Special questions in Early Medieval Archaeology [ LARKO2400 ]

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The lectures will introduce the birth and developement of the merovingian and the carolingian material cultures in Gaul, within their economic, geographical and social frameworks between the Vth and the Xth cent.

Specialised course for people studying NW european archaeology, archaeologists and historians of Late Antiquity as of the Middle Ages as well, who wish to develop their knowledge of the archaeological sources in merovingian and carolingian Europe.

Evaluation : oral and individual examination

Ex cathedra lecturing with guest lectures ; field, museums and exhibition trips linked with the topics of the course (Late Antiquity, NW paleochristian and early medieval archaeology in Europe).

The lectures offer an overview of our region's evolution through both the merovingian and the carolingian periods. The main topics considered are linked with the concepts of inheritage, continuity and break regarding to the antique inheritage : the developement of urban centers, the urban christian topography, the harbours and emporia, the settlements clustering and the rural villages, the craft specialisation and the economical networks, the burial customs, defence, in the merovingian and the carolingian periods.

Compulsory readings: some important books and papers will be discussed during the lectures.

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