Abstract

By applying both traditional source analysis and archeological research this paper examines two questions related to the Gothic War in Picenum and Ager Gallicus: First, it deals with the credibility of Procopius’ reporting; second, it looks at the scope of the destructions caused by the 20-year-long conflict in the region and, hence, sheds light on the problem of whether the changes this war brought about – especially in contrast with the following invasion of the Lombards – justify the claim that its end clearly marked the transition from antiquity to the Middle Ages.