Literacy in Lombard Italy, c.568774 [Paperback]

A 2003 examination of the evidence for literacy in early medieval Italy under the 'barbarian' Lombards.This book examines the evidence for literacy in early medieval Italy under the rule of the Lombards, the last of the barbarian invaders who established a kingdom in north and central Italy from 568 to 774, a period usually considered as the darkest of the Dark Ages. By examining different kinds of written evidence--legislation, charters, inscriptions and manuscripts--the book shows that Lombard Italy in fact possessed a relatively sophisticated written culture prior to the so-called Carolingian Renaissance of the ninth century.This book examines the evidence for literacy in early medieval Italy under the rule of the Lombards, the last of the barbarian invaders who established a kingdom in north and central Italy from 568 to 774, a period usually considered as the darkest of the Dark Ages. By examining different kinds of written evidence--legislation, charters, inscriptions and manuscripts--the book shows that Lombard Italy in fact possessed a relatively sophisticated written culture prior to the so-called Carolingian Renaissance of the ninth century.This book examines the evidence for literacy in early medieval Italy under the rule of the Lombards, the last of the barbarian invaders who established a kingdom in north and central Italy from 568 to 774. By examining different kinds of written documentation (legislation, charters, inscriptions and manuscripts), the study reveals that Lombard Italy actually possessed a relatively sophisticated written culture prior to the so-called Carolingian Renaissance of the ninth century.Introduction; 1. Italy and literacy before the Lombards; 2. The early Lombards and their settlement in Italy; 3. Language and literacy (i) Lombard language (ii) Latin; 4. Law and government; 5. Charters; 6. Inscriptions; 7. Manuscripts; Conclusion. This book is full of sparkling observations. Everett heaps up possibilities...Everett has without alӒ