Summary

This Programme deals with the period of transition of the Roman empire to the Early Middle Ages (4th-8th centuries). It studies the origins of Europe and the emergence of European Nations, going back to the crossroads of the end of the ancient world. The research agenda covers the exclusive geographical area of sub-Roman Europe and asks questions about:

• the ethnographic and political structures and the legal patterns and concepts of international relations
• the interaction of settlements in town and countryside
• the production, distribution and demand of goods
• the evolution and transformation of beliefs and culture
• the dynamics between power and society
• the perceptions of space, frontiers and communications
• and finally the notion of East and West and the comparison of Eastern and Western Europe as two different worlds with a common historical heritage. 

Duration

Five years, from 1993 to 1998.