108 Marazzi
than simply a military stronghold. They hosted buildings that could be used as
residences for the Gothic commander and as housing for the local garrison. It
is difficult to say whether the Gothic commander lived there permanently or
preferred a nearby town where he might have owned an urban residence. But it
is to be expected that he would have spent a good deal of time with his soldiers
and servants. Permanent residence is clearly suggested by the archaeological
evidence, which includes an extensive area protected by a walled enclosure at
the top of the mountain that was suitable for grazing pigs, cows, and horses.26
Monte Barro, although quite exceptional in its size, is not an isolated case and
it raises the question of where the Ostrogothic elite (whose primary task was
commanding the military forces of the kingdom) had established its regular
headquarters. Perhaps, rather than taking part in local city life, they might
have preferred direct contact with the capital and the king’s court.
Romans and especially their elite had traditionally deep ties with city life,
but there has been a debate about the possibility that, despite official encour-
agement, many of its members at the beginning of the 6th century would have
preferred the countryside and the release from urban habits. Once again, the
discussion has been invigorated by a letter from Cassiodorus (Variae 8.31). In
a letter addressed in 526 or 527 to the governor of Lucania-Bruttium, King
Athalaric reprimanded the curiales and possessores who preferred to dwell
in their country estates in disregard of the cities to which they had been
assigned.27 The city, states Athalaric, is the cradle of civilization, where people
meet to peacefully settle disputes and where the traditional intellectual and
cultural life was preserved. People who lived in towns were like peaceful birds,
which flocked in order to live harmoniously, whereas those who preferred the
countryside adopted the attitude of predatory birds. The lack of interest in city
life is portrayed as a serious danger to the rest of society as a whole. Claude
Lepelley, who has provided perhaps the best commentary for this text, says
that Cassiodorus’ letter should be read together with an edict issued by the
royal chancery more or less in the same period (Variae 9.2).28 There the king
censures the fact that members of city councils were often the targets of abuse
from state officials, Romans, and Goths. Indeed this situation appears to have
compelled many of them to sell their properties in order to repay the debts
imposed on them by the corrupt practices of the administration of the central
government. According to Athalaric (and Cassiodorus, who wrote the text),
26 Brogiolo/Gelichi, Nuove ricerche, pp. 22–31.
27 For an overview on Calabrian cities in Late Antiquity: Raimondo, “Le città dei Bruttii”,
pp. 519–98.
28 Lepelley, “La survie de l’idée de cité republicaine”, pp. 71–84.