Research Catalog

Title

Europe's barbarians, AD 200-600 / Edward James.

Author

James, Edward, 1947-

Publication

New York : Pearson Longman, 2009.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xii, 344 p. : ill., maps; 24 cm.

Summary

'Barbarians' is the name the Romans gave to those who lived beyond the frontiers of the Roman Empire--the peoples they considered 'uncivilized'. Most of the written sources concerning the barbarians come from the Romans too, and as such, need to be treated with caution. Only archeology allows us to see beyond Roman prejudices--and yet these records are often as difficult to interpret as historical ones. Expertly guiding the reader through such historiographical complexities, Edward James traces the history of the barbarians from the height of Roman power through to AD 600, by which time they had settled in most parts of imperial territory in Europe. His book is the first to look at all Europe's barbarians: the Picts and the Scots in the far north-west; the Franks, Goths and Slavic-speaking peoples; and relative newcomers such as the Huns and Alans from the Asiatic steppes. How did whole barbarian peoples migrate across Europe? What were their relations with the Romans? And why did they convert to Christianity? Drawing on the latest scholarly research, this book rejects easy generalizations to provide a clear, nuanced and comprehensive account of the barbarians and the tumultuous period they lived through.

Series Statement

Medieval world

Uniform Title

Medieval world

Subjects

• History
• Geschichte 200-600
• To 1492
• Germanic Invasions of Rome > (Rome : > 3rd-6th centuries)
• Rome > Ethnic relations
• Rome > Civilization > Foreign influences
• Roman provinces > History
• Germanic peoples > Europe > History
• Germanic peoples > Rome > History
• Rome > History > Germanic Invasions, 3rd-6th centuries
• Europe > History > To 476
• Europe > History > 476-1492
• Europe > Ethnic relations

Genre/Form

History

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Who are the barbarians? -- The barbarians before AD 376 -- The barbarians from 376 to 476 -- The barbarians after 476 -- Ethnicity, ethnogenesis, and identity -- The barbarians at home -- Barbarians in Roman employment -- Barbarians on the move -- Assimilation, acculturation, and accommodation -- From paganisms to Christianities -- Kingdom, kingship, and law.

ISBN

• 9780582772960 (pbk.)
• 0582772966 (pbk.)

LCCN

^^2009002079

OCLC

• 255883887
• SCSB-12791925

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library