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Barbarians to Angels: the Dark Ages Reconsidered

by Peter S. Wells

In this highly readable book Peter Wells presents an extreme and thought provoking view of the period traditionally termed the Dark Ages (400-800). Rejecting entirely the idea of decline and fall, the result, he says of an overreliance on prejudiced late Roman literary sources, Wells sees not only continuity, but also positive developments during the period. The introduction of the mold-board plough meant a considerable rise in agricultural productivity, and there were also major advances in architecture, whilst the material culture of the period reveals a rich artistic tradition. Indeed "What has traditionally been called the Dark Ages was a period of immense cultural, economic and political development along lines different from those of Roman civilization as we traditionally understand it". 240p b/w illus (W.W. Norton 2008)

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