From Roman provinces to Medieval kingdoms / edited by Thomas F.X. Noble.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Noble, Thomas F. X.

Series:

Rewriting histories

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Europe--History--476-1492.

Europe.

History.

Middle Ages.

Physical Description:

xxv, 402 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2006.

Summary:

In 300 C.E. the Roman Empire stretched from Britain to Mesopotamia, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert. A mere three hundred years later the Roman imperial structure was gone, replaced by a series of barbarian kingdoms that became the basis of Europe's eventual medieval and modern states. In this anthology Thomas F. X. Noble presents a collection of key articles, written by leading scholars over the last twenty years, that examine how and why the dominance of the Roman Empire ended and how new forms of government and society were established.

Since the Renaissance, historians have tended to understand the events of the period in terms of a dramatic 'decline and fall' of Rome. However, these revisionist essays provide an overview of how contemporary historians have furthered the debate, reassessing how abruptly the shift from Roman Empire to medieval Europe occurred, and the origins and causes of the development of the Middle Ages, and the new order that it ushered in. Rome played a key role in guiding this transformation and these essays also include a wealth of material on the characteristics and experiences of the barbarian tribes, the relationships they forged with the Romans and how far their new kingdoms were influenced by Rome.

With an accessible and informative introduction, and thorough editorial material accompanying each section, From Roman Provinces to Medieval Kingdoms is a highly readable and informative compilation of current work and recent perspectives, making complex arguments accessible to students and exposing them to the key debates surrounding the study of the era.

Contents:

Introduction: Romans, barbarians, and the transformation of the Roman Empire / Thomas F. X. Noble 1

Part I Barbarian ethnicity and identity 29

1 The crisis of European identity / Patrick J. Geary 33

2 Gothic history as historical ethnography / Herwig Wolfram 43

3 Origo et religio: ethnic traditions and literature in early medieval texts / Herwig Wolfram 70

4 Does the distant past impinge on the invasion age Germans? / Walter Goffart 91

5 Defining the Franks: Frankish origins in early medieval historiography / Ian Wood 110

6 Telling the difference: signs of ethnic identity / Walter Pohl 120

7 Gender and ethnicity in the early middle ages / Walter Pohl 168

8 Grave goods and the ritual expression of identity / Bonnie Effros 189

Part II Accommodating the Barbarians 233

9 The barbarians in late antiquity and how they were accommodated in the West / Walter Goffart 235

10 Archaeologists and migrations: a problem of attitude? / Heinrich Harke 262

11 Movers and shakers: the barbarians and the fall of Rome / Guy Halsall 277

12 Foedera and foederati of the fourth century / Peter J. Heather 292

13 Cities, taxes, and the accommodation of the barbarians / Wolf Liebeschutz 309

Part III Barbarians and Romans in Merovingian Gaul 325

14 The two faces of King Childeric: history, archaeology, historiography / Stephane Lebecq 327

15 Frankish victory celebrations / Michael McCormick 345

16 Administration, law, and culture in Merovingian Gaul / Ian Wood 358

17 'Pax et disciplina': Roman public law and the Merovingian state / Alexander Callander Murray 376.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0415327415

0415327423

OCLC:

60603202

Publisher Number:

9780415327411

9780415327428