Description

Forged in an age of faith and war and tempered by great statesmen, religious leaders and artists, medieval civilizations witnessed remarkable transformations. Far from being a homogeneous world of knights and castles, the era saw a multitude of contrasting and often competing cultures, many of which became the foundation stones for the emergence of modern societies. From the expansion of Islam across the Mediterranean to the appearance of centralized states and Christian monarchies, the Atlas of the Medieval World draws from new archival and archaeological evidence to reveal a period of astonishing cultural vibrancy and political diversity.

Alongside stunning maps covering nearly a millennium of one of the most formative phases in history, hundreds of exquisite pictures of art and architecture accompany expertly written text edited by Rosamond McKitterick, Professor of Early Medieval History at Cambridge University to bring an extraordinary period to life as no reference has before. The Arab invasions of Europe, the empire of Charlemagne, the African kingdoms of Songhai and Mali, the Crusades, the Viking and Mongol invasions, the Delhi sultanate and the T'ang and Ming empires are just a few of the subjects explained in the Atlas of the Medieval World . What's more, cultural and economic trends such as the spread of literacy and the growth of towns receive equal attention alongside the emergence of kingdoms and the march of armies to form a comprehensive history of all major societies outside of the Americas during the Middle Ages.

Reviews

"This work goes considerably beyond a typical atlas scope.... Highly detailed maps are abundant; time lines, quotations, tables, color photos of artifacts and buildings, and building plans and other diagrams are also included, along with a significant amount of text."--School Library Journal

"Exquisite....Close to 100 maps....Numerous lavish photographs....A welcome addition to academic, public, and high school libraries."--Booklist

"Entries provide a history and definition of the event, group, or idea accompanied by highly detailed maps and frequent color plates of relevant works of art and architecture." --Reference and Research Library Book News

"A handsome, richly illustrated, and informative atlas....If your reference collection could use an update, this makes for a valuable acquisition." --Library Journal

Product Details

304 pages; 92 color maps, 7 halftones, 162 color illus.; 8-1/2 x 11; ISBN13: 978-0-19-522158-9ISBN10: 0-19-522158-3

About the Author(s)