The Making of the Slavs: History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, c. 500-700

by Florin Curta

This book offers a new approach to the problem of Slavic ethnicity in southeastern Europe between c. 500 and c. 700. The author shows how Byzantine authors "invented" the Slavs, in order to make sense of political and military developments taking place in the Balkans. Making extensive use of archaeology to show that such developments resulted in the rise of powerful leaders, responsible for creating group identities and mobilizing warriors for successful raids across the frontier. The author rejects the idea of Slavic migration, and shows that "the Slavs" were the product of the frontier.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Nonfiction

496 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2001

About the author

Florin Curta is Waldo W. Neikirk Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology at the University of Florida. His books include: The Making of the Slavs. History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube region, c. 500-700 (2001), which received the Herbert Baxter Adams prize of the American Historical Association; and Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250 (2005). He is also the editor of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Early Middle Ages (2005) and Borders, Barriers, and Ethnogenesis (2006). He is currently completing a monograph on Moravia and Bulgaria in the ninth century.

Reviews

[Mihai Zodian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few subjects are less controversial than the origin and early history of the Eastern European societies. The Making of the Slavs is good for the reader who`s interested in the fragility of interpretation since the past is, in part, the product of intellectuals and politics and what we think we do know is frail and subject to change. The Russo-Ukrainian war reminds us that the issue is highly political. In this book, a well-known specialist, Florin Curta tries to show that the established thesis of a grand Slavic migration during the early Middle Ages is not true.

The thesis of Making of the Slavs is complex. During the 6th and 7th centuries AD, in the Danube area, there was a symbolic interaction between the early Medieval societies, the local communities, the byzantine military policy pursued by emperor Justinian and the elite opinions enshrined by the chroniclers. According to Florin Curta, the names of Antes and Slavs were used by Eastern Roman writers to define neighboring groups, according to their political and military interests. These names were not necessarily used by the communities themselves and they were gradually borrowed by them, as interactions became more complex.

Ethnicity is defined here as a social construction. Emperor Justinian launched an ambitious program designed to fortify the Danube border of the Eastern Roman Empire, with three series of fortifications, according to Making of the Slavs. The defensive system had unforeseen social effects, mobilizing local elites to coagulate their groups and to redefine their identity. For Florin Curta, the result was that new communities developed, which today are called the Early Slavs.

Archaeology is important. Published in 2001, Making of the Slavs centers around a long discussion about ceramic styles and their social meaning. Florin Curta tries to show that there are no clear material proofs of a massive Early Slav migration from the Pripet Marshes in today`s Ukraine, towards the Balkans. Archeological sites from Romanian, in the 6th and 7th centuries AD, are central to his arguments. The author also states that ceramic styles are not signifiers of ethnicity, but of conspicuous consumption by local leaders.

The thesis is interesting, though it`s still speculative. The argumentation is fragmented; the debates are still ongoing. There is a lot of speculation, and the proofs are indirect. The mastery of archeological and written sources and the originality of interpretation remain the strong points of Making of the Slavs. Florin Curta reminds the reader that knowledge of the past is a process without a clear end.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it partially during my studies in Croatia. I will have to reread it one day.