Ebook: The Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe from 400 to 1000

The idea that with the decline of the Roman Empire Europe entered into some immense "dark age" has long been viewed as misleading by many historians. How could a world still so profoundly shaped by Rome and which encompassed such remarkable societies as the Byzantine, Carolingian and Ottoman empires be anything other than central to the development of Europe?

In "The Inheritance of Rome", prizewinning historian Chris Wickham defies the conventional view of European history between A.D. 400 and 1000 with a work of remarkable scope and rigorous yet accessible scholarship. Drawing on a wealth of new material and featuring a thoughtful synthesis of historical and archaeological approaches, Wickham argues that these centuries were critical in the formulation of European identity. Far from being a "middle" period between more significant epochs, this age has much to tell us in its own right about the progress of culture and the development of political thought.

Sweeping in its breadth, Wickham’s incisive history focuses on a world still profoundly shaped by Rome, which included peoples ranging from the Goths, Franks and Vandals to Arabs, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Digging deep into each culture, Wickham constructs a vivid portrait of a vast and varied world stretching from Ireland to Constantinople, the Baltic to the Mediterranean. "The Inheritance of Rome" brilliantly presents a fresh understanding of the crucible in which Europe would ultimately be created.