Post-classical history

Mysteries of the Middle Ages: And the Beginning of the Modern World (Hinges of History)

Mysteries of the Middle Ages: And the Beginning of the Modern World (Hinges of History)

From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization, a fascinating look at how medieval thinkers created the origins of modern intellectual movements.

After the long period of decline known as the Dark Ages, medieval Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today, from the entry of women into professions that had long been closed to them to the early investigations into alchemy that would form the basis of experimental science. On visits to the great cities of Europe-monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto-acclaimed historian Thomas Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.

A Chaucerian Invitation

PRELUDE: ALEXANDRIA, CITY OF REASON

INTRODUCTION: ROME, CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD

Chapter 1. Bingen and Chartres, Gardens Enclosed

Chapter 2. Aquitaine and Assisi, Courts of Love

Intermezzo: Entrances to Other Worlds

Chapter 3. Paris, University of Heavenly Things

Chapter 4. Oxford, University of Earthly Things

Chapter 5. Padua, Chapel of Flesh

Chapter 6. Florence, Dome of Light

Chapter 7. Ravenna, City of Death

POSTLUDE: LOVE IN THE RUINS

Notes and Sources

Additional Images

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