Introduction: reading the tenth century
Timothy Reuter
This book covers a period in European history best described as the long tenth century, stretching from 890s through to around 1020/30. It explains contrast between Latin west and courtcentred cultures of Byzantium Islam. Some kinds material remains have escaped historians' general neglect non-written sources, most notably those traditionally studied by art historians: painting, sculpture, goldsmithery ivorywork, architecture. The post-Carolingian core Europe retained residual sense pan-Frankishness after kingdoms, had started develop their own identity. is significant, therefore, that Italian Spanish historians been heavily influenced recent years concerns French medievalists. chapter also discusses anomalous historiographical traditions Byzantine Islamic history. For Americans whose secondary or primary ethnicity eastern, central southern European, they are not even important ones.
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