The Inheritance of Rome

Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000

De: Chris Wickham

Narrado por: James Cameron Stewart

Prizewinning historian Chris Wickham defies the conventional view of the Dark Ages in European history with a work of remarkable scope and rigorous yet accessible scholarship. Drawing on a wealth of new material and featuring a thoughtful synthesis of historical and archaeological approaches, Wickham argues that these centuries were critical in the formulation of European identity. Far from being a middle period between more significant epochs, this age has much to tell us in its own right about the progress of culture and the development of political thought.

Sweeping in its breadth, Wickham's incisive history focuses on a world still profoundly shaped by Rome, which encompassed the remarkable Byzantine, Carolingian, and Ottonian empires, and peoples ranging from Goths, Franks, and Vandals to Arabs, Anglo-Saxons, and Vikings.

Digging deep into each culture, Wickham constructs a vivid portrait of a vast and varied world stretching from Ireland to Constantinople, the Baltic to the Mediterranean. The Inheritance of Rome brilliantly presents a fresh understanding of the crucible in which Europe would ultimately be created.

©2009 Chris Wickham (P)2018 Tantor

A Magisterial Survey

Every so often, you read a work of history in which the author manages to combine breadth and depth sufficiently successfully that you're not sure whether you've read a survey or a detailed analysis. Chris Wickham's "The Inheritance of Rome" is one such book. Wickham covers a temporal span of 600 years and a geographic span from Iberia to Iran, and from Egypt to England. His basic thesis -- that the early Middle Ages were neither a complete break from the Roman world nor a seamless transition from it, but rather a sort of cracked mirror of the Western Empire, mimicking many of its aspects in smaller, more fragmented form -- is given enough support to see the theme across various times and places. At the same time, however, he is quick to point out circumstances where the data don't fit the mold, and to make clear that it is the mold, not the data, which must give way. Particularly interesting is his analysis of the later part of this period, where the effects of the collapse of Abbasid and, more particularly, Carolingian power in some ways recapitulated, in smaller form, the effects of Roman decline. A couple of nits: sometimes, Wickham's neo-Marxist lens seems too heavy handed. There are a few too many references to the exploitation of the peasants by the aristocrats; more significantly (given that such exploitation did in fact occur), it is not until the Conclusion that he really undertakes to explain *why* this might happened, rather than presenting it as a historical inevitability. Also, the initial parts of the book, covering the 5th, 6th, and 7th centuries, come across as rather fragmentary -- here they did this, there they did that -- but that is almost certainly a consequence of the equally fragmentary nature of the evidence. These are quibbles.

The narration, by James Cameron Stewart, is also excellent. His diction is clear, his pronunciations consistent (not an easy thing with so many places and names in so many languages). He conveys the sense of the text, as well as its content, something not all narrators do successfully. An amusing tic: Audiobooks are of course recorded in small sections. Stewart tends to speak both faster and at a rising pitch as a section goes on. When he picks up with what is obviously the next block of recording, the speed and pitch revert to baseline.

Great book

I really liked how comprehensive this book is. You see lots of different perspectives, with due care taken to not generalize nor use anachronisms (e. g. Not using modern sensibilities to judge social hierarchy of the period).

The bad side is that it assumes some previous knowledge: Any reader looking for an introduction to the period will feel a bit lost after the author casually mentions Charles the Bald, Ottonians, Basel II and many others more famous figures as if their context is known. Maybe that's true if you went to school in Europe - I doubt it's true elsewhere.

A Treasure to find on Audible!

I hope Audible will provide more books like this one. I could listen to this 100 x. it is that good!

A complex, compelling, & wholistic view

Wickham is one of the foremost historians of the era alive, and his comfortable mastery of the material is on full display. Each chapter draws you in with an example like a detailed snapshot, and ends with a clear summation. The political narrative is never neglected but seldom strung out too long, and balanced with a strong narrative explaining the evolving realities of life for ordinary folk. Anyone interested in this era wholistically, or even the context for a smaller part, should begin here.

Dense, but worth a listen

Very interesting book about a topic I knew nothing about. If you have a background in the topic, I imagine you can digest it in 1 listen. I’ll probably listen to it again to better appreciate it.