The so-called “crisis of the third century” in the northeastern quadrant of the conuentus Tarraconensis

Some reflections and a new proposal

Abstract

To observe, in a reduced territory and well known at archaeological level, that between the second half of the second century and the first third of the fourth century almost half of the agricultural settlements were peacefully abandoned, allows us to propose a new explanation based on a strong general demographic crisis as a consequence of recurrent phases of pestilence.