From Constantine to Charlemagne: n Archaeology ri Italy AD16X24
cm xvii +586 pp., IOI b wand '5 colour pIs.Ashgate, 2006. ISBN
1-85928-421-3. Price: 55.00 hb.Not so many years ago, particularly
in the Mediterr
a lack of interest in the transition between Late Antiquity aare
now so radically changed that in the space of just one ywith the
appearance of three major monographs in EnglishFall ri Rome and the
Fnd I" f Civilisation by Bryan Ward-Perkinshelves by Chris
Wickham's Framing the Eal[Y Middle Ages NNeil Christie's latest
book. In the difficult task of writing a study has its own
merits.Christie's approach is to divide the argument into fouan
introduction, which outlines a history of the study of thby a
chapter on Sources and Contexts'. The latter, bpresents an
historical framework, 'dominated with militaryto balance with the
archaeological evidence presented ichosen themes for illustrating
the period of transition are
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REVIEWS
text, translating relevant passages, and adopting a
questionhighlight particular issues.In Italy, as Christie shows,
the archaeology of the early Cly through the long-established
tradition of archeologia palfocmonasticism was a major player in
evangelisation, the archaeo
is sadly lacking. To this discussion we may add the monasLe
Centoporte (dfdicatt d to SS. Cosmas and Damian), provfoundation
near Otranto, as well as the abbey of San Sebastiaently dating to
Ostrogothic times. It should be worth searchingparticularly of
villa-monasteries, amongst the villa sites that wein southern Italy
(e.g. Belmonte).
The analysis of Urban Evolutions can now be based on
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306 REVIEWSheterogeneous than the ethnic-oriented archaeologies
tcworth reading.The: book concentrates on northern and central
Italoversight, this is, regrettably, a reflection of the lesser
qbeing conducted on Late Antiquity and the Yliddle Aguneven
archaeology tends to obscure great regionalvolume harnesses a greal
amount of up-lo-date evidencbibliography, in an essay that weaves
together bothevidence. It thus provides a solid base for further
study ato be strongly recommended to students and scholars ali
