EARLY MEDIEVAL HISTORY

The course is part of the core educational activities of the Master's degree programme in Storia dal medioevo all'età contemporanea and in Storia delle arti e conservazione dei beni artistici. The teaching is an introduction to the history of generally less studied European regions of the Middle Ages.

By the end of the course, the students will have gained knowledge of the European frontier-societes and of the evidence necessary for their study. They will also learn how to approach complex and fragmentary sources.

No one, in particular, but students are suggested to attend a class in Medieval History first. Knowledge of English and Latin is also recomended.

A History of Britain: from Saint Patrick to the Harald Hardrada.

You would have searched a long time for the sort of winding lane or tranquil meadow for which England later became celebrated. There were instead miles of desolate, uncultivated land; here and there rough-hewn paths over craggy hills or bleak moorland. Most of the roads left by the Romans would by then have become broken or overgrown, often fading into wilderness. Icy fogs hung over rivers and marshes, serving all too well the ogres that were then still native to this land.
Kazuo Ishiguro, The Buried Giant

We tell the story of the British Isles, beyond the shores of the Ocean, at the edge of the ancient world. A world beyond the frontiers of the written word, empires and Christendom. It is a kaleidoscopic universe about which we know little but which, illuminated by fragmentary and fascinating evidence, glows in the dark.
We will witness the conversion of Ireland, the return of the gods to Britain, the funeral of King Rædwald at Sutton Hoo, the arrival of the Vikings and the defeat of Stamford Bridge in 1066. We will discuss the sources that provide access to this lost world, in material, written data and thanks to numerous suggestions from the social sciences.

Students may choose between the following programs:

A.
1) Edward James, Europe's Barbarians AD 200-600, London, New York: Routledge: 2009.
2) Lecture's notes ans the material discussed in class.

B.
1) Edward James, Europe's Barbarians AD 200-600, London, New York: Routledge: 2009.
2) Robin Fleming, Britain after Rome: The Fall and Rise, 400 to 1070 Copertina flessibile, London: Penguin, 2011.
3) Two of the following textes:
- Andrea Augenti, Scavare nel passato. La grande avventura dell’archeologia, Roma: Carocci, 2020 (an exciting story of archaeology's major discoveries)
- I. Barbiera, Memorie sepolte. Tombe e identità nell'alto Medioevo (secoli V-VIII), Roma: Carocci, 2012 (an excellent introduction to material culture).
- Richard Fletcher, The Conversion of Europe: From Paganism to Christianity, 371-1386 AD, London, HarperCollins, 1997 (a long, but very readble book)
- Peter Heather, Empires and Barbarians: Migration, Development and the Birth of Europe, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009 (this is also a very long text, but easy and pleasant to read)
Alternative readings could be discussed with the teacher.

Oral. The exam will focus on the topics discussed in class and the literature assigned. Students may also write a brief essay (max 3.500 words) to be discussed at the exam.

Lessons will be held as seminars. Students are asked to intervene during the frontal lectures with questions and commentaries as well with the presentation of their homework during the class' final units.

Italian

oral