The Byzantine Dark Ages /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Decker, Michael J., author.
Imprint:	London ; New York, NY : Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2016. ©2016
Description:	246 pages ; 22 cm.
Language:	English
Series:	Debates in archaeology Debates in archaeology.
Subject:	Civilization. Diplomatic relations. Politics and government. Byzantine Empire -- History -- 527-1081. Byzantine Empire -- Civilization -- 527-1081. Byzantine Empire -- Foreign relations -- 527-1081. Byzantine Empire -- Politics and government -- 527-1081. Byzantine Empire. History.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/10503790

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781472536044 1472536045 9781472536037 1472536037 9781472536051 9781472536068
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"The Byzantine Dark Ages explores current debates about the sudden transformation of the Byzantine Empire in the wake of environmental, social and political changes. Those studying the Byzantine Empire, the successor to the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean, have long recognized that the mid-7th century CE ushered in sweeping variations in the way of life of many inhabitants of the Mediterranean world, with evidence of the decline of the size and economic prosperity of cities, a sharp fall in expressions of literary culture, the collapse in trade networks, and economic and political instability. Michael J. Decker looks at the material evidence for the 7th to 9th centuries, lays out the current academic discourse about its interpretation, and suggests new ways of thinking about this crucial era. Important to readers interested in understanding how and why complex societies and imperial systems undergo and adapt to stresses, this clearly written, accessible work will also challenge students of archaeology and history to think in new ways when comprehending the construction of the past"--

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Parameters of the Present Study
Chapter 1. Dark Ages
Historical Overview
History of Scholarly Interest
Transformation vs. Decline
Chapter 2. Material evidence-Coins-Pottery-Other evidence
Chapter 3. Cities-The Role of the City-Changes in Urbanism-Decline or Transformation?
Chapter 4. Countryside-Environmental evidence for the Dark Ages
A rural empire? -Return to a subsistence economy?
Chapter 5. Trade Networks and Patterns of Exchange-Dark Age maritime trade: shipwrecks and amphorae-Material evidence, trade, and the Dark Age economy
Conclusion: New Directions

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