Introduction: Lived spaces in late antiquity

Space is a fundamental dimension of human experience. This chapter reviews different approaches to space in late antique studies, arguing that focusing on space might provide a new and invaluable light into the archaeology, history, and culture of the late antique period. Mobilising cultural, economic, and political resources, space is a social construct that brings together different and often contradictory historical dynamics, including diverse social groups. In turn, space shapes social life and its hierarchies. As such, “lived space” is a key perspective for the study of Late Antiquity, which allows scholars from different disciplines to reconsider this crucial historical period beyond traditional dichotomies between continuity and change.