Current Trends in Roman Demography and Empirical Approaches to the Dynamics of the Limes Populations

Based on the three principal and inevitably incomplete information sources on ancient historical demography, and taking into account the particularities of the populations living around the Limes Germanicus, a largely male population of soldiers and migrants, this chapter examines the factors that may have influenced their dynamics over the short, medium and long term. It also looks at the possible consequences of increased pressure on the environment, heightened risk of epidemics linked to the rise in population concentration, long-distance communication and adverse climate changes observed from the second half of the second century AD. The proposed empirical approach aims to shed light on the factors that shaped the dynamics of these very specific populations over the long term.