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Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400-800

Author

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  • Wickham, Chris

    (Chichele Professor of Medieval History, Oxford University)

Abstract

The Roman empire tends to be seen as a whole whereas the early middle ages tends to be seen as a collection of regional histories, roughly corresponding to the land-areas of modern nation states. As a result, early medieval history is much more fragmented, and there have been few convincing syntheses of socio-economic change in the post-Roman world since the 1930s. In recent decades, the rise of early medieval archaeology has also transformed our source-base, but this has not been adequately integrated into analyses of documentary history in almost any country. In Framing the Early Middle Ages Chris Wickham aims at integrating documentary and archaeological evidence together, and also, above all, at creating a comparative history of the period 400-800, by means of systematic comparative analyses of each of the regions of the latest Roman and immediately post-Roman world, from Denmark to Egypt (only the Slav areas are left out). The book concentrates on classic socio-economic themes, state finance, the wealth and identity of the aristocracy, estate management, peasant society, rural settlement, cities, and exchange. These are only a partial picture of the period, but they are intended as a framing for other developments, without which those other developments cannot be properly understood. Wickham argues that only a complex comparative analysis can act as the basis for a wider synthesis. Whilst earlier syntheses have taken the development of a single region as 'typical', with divergent developments presented as exceptions, this book takes all different developments as typical, and aims to construct a synthesis based on a better understanding of difference and the reasons for it. This is the most ambitious and original survey of the period ever written. Available in OSO: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/content/history/9780199264490/toc.html

Suggested Citation

  • Wickham, Chris, 2005. "Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400-800," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199264490.
  • Handle: RePEc:oxp:obooks:9780199264490
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    Cited by:

    1. Guy Michaels & Ferdinand Rauch, 2013. "Resetting the Urban Network: 117-2012," CEP Discussion Papers dp1248, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    2. Matthew Munro, 2023. "Resilience Thinking and Landscape Complexity in the Basentello Valley (BA, MT), c. AD 300–800," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, March.
    3. Irene Barbiera & Gianpiero Dalla‐Zuanna, 2009. "Population Dynamics in Italy in the Middle Ages: New Insights from Archaeological Findings," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 35(2), pages 367-389, June.
    4. Izdebski, Adam & Koloch, Grzegorz & Słoczyński, Tymon & Tycner, Marta, 2016. "On the use of palynological data in economic history: New methods and an application to agricultural output in Central Europe, 0–2000AD," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 17-39.
    5. Quentin Borderie & Rowena Banerjea & Stéphane Bonnet & Yannick Devos & Cristiano Nicosia & Christophe Petit & Ferréol Salomon & Nathalie Schneider & Barbora Wouters & Patrice Wuscher, 2020. "Géoarchéologies des contextes urbains : mieux comprendre les modalités de l'artificialisation des géosystèmes," Post-Print halshs-02893402, HAL.
    6. He Yu & Alexandra Jamieson & Ardern Hulme-Beaman & Chris J. Conroy & Becky Knight & Camilla Speller & Hiba Al-Jarah & Heidi Eager & Alexandra Trinks & Gamini Adikari & Henriette Baron & Beate Böhlendo, 2022. "Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Silver, Morris, 2018. "Bondage by contract in the late Roman empire," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 17-29.
    8. Cesaratto, Sergio, 2023. "Schools of Athens: Surplus Approach, Marxism and Institutions," Centro Sraffa Working Papers CSWP62, Centro di Ricerche e Documentazione "Piero Sraffa".
    9. Gabriel Jover-Avellà & Antoni Mas-Forners & Ricard Soto-Company & Enric Tello, 2018. "Socioecological Transition in Land and Labour Exploitation in Mallorca: From Slavery to a Low-Wage Workforce, 1229–1576," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-26, December.

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