The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume 1: c.500 - c.700

The New Cambridge Medieval History #1

by Paul Fouracre (Editor)

The first volume of The New Cambridge Medieval History covers the transitional period between the later Roman world and the early middle ages, c.500 to c.700. This was an era of developing consciousness and profound change in Europe, Byzantium and the Arab world, an era in which the foundations of medieval society were laid and to which many of our modern myths of national and religious identity can be traced. This book offers a comprehensive regional survey of the sixth and seventh centuries, from Ireland in the west to the rise of Islam in the Middle East, and from Scandinavia in the north to the Mediterranean south. It explores the key themes pinning together the history of this period, from kingship, trade and the church, to art, architecture and education. It represents both an invaluable conspectus of current scholarship and an expert introduction to the period.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Medieval History, European History

1000 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Paul Fouracre is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Manchester.

Reviews

[Odhran · Rating 4 out of 5]

First review with words, huh? Hmm, that's a bit of pressure...

So, I've decided to read a chapter of the New Cambridge Medieval History a day until I get through the whole eight books, because apparently eight years late is the perfect time to work on your mediaeval history college work. The first volume in the series is a solid and mostly comprehensive work on the transition between the late antique and the early mediaeval periods.

In general, the articles (each written by experts in the particular field) are clear and informative, although I think a stricter editorial hand would have been useful, in particular in the articles by Barbero and Loring on Visigothic Spain (which have some weird turns of phrase and non-standard constructions) and some of the thematic chapters in Part III (which can be somewhat disconnected). The common problem of untranslated phrases in the body of the text is also apparent in quite a few articles. (Seriously, nothing grinds my goat more than people throwing in untranslated phrases to show off.)

So, those issues knock off a star. Other than that, though, it's definitely an interesting read. Understanding the development of the Middle Ages is impossible without seeing its roots in earlier society. A must-read for any serious student of mediaeval history.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thorough and informative, the nature of the book means that the tone and quality vary significantly between chapters. Some the chapters delve into minutiae, while others offer only a broad overview.

[James Wondrasek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a history expert, so I'm just going to give it 4 stars. Not a light read at all, but very fascinating. And I like that these volumes include Islamic history and its interactions with European history.

[Clint Lum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read select chapters from this work. I don’t think I’ve yet come across a volume in Cambridge series that was not excellent.

[Dave Smith]

This is a different look at history, not just dates and names, but a deeper look at everything that happened.

[Tom]

if u