The departure of the Roman state in the west brought ‘desolation to metallurgy as well as to most of the cultural activities of our continent’. ‘With the final departure of the Romans in the fourth century evidence of most forms of economic and social activity ceased’. The ‘barbarians’ had taken over much of the Empire and the Goths now ruled over Noricum, ‘the nursery of the iron industries of the continent’. But these barbarians were metallurgically ‘inept and jejune’ claims Aitchison in his comprehensive history on the subject in the west. While large-scale mining suffered for some centuries, iron obviously continued to be produced locally and fine metal work was even made, especially in Kent. However, the author tends to play down the contribution that these ‘barbarians’ made to the use of metals. The mines in Spain were certainly closed under the Visigoths and the Roman state that ran them disappeared from view. The inhabitants now had no metal to send eastwards to exchange for oriental luxuries. But despite the hiatus we should not discount all ‘barbarian’ activity. It was not just the ‘decline’ in the Roman army that brought about their prevalence, but the strength of these enemies who were, independently, workers in iron and steel, and had an efficient weaponry, concentrating more on offence than defence. It was the Romans who were ‘static’ in terms of frontier defences, as in Britain, a system that employed permanent forces stationed in one place and at great expense.