1: The Dark ages, late antiquity or barbarian tides? Flashcards
(20 cards)
What are some of the main issues of scholarship for this period?
- Competing interpretations for the end of the roman empire
- How nationalism has affected modern views of classical heritage
- Did the empire ‘collapse’ - was it this great cataclysmic event?
Why do some prefer ‘late antiquity’?
stresses the classical elements and that much continued as before
Some of the themes for the paper?
- Subsequent formation of medieval polities
- interactions with the remains of the roman empire
- use of written sources in comparison to archaeological evidence
- frontiers
- Roman heritage
- ethnicity
What are some of the main issues with the written sources for this entire period?
written by members of the late roman elite from areas that were in the empire
time difference can also make their works seem somewhat mythical- sliding scale of mythology v. history
Subsections for lecture 1:
1) Themes and issues around scholarship
2) What is ‘Europe’ and who is a part of it?
3) Written sources
4) Germanomania
5) France’s celebration of its conversion to christianity
Why is the question of ‘Europe’ pertinent
very pertinent at the moment- there is a fear of ‘otherness’ and of the non-european coming into europe
– this can be seen widely in european art, such as Delacroix’s painting of Axilla the hun
What is the Lega Nord a good example of
highlights how nationalism can draw selectively on aspects of the past and to promote the ethnic supremacy of a nation/ people
What do Lega nord do?
An independence movement
party cannot seem to decide if they are descended from lombards or celts, thus present a weird amalgamation of arguments in a false and racist way
What are the two conflicting schools of thought regarding how useful the written sources for this period are?
Goffart and Brown
V
Heather and Ward-Perkins
What do Goffart and Brown argue regarding how useful the written sources for this period are?
that the texts are essentially propaganda, commissioned by the contemporary elites and containing little/ no fact
What do Heather-Ward perkins argue regarding how useful the written sources for this period are?
They argue that you can cross reference a lot of events from the period and that although much is patchy, you can still create a historical narrative
Which interpretation of the written sources do archaeologists tend to agree with?
Ward Perkins and Heather– they tend not to be overly critical of the written sources
When did the idea of ‘germanomania’ emerge?
In the 19th century when people began to think more critically about the idea of this ‘classical past’
When did france celebrate their conversion to christianity?
September 1996
- the 1,500 year anniversary of the baptism of clovis
Why was the celebration of France’s conversion to christianity controversial (2 reasons)
1) france is a secular state
2) The merovingians were germanic invaders
- - so had to be careful not to overplay the germanic heritage of the country
Why did france celebrate their conversion to christianity
clovis bought about the conversion of the ‘franks’ and so is an important figure in the history of france as a nation
2 national french and germanic barbarian heros
france- Verxongetorix
germany- Hermanndenkmal
– both made into statues in heroic poses
What was ‘germanomania’
explores idea of germans v. romans
pertinent as much of 19th century was defined through conflict of france v. germany and both nations defined themselves on barbarian past
Why is germanomania important to consider?
keep it in mind when reading scholarship and the way evidence is presented
emphasises the wider social background of scholarship– it can never be truly neutral and does not exist in a vacuum
germanomania in the 30s and 40s
Alsace was a land of great conflict
‘german’ remains found on the french side of the rhine were used to legitimise the annexation of france and belgium– known as the ‘france german conflict’
Similar to how the nazi claim to poland rested on the fact that ‘ancient german tribes’ used to live there
