The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Attila

by Michael Maas (Editor)

Overview

This book examines the age of Attila, roughly the fifth century CE, an era in which western Eurasia experienced significant geopolitical and cultural changes. The Roman Empire collapsed in western Europe, replaced by new 'barbarian' kingdoms, but it continued in Christian Byzantine guise in the eastern Mediterranean. New states and peoples changed the face of northern Europe, while in Iran, the Sasanian Empire developed new theories of power and government. At the same time, the great Eurasian steppe became a permanent presence in the European world. This book treats Attila, the notorious king of the Huns, as both an agent of change and a symbol of the wreck of the old world order.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781316053751
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/29/2014
Series:	Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Michael Maas is Professor of History and Classical Studies at Rice University, Houston. The focus of his research is late antiquity. His publications include The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian (Cambridge, 2005), Exegesis and Empire in the Early Byzantine Mediterranean (by Mohr Siebeck, translated by Michael Maas, 2003) and Readings in Late Antiquity: A Sourcebook, 2nd Edition (2010).

Table of Contents

Part I. The Roman Empire: 1. Reversals of fortune: an overview of the age of Attila Michael Maas; 2. Government and mechanisms of control, east and west Geoffrey Greatrex; 3. Urban and rural economies in the age of Attila Peter Sarris; 4. Mediterranean cities in the fifth century: elites, Christianizing, and the barbarian influx Kenneth G. Holum; 5. Big cities and the dynamics of the Mediterranean during the fifth century Raymond Van Dam; 6. Dynasty and aristocracy in the fifth century Brian Croke; 7. Military developments in the fifth century Hugh Elton; 8. Law and legal culture in the age of Attila Caroline Humfress; 9. Romanness in the age of Attila Jonathan P. Conant; Part II. Attila and the World around Rome: 10. The steppe world and the rise of the Huns Étienne de la Vaissière; 11. Neither conquest nor settlement: Attila's empire and its impact Christopher Kelly; 12. The Huns and barbarian Europe Peter Heather; 13. Captivity among the barbarians and its impact on the fate of the Roman Empire Noel Lenski; 14. Migrations, ethnic groups, and state building Walter Pohl; 15. Kingdoms of North Africa Andy Merrills; 16. The reinvention of Iran: the Sasanian Empire and the Huns Richard Payne; Part III. Religious and Cultural Transformation: 17. Ascetics and monastics in the early fifth century Susanna Elm; 18. Religious doctrine and ecclesiastical change in the time of Leo the Great Susan Wessel; 19. Christian sermons against pagans: the evidence from Augustine's sermons on the new year and on the sack of Rome in 410 Michele Renee Salzman; 20. Mediterranean Jews in a Christianizing empire Joseph E. Sanzo and Ra'anan Boustan; 21. Ordering intellectual life Edward Watts; 22. Real and imagined geography Scott Fitzgerald Johnson.

Editorial Reviews

"This work is transformational. Although focused on the Roman Empire, it also encompasses Eurasia, including the geopolitical dilemmas of Iran. Systematic treatment of subjects ranging from law and learning to climate change and mass migration serves to calibrate the Huns’ impact and identifies a shift in the stance of classical civilizations toward steppe peoples, from aloofness to fertile interaction."
Jonathan Shepard, University of Oxford

"The "long fifth century" comes to life on a global scale as the internal workings of Roman government and society are treated within the context of larger geopolitical shifts, for which Attila - leader of the Asian steppe nomads who threatened the very existence of the Roman Empire, while at the same time aspiring to appropriate its ways - stands as a cipher."
Claudia Rapp, University of Vienna

"This excellent volume brings together a group of expert scholars who present a detailed and penetrating account of key developments in the history of the fifth-century Roman world. Michael Maas is to be warmly congratulated on putting this helpful collection together. It will surely become a standard companion for all scholars and interested general readers who want to learn more about this crucial period in the history of the Roman world and its neighbors."
John Haldon, Princeton University, New Jersey

From the Publisher