From the British Isles to Central Asia, the Roman and Parthian empires in AD200 presided over the largest and wealthiest expanse of state structures – and of social, economic and cultural exchange – that had ever been known at the western end of the Eurasian landmass and neighbouring North Africa. Over the next half a millennium, this wide world of two empires gave way to new regimes, new patterns of production and trade, new social structures, new forms of culture, and the dominance of monotheism. This is the era known as late antiquity. What happened in late antiquity continues to have a worldwide impact today.
The VCLA aims, on a global basis, to promote the work of researchers and heritage specialists in the field of late antiquity, and to support a wider understanding of late antiquity among members of the general public.