The Early Medieval World: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne [2 Volumes]

"From the fall of Rome to the age of Charlemagne and his successors, the early Middle Ages was a time of profound importance in European and world history. The great changes that occurred in this tumultuous and oft-misunderstood time laid the foundation for subsequent Western civilization. This book examines a pivotal period in ancient human history: the fall of the Roman Empire and the birth of a new European civilization in the early Middle Ages. The Early Medieval World: From the Fall of Rome to the Time of Charlemagne addresses the social and material culture of this critical period in the evolution of Western society, covering the social, political, cultural, and religious history of the Mediterranean world and northern Europe. The two-volume set explains how invading and migrating barbarian tribes--spurred by raiding Huns from the steppes of Central Asia--contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and documents how the blending of Greco-Roman, Germanic, and Christian cultures birthed a new civilization in Western Europe, creating the Christian Church and the modern nation-state. A-Z entries discuss political transformation, changing religious practices in daily life, sculpture and the arts, material culture, and social structure, and provide biographies of important men and women in the transitional period of late antiquity. Features: A chronology of events; Dozens of primary document excerpts; and A substantial bibliography of print and nonprint sources. Highlights: Provides broad coverage of both social and cultural history; Includes biographies of significant men and women of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages; Contains entries on the key battles in the fall of Rome and rise of barbarian Europe, important barbarian peoples who replaced the Roman Empire, and major cities and geographic regions; and Supplies articles on key figures and doctrines of early Christianity."--Publisher's description.