The Making of the Slavs: History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, c.500-700

This book offers a new approach to the problem of Slavic ethnicity in southeastern Europe between c. 500 and c. 700. The author shows how Byzantine authors "invented" the Slavs, in order to make sense of political and military developments taking place in the Balkans. Making extensive use of archaeology to show that such developments resulted in the rise of powerful leaders, responsible for creating group identities and mobilizing warriors for successful raids across the frontier. The author rejects the idea of Slavic migration, and shows that "the Slavs" were the product of the frontier.

ISBN-13: 9780521036153

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Publication Date: 04-30-2007

Pages: 496

Product Dimensions: 5.91(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.18(d)

Series: Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth #52

Table of Contents

List of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Slavic ethnicity and the ethnie of the Slavs: concepts and approaches; 2. Sources for the history of the early Slavs (c. 500–700); 3. The Slavs in early medieval sources (c. 500–700); 4. The Balkans and the Danube limes during the sixth and seventh centuries; 5. Barbarians on the sixth-century Danube frontier: an archaeological survey; 6. Elites and group identity north of the Danube frontier: the archaeological evidence; 7. 'Kings' and 'democracy': power in early Slavic society; Conclusion: the making of the Slavs; Appendices; References; Index.