
Barbarians to Angels
The Dark Ages Reconsidered
Peter S. Wells(Author)
WW Norton & Co (Publisher)
Published on 1. August 2008
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-393-06075-1 (ISBN)
Description
The barbarians who destroyed the glory that was Rome demolished civilization along with it, and for the next four centuries the peasants and artisans of Europe barely held on. Random violence, mass migration, disease, and starvation were the only way of life. This is the picture of the Dark Ages that most historians promote. But archaeology tells a different story. Peter S. Wells, one of the world's leading archaeologists, surveys the archaeological record to demonstrate that the Dark Ages were not dark at all. The kingdoms of Christendom that emerged starting in the ninth century sprang from a robust, previously little-known, European culture, albeit one that left behind few written texts. This recently recognized 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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
24 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
407 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-393-06075-1 (9780393060751)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2009
W. W. Norton & Company
€20.49
Available for download
Person
Peter S. Wells is professor of archaeology at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of The Battle That Stopped Rome and The Barbarians Speak. He lives in St. Paul.