In a series of studies about settlement density in the Rhine area from protohistoric to modern times, K.-P. Wendt and A. Zimmermann try their hand at the difficult task of evaluating the palaeodemography of a region. Their task is all the more complex because these are times and spaces for which written sources are lacking, as a result of which reasoning relies very broadly on interpretation of the archaeological record. The two researchers also attempt to characterize the density of rural settlements and their spatial distribution. I shall not dally on the methods employed, which involve quite complex statistics and geomatics (anyway, they lie outside my area of scientific competence), and shall take the figures at face value, even if I might question some of them. I shall contemplate the economic impact of population growth on the countryside of Gaul in Imperial times. It is a subject that has often been addressed, but one which I intend to reconsider in the context of a European programme on this issue. The relationship between population numbers, agricultural yield, gross domestic product and taxation has certainly been one key to our understanding of the Roman economy ever since the model suggested by K. Hopkins. Here, however, I do not wish to proceed in terms of theory, but intend to review critically the archaeological sources, which, for want of written evidence, are our mainspring for evaluating the key components of economic development on the regional scale of NE Gaul.

中文翻译：

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德国边境对罗马高卢农村经济发展的影响

在一系列关于从原始历史到现代莱茵河地区聚落密度的研究中，K.-P. Wendt 和 A. Zimmermann 尝试了评估一个地区的古人口学的艰巨任务。他们的任务更加复杂，因为这些时间和空间缺乏书面资料，因此推理非常广泛地依赖于对考古记录的解释。两位研究人员还试图描述农村住区的密度及其空间分布。我不会对所采用的方法嗤之以鼻，这些方法涉及相当复杂的统计和地理（无论如何，它们不在我的科学能力范围之内），并且会从表面上看这些数字，即使我可能会质疑其中的一些。我将思考帝国时期人口增长对高卢乡村的经济影响。这是一个经常被讨论的主题，但我打算在欧洲计划的背景下重新考虑这个问题。自从 K. Hopkins 提出模型以来，人口数量、农业产量、国内生产总值和税收之间的关系无疑一直是我们理解罗马经济的关键之一。然而，在这里，我不想从理论上继续，而是打算批判性地审查考古资料，由于缺乏书面证据，这些资料是我们评估东北高卢地区经济发展关键组成部分的主要动力. 但我打算在有关此问题的欧洲计划的背景下重新考虑。自从 K. Hopkins 提出模型以来，人口数量、农业产量、国内生产总值和税收之间的关系无疑一直是我们理解罗马经济的关键之一。然而，在这里，我不想从理论上继续，而是打算批判性地审查考古资料，由于缺乏书面证据，这些资料是我们评估东北高卢地区经济发展关键组成部分的主要动力. 但我打算在有关此问题的欧洲计划的背景下重新考虑。自从 K. Hopkins 提出模型以来，人口数量、农业产量、国内生产总值和税收之间的关系无疑一直是我们理解罗马经济的关键之一。然而，在这里，我不想从理论上继续，而是打算批判性地审查考古资料，由于缺乏书面证据，这些资料是我们评估东北高卢地区经济发展关键组成部分的主要动力.