The Roman Empire Divided, 400-700

Description

First published 2001 by Pearson Education Limited. In 400 the mighty Roman Empire was almost as large as it had ever been; within three centuries, advances by Germanic peoples in western Europe, Slavs in eastern Europe and Arabs around the eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean had brought about the loss of most of its territory. Ranging from Britain to Mesopotamia, this book explores the changes that resulted from these movements.  It shows the different paths away from the classical past that were taken, and how the relatively unified civilization of the ancient Mediterranean gave place to the very different civilizations that cluster around the sea today. This comprehensive and authoritative second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated line-by-line, and contains several new sections dealing for instance with the new evidence provided by recent finds like the Staffordshire Treasure and the widespread effects of  the plague. As well as a completely new bibliographical essay, "The Roman Empire Divided" now also includes six maps and an expanded selection of illustrations fully integrated in the text. List of illustrations viii Acknowledgements ix Preface to the first edition x Preface to the second edition xi Maps xii Introduction 1 1. The Empire 7 Frontiers 11 Barbarians 14 Non-Romans 17 Names and clothing 24 Roman society 27 Religion 34 2. The western Mediterranean to the mid-sixth century 39 Italy 39 Africa 54 Spain 65 3. From Gaul to France 72 Newcomers and the old establishment 74 Clovis 79 The sixth century 82 Franks and indigenes 84 A powerful woman 89 Centre and peripheries 92 Control of resources 96 The rise of the north 99 Changes in Latin 103 4. From Britain to England 106 Roman Britain 107 Newcomers 110 Indigenes 114 Newcomers and indigenes 116 Frankish influence 121 Scandinavian influence 123 Irish influence 125 Mediterranean influence 127 Underground wealth 132 Monarchy 134 Old and new 137 5. The western Mediterranean from the time of Justinian 140 Byzantium and the West 140 Africa 142 Catastrophes? 147 Italy 149 Spain 165 6. South of the Danube 174 The fifth century 178 The loss of Noricum 180 Justinian 182 Slavs and Avars 186 The seventh century 191 Supernatural defenders 194 Thessaloniki 196 The Empire fights back 200 Bulgars 203 7. The East to 661 207 A city and its empire 207 The Arabs 217 Muhammad 221 Persians and Jews 224 Preparation for expansion 229 Expansion begins 232 The initial impact of the Arabs 235 8. The East from 661 240 The new regime 240 Expansion to the west 242 Continuities 247 Discontinuities 249 Buildings 251 Iconoclasm 258 The balance of power 260 Co-existence 263 The end of the world? 265 Structural change 267 9. Systems great and small 274 The Pirenne thesis I 274 World systems 283 The Pirenne thesis II 289 The Mediterranean 291 The West looks back 294 Retrospect and prospect 296 Abbreviations 299 Notes 300 Bibliography 327 Index 342