Facultatea de Istorie - Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza

NOTE BIBLIOGRAFICE / NOTIZIE BIBLIOGRAFICHE 325
attempts to define the Late Antiquity. The ethnic criterion is generously presented
(p. 27-87), as we can now establish „the genesis period of the present nations of the
continent” (p. 28). Thus, the birth of the Occidental nations has two components: 1.
the ethnogenesis of the Germanic nations (the 1 st century B.C. – the 6 th century
A.D.); 2. the emergence of the mediaeval nations of the Western Europe (the 5 th /6 th
century – the 8 th /9 th century), when the integration of the barbarians into the Roman
Empire takes place, by transforming them into populus. The presentation of the
linguistic criterion reveals its complexity, being structured into three levels: the
political level (the implementation of the Latin language into the administration),
the cultural level (two linguistic areas – Latinophone and Greekophone – living
together), and the personal level, where the ethnic mosaic is to be found again,
represented by multiculturalism. Taking into account these criteria, Prof. Nelu
Zugravu justifiably accepts the definition of the Late Antiquity, „at least” in the
European space, as „the period of metamorphosis of a «Latinophone community»
in a «Romanophone», Germanophone, Slavophone and Greekophone «plurality» –
in other words, as a period of time in which the genesis of the actual languages of
the continent took place” (p. 36). The basis of this process relies on the action of
the ethnic and demographic, social and spiritual factors, along the 3 rd – 9 th
centuries, such as: the evolution from Latin to the Romanic languages, the role of
Christianity in the linguistic Romanization, the Greek accaparation of the Eastern
Roman Empire in the 7 th century, the settling in of the German, Slavic, Arabic
groups or of other origins. At the end of this period, in the 8 th century, the
Romanian language also differs from Latin.
After an overview of the features of the economic criterion, the author
pointing out that „the economy of the Late Antiquity from the Mediterranean
region had the last stage of its flourishment in the 6 th century”, he delves into the
defining of the religious (p. 42-58) and cultural-artistic (p. 58-87) criteria. As we
have already mentioned above, the Late Antiquity is a period of cultural
interferences, and we would venture to call it crepuscular in the given context. The
tendency to monotheism and universality leads later in the Mediterranean space to
the triumph of Christianity, then of Islamism. Since the 2 nd century the
Mediterranean human has had a certain interest in a unique, transcendent, absolute
God, as well as in the issue of eternal life and redemption. All these ideas stand for
the Late Antiquity, and they have developed due to the spreading of the religions of
Greek and Oriental misteries.
The author warns us that neither the religious point of view could indicate
an exact date of the beginning or ending of the Late Antiquity. Even though the
innovating signs appear early (the 2 nd – 3 rd century), in the pagan medium „the
legalization of the Christianity by the edict of Galerius (305-311) on the 30 th of
April 311 from Nicomedia and by the rescript of Constantinus I (306-337) and
Licinius (308-324) on January – February 313 from Mediolanum represented a
significant moment” (p. 50-51). At the same time, a new stage is starting now „in