Prokop, ein glaubwürdiger Berichterstatter? Der Gotenkrieg im Ager Gallicus und im Picenum und seine Auswirkungen auf die Region

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.