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The fall of the Roman Empire and the nations of Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2009

Ian Wood
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Abstract

Many of the nations of Europe have at some time traced their origins to barbarian tribes that settled inside the Roman Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries. In the course of the 19th and 20th centuries the Early Middle Ages were, as a result, manipulated to racist ends. Not surprisingly, scholars who have worked on the period since 1945 have been concerned to undermine earlier interpretations. In this they have been helped by increasing archaeological evidence and by changes in methodology. The current interpretation of the period is one that emphasizes variety – an emphasis which itself reflects present concerns in Europe.

Type
Erasmus Lecture
Information
European Review , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , February 1999 , pp. 59 - 76
Copyright
Copyright © Academia Europaea 1999

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