The Barbarian invasions that brought about the fall of the Roman Empire in the West laid the foundations of Europe as we know it. But the historian who tried to understand this crucial period in European history is faced with a daunting task. The written documents are few, and often ambiguous; and he must fall back on the still more vague evidence provided by archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, linguistics, and toponymy.This book, by one of the foremost experts on the Dark Ages, provides authoritative guidelines to the bewildering flux of the period and recharts the fundamentals of such knowledge as the historian can obtain. The original French edition of Professor Musse's work-published under the title Les Invasions: les vagues germaniques--was hailed by scholars everywhere as a work that brilliantly summaraized modern scholarship on the invasions and their consequences.In Part One Professor Musset establishes the framework of his study, tracing the history of each wave of invasions. In Part Two he outlines the frontiers of knowledge in areas of major importance where no consensus has been reached, and indicates lines of desirable future research. Part Three provides a thorough and up-to-date bibliography, arranged according to topic and area.This book makes an outstanding contribution to a field of study in which interest is growing. It will be found indispensable both as an introduction and as a definitive summary of its subject.
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About the Author:
Lucien Musset is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Caen. He has written extensively on the period and has made a major contribution to Viking and Norman studies. He is editor of the Bulletin de la Societe des Antiquaries de Normandie.
Language Notes:
Text: English, French (translation)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBarnes & Noble
- Publication date1979
- ISBN 10 1566193265
- ISBN 13 9781566193269
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages301
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