Barbarians to Angels

In "Barbarians to Angels" one of the world's leading archaeologists offers a surprising look at the least-appreciated period of European history: the so-called Dark Ages.The barbarians who destroyed Rome demolished civilisation along with it and for the next four centuries the people of Europe barely held on. The picture of the Dark Ages that most historians promote is one of random violence, mass migration, disease and starvation. But archaeology tells a different story and here Peter S. Wells surveys the archaeological record to demonstrate that the Dark Ages were not dark at all. The kingdoms of Christendom that emerged from the ninth century sprang from a robust, previously little-known, European culture, albeit one that left behind few written texts. This culture achieved heights in artistry, technology, craft production, commerce and learning. Future assessments of the period between Rome and Charlemagne will need to incorporate this fresh new picture.

ISBN 0393060756   Pages 256 ISBN13 9780393060751 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher WW Norton & Co   Weight (grammes) 410 Imprint WW Norton & Co   Published in New York Format Hardback   Height (mm) 217 Publication date 01 Aug 2008   Width (mm) 148 Library of Congress 2008002501   Spine width (mm) 22 DEWEY 940.12   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

1		Between Antiquity and the Middle Ages: What Happened?		3
2		The Decline of the Roman Empire		13
3		The Peoples of Europe		28
4		Childeric and Other Early Dark Age Kings		47
5		What Happened to the Roman Cities?		70
6		Roman Londinium to Saxon Lundenwic: Continuity and Change (A.D. 43-800)		88
7		New Centers in the North		121
8		The Revolution in the Countryside		130
9		Crafting Tools and Ornaments for the New Societies		142
10		Royal Exchange and Everyday Trade		153
11		Spread of the New Religion		170
12		Arts, Scholarship, and Education		186
13		Charlemagne's Elephant and the History of Europe		199
App		Selected Museum Collections		203
		Sources and Suggestions for Further Reading		205
		Acknowledgments		217
		Illustration Credits		219
		Index		221

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