HIST 112 | Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

Far from being a stagnant "dark age," the early Middle Ages were a time of sweeping changes that reshaped the political map of Europe, the Mediterranean, and Middle East and encompassed the rise of vibrant new cultures. The course begins with the transformation of the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries before moving on to explore the distinctive trajectories of Rome's three heirs: the Latin West, Byzantine Empire, and Islamic caliphates. As we trace these cultures' histories from c. 300 to c. 1050, we engage with a wide range of textual, artistic, and archaeological sources, and enter into ongoing debates over the "fall" of Rome, the impact of the early Islamic conquests, the nature of "feudal" society, and the emergence of a concept of "Europe" in the age of Charlemagne, as we meet a cast of colorful historical characters including martyrs and missionaries, pagan chieftains and Viking raiders, Muslim scholars and Carolingian princesses.