HIST 302B The Post-Roman World, 410-750
At the beginning of this period, we have something that still resembled a Roman Empire, and increasingly confident about its unified Christian identity. At the end of the period, that Roman Empire had shrunk to Greece and Turkey; old western provinces (Britain, France, Spain, and Italy) had become independent settler kingdoms; and the Middle East, Egypt, North Africa, and much of Spain were under the control of a new Islamic Empire, centered on Damascus. The Christians in these territories were now deeply and lastingly divided. It was an astonishing transformation, achieved in little over 300 years. How did it happen? What kept it from collapsing into complete chaos? What were its immediate effects? The course invites you to find out.