Light in the Dark Ages by Richard Hodges

ISBN: 9780715623701

Cornell University Press 1997

Hardcover | 256 pages

*Light in the Dark Ages: The Rise and Fall of San Vincenzo al Volturno* traces the history of the Benedictine monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno, one of the great centres of Dark Age Europe. Beginning with archaeological excavations that reveal the monastery’s Samnite and Roman origins, the book charts its spectacular rise under Charlemagne’s patronage and its cataclysmic sack by Arab marauders in 881, demonstrating the relationship between the treasures unearthed and their broader political context. By combining vivid archaeological discoveries with historical narrative, Richard Hodges sheds new light on this unique monastic complex and its significance in the making of the early medieval world. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}