The Uses of the Past in the Early Middle Ages

by Yitzhak Hen (editor), Matthew Innes (Editor)

This volume investigates the ways in which people in the early Middle Ages used the to legitimate the present, to understand current events, and as a source of identity. Each essay examines the mechanisms by which ideas about the past were subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) reshaped for present purposes. As well as written histories, also discussed are saints' lives, law codes, buildings, Biblical commentary, monastic foundations, canon law and oral traditions. This is the first book to investigate systematically this important topic.

Genres: History

294 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 1996

Reviews

[Eric Pecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and effective survey of the practice of history in the early middle ages. Could have used some commentary on medieval historiography to broaden the book a bit more.