Another View on Late Antiquity: Sagalassos (SW Anatolia), its Suburbium and its Countryside in Late Antiquity

Survey evidence gathered in the city of Sagalassos (Pisidia, southwestern Turkey), its suburbs, and its countryside has led to new insights into developments in the region in Late Antiquity. Coupled with the results from archaeological excavations, soundings and interdisciplinary research, a reconstruction can be made of what happened during the last centuries of the city's existence. Framing the observed changes in a larger chronological perspective, another view emerges on the fate of the city and its countryside in Late Antiquity. Terms such as ‘decline’, ‘fall’ and ‘transformation’ relate to cities and do not adequately describe contemporary evolution in the countryside. An urgent call for rural surveys is advocated to avoid the perpetuation of the intellectual trap created by this urban-centred approach.