and it reduced the usurper problem, since the emperor could usually be with the main army and there were no huge regional armies to suborn.</p><p><br /></p><p>No doubt when this strategy was first developing, the population wouldn't have been all that keen on it. "What, just leave my farm to be devastated??" However by Diocletian's time they would have learned to appreciate the safety that walled cities gave them, and under Constantine the city gate would surely be a powerful symbol of safety. It took another century before large barbarian armies began to understand siege warfare.</p><p><br /></p><p>Galerius argenteus issued in 294, usually described as depicting "city walls":</p><p>[ATTACH=full]615599[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Severus Alexander, post: 2719495, member: 84744"]The city gate hypothesis makes the most sense to me. Here are some amateurish thoughts on why. I understand that the 3rd century crisis resulted in a gradual transition in defensive strategy. The earlier strategy required very large standing armies to protect entire frontiers (the Rhine legions, the Danube legions etc.), with the aim of preventing barbarian incursions. That strategy failed in the face of more organized foes and financial problems, not to mention the constant refrain of usurpers making use of regional armies to overthrow the current emperor. The new strategy involved not worrying too much about barbarian forays getting across the frontier. Instead, every city had a wall so the population could retreat there in the face of a barbarian incursion, while a mobile cavalry-heavy army came quickly to drive off the invaders. (Even Rome itself received a wall under Aurelian.) This was more efficient and it reduced the usurper problem, since the emperor could usually be with the main army and there were no huge regional armies to suborn. No doubt when this strategy was first developing, the population wouldn't have been all that keen on it. "What, just leave my farm to be devastated??" However by Diocletian's time they would have learned to appreciate the safety that walled cities gave them, and under Constantine the city gate would surely be a powerful symbol of safety. It took another century before large barbarian armies began to understand siege warfare. Galerius argenteus issued in 294, usually described as depicting "city walls": [ATTACH=full]615599[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
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