[EN ]Roman urbanism experimented, in Late Antiquity, a fundamental transformation of its structural principles and organisation of space. However, the process – the context in which it took place and its phases – is currently imprecise and its guidelines remain difficult to determine. Taking the Iberian Peninsula as a case study, this article analyses the variants of these transformations, which seemed to be partially perceived by contemporary citizens. Moreover, and following our investigation of Hispanic urban centres, the article outlines the elements that define the characteristics of the Late Antique city and its projection onto the social imaginary: first, a different assessment of urban space, and secondly, a new conception of the horizontal and vertical lines of the construction project of cities.

Peer reviewed