The Edinburgh History of the Greeks, c. 500 to 1050
The Early Middle Ages
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:30th Jan '11
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This volume traces the social, economic and political history of the Greeks between 500 and 1050. The book adopts an interdisciplinary approach and uses archaeological evidence, as well as coins and seals, fiscal documents, medieval chronicles, and hagiographic literature to examine the development of Greek culture in the early medieval period. Several themes provide the foundation for this volume and run through the chapters; these include the Balkan context, the Social Role of the Army and the Onset of Economic Growth. Special attention is paid to the size of the economy in early medieval Greece. Both the social and the economic are privileged and analyzed together as integrally connected spheres of life, thus filling a major gap in existing literature on this period.
This very learned and detailed investigation represents an advance in the field… While the paucity of written (literary and epigraphic) sources is one challenge, Curta introduces much valuable numismatic and sigillographic evidence ... There is no comparable book. -- Walter E. Kaegi, University of Chicago * American Historical Review *
This very learned and detailed investigation represents an advance in the field… While the paucity of written (literary and epigraphic) sources is one challenge, Curta introduces much valuable numismatic and sigillographic evidence … There is no comparable book. -- Walter E. Kaegi, University of Chicago * American Historical Review *
An excellent and useful work. Overall, this is a nuanced and useful discussion of the social and economic history of medieval Greece. The work should be praised especially for its nuanced approach to the numismatic evidence and for its incorporation of evidence from saints' lives. -- Jason Fossella, Saint Louis University * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
This is a valuable book, both as a work of reference and as a contribution to ongoing debates surrounding what remains one of the least understood areas of medieval Europe. -- Will Bowden, University of Nittingham * Medieval Archaeology *
A highly informative collection of both archaeological and literary data. Curta presents the reader with detailed descriptions of fortified sites, lavish grave burials and coin hoards together with literary evidence. All is framed in the wider contexts of Europe and the Mediterranean… Due to his striking knowledge of numismatic evidence, sigillography, funerary archaeology and Quellenkritik, Curta is very generous with his reader, but he also demands a lot… The significance of this book will be evident. To the attentive reader the work will be an invaluable tool for further researches. -- Francesco Borri * Sehepunkte *
Curta applies his considerable archaeological expertise and historical acumen to questions of ethnic identity, migrations and cultural and economic change in the earlier middle ages. While focusing on Greece, he sets developments within the broader Balkan context, challenging assumptions about Byzantium's 'Dark Age' and offering an important and original synthesis. -- Jonathan Shepard, retired Lecturer in History, University of Cambridge
- Winner of Romanian Academy Nicolae Iorga Prize 2013
ISBN: 9780748638093
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 1g
376 pages