- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press (April 1 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0195044584
- ISBN-13: 978-0195044584
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.5 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #321,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Clear and concise survey."--James Grier, Yale University
"An excellent guide to the Merovingian world, especially for my beginning graduate students!"--Coor, University of Arkansas
"A history of the transformation of the Roman provincial world....All archaelogists will be grateful to the author for this large and beautifully produced work, since there has been no comparable publication...Geary is a gifted synthesizer."--Classical World
"A marvelous synthesis and competent survey of Northern Europe after the German tribes entered the Roman Empire...Geary wrote this clearly and simply which makes it valuable for both an undergraduate and graduate audience."--Louis Haas, Duquesne University
"Full of insights, related in clear and concise form, in a manner likely to appeal to and enlighten undergraduates. It will arouse a new interest in a period relatively neglected, even by medievalists."--Karen Nicholes, State University of New York, Oswego
"This is a reliable and readable synthesis that makes good sense of recent research."--T. N. Bisson, Harvard University
"A fine and important book. Geary really does know the literature in all the relevant languages. He is not merely a gifted synthesizer; he is one of the research scholars in the field. I would adopt it; I have been waiting for such a survey."--Edward Peters, University of Pennsylvania
"An excellent survey of the Merovingian period. The...integration of perspectives from political, social, and religious history along with material culture and archaeology explains Merovingian civilization clearly and ...brings the Merovingians to life."--Karen Gould, University of Texas at Austin
"The first book of its kind in English...very good. It steers a sensible course through minefields of controversy."--Thomas F.X. Noble, University of Virginia
"A very revealing yet succinct account of a topic long considered confused if not irrelevant. Geary's synthesis is based upon firm control of early medieval sources and modern scholarship."--Harry Rosenberg, Colorado State University
"An excellent guide to the Merovingian world, especially for my beginning graduate students!"--Coor, University of Arkansas
"A history of the transformation of the Roman provincial world....All archaelogists will be grateful to the author for this large and beautifully produced work, since there has been no comparable publication...Geary is a gifted synthesizer."--Classical World
"A marvelous synthesis and competent survey of Northern Europe after the German tribes entered the Roman Empire...Geary wrote this clearly and simply which makes it valuable for both an undergraduate and graduate audience."--Louis Haas, Duquesne University
"Full of insights, related in clear and concise form, in a manner likely to appeal to and enlighten undergraduates. It will arouse a new interest in a period relatively neglected, even by medievalists."--Karen Nicholes, State University of New York, Oswego
"This is a reliable and readable synthesis that makes good sense of recent research."--T. N. Bisson, Harvard University
"A fine and important book. Geary really does know the literature in all the relevant languages. He is not merely a gifted synthesizer; he is one of the research scholars in the field. I would adopt it; I have been waiting for such a survey."--Edward Peters, University of Pennsylvania
"An excellent survey of the Merovingian period. The...integration of perspectives from political, social, and religious history along with material culture and archaeology explains Merovingian civilization clearly and ...brings the Merovingians to life."--Karen Gould, University of Texas at Austin
"The first book of its kind in English...very good. It steers a sensible course through minefields of controversy."--Thomas F.X. Noble, University of Virginia
"A very revealing yet succinct account of a topic long considered confused if not irrelevant. Geary's synthesis is based upon firm control of early medieval sources and modern scholarship."--Harry Rosenberg, Colorado State University
Product Description
In this innovative study, Patrick Geary rejects traditional conceptions of European history to present the Merovingian period (ca. 400-750) as an integral part of Late Antiquity. Mapping the complex interactions of a volatile era, he formulates an original interpretation not only of Merovingian history but of the Romano-barbarian world, tracing the Romanization of barbarians and the barbarization of the Romans which ultimately made these populations indistinguishable.
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First Sentence
Around A.D. 30, a Roman merchant named Gargilius Secundus purchased a cow from Stelus, a barbarian who lived near the present-day Dutch town of Franeker. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Around A.D. 30, a Roman merchant named Gargilius Secundus purchased a cow from Stelus, a barbarian who lived near the present-day Dutch town of Franeker. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unique; Narrow Focus,
By
This review is from: Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World (Paperback)
In his own words, Geary's purpose was "not to launch some new theory about the origins of European civilization, but to make available the vast literature on late antiquity and the early Middle Ages which has, for a variety of reasons, seldom been presented in a manner accessible to a broader audience, particularly to an English-reading one."Understanding that the intent was to synthesize a much larger body of work, it is important to also understand that Geary's focus is laser-beam tight on the Merovingian dynasty within the Frankish kingdoms of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th centuries. For those without some familiarity to the period, I would suggest reading a couple of chapters from a more general work such as "Medieval Europe" (Hollister & Bennett) even if just not to be surprised when the early Carolingians start showing up on the page. (Geary assumes you'll instantly know who "Pippin" was.) My one reservation about the book lies in the torrent of names that take up about forty pages towards the end. That is probably a curse of writing about Merovingians in the 8th century, period, but I found it impossible to keep my Nantechildis separate from my Flaochad while keeping a mental finger on Clothar II, Grimoald, and Childebert (along with many more). Otherwise, I found the book quite engaging, particularly with respect to the early merger of the Franks into Roman-Gallo society and its reporting on the differing roles and influences that the bishops, monks, and eventually the Roman Benedictines assumed and exercised within the early Frankish kingdoms.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enlightening,
By
This review is from: Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World (Paperback)
Geary's work is an enlightening look at the transformation from the Roman to the medieval in the transalpine Roman provinces. Geary easily dispels the myth of barbarian invasions and the "fall" of Rome. A complex and weary narrative is turned into a simple and intersting one. Geary does not waste his time (and ours) in pointless name-dropping. He gets right down to the core of the social, economic, and political story. Additionally, Geary quietly, but effectively, addresses one of the major controversies in early medieval studies: what was the economic impact of the Germanic migrations? This book is a must have for anyone interested in the classical or medieval periods and goes a long way to clearing up a lot of misconceptions.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-have.,
By Cas (the Idaho mountains) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Before France and Germany: The Creation and Transformation of the Merovingian World (Paperback)
Paints an entirely plausible picture of life after the putative "fall of Rome". Scholarly and in-depth treatment of the time period make this an absolute must-have in any history maven's collection. I haven't ever seen a better treatment of this time period. What is nicest, it's not terribly long or dry. It says what it needs to say with knowledgability and wit, and then it gets out of there, leaving you lots of places to take up study. To the person just seriously delving into this period (this history is not for the casual reader), this is the perfect book to get you started. It definitely was for me. Also an excellent bridge between "fall of Rome" period history and the "Middle Ages". You don't see a lot about that period. It's largely a mystery how it all went from togas to braies. This dispels many notions of pseudo-history and once-cherished errors, and effectively explains how we got from there to here. There's a very sweeping sense of history about this book. When I finish reading it, I get a sense that Charlemagne wouldn't have happened if this period hadn't happened the way it did, and see the whole time period in a different light -- the light of perspective. Definitely recommend it.
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