This course examines the art of the early middle ages, paying particular attention to the slow disintegration of the Roman empire, the rapid rise of Christianity, and the evolving identity of Europe and the Mediterranean in a period of migration, crisis, and transformation. Special attention will be paid to the roles played by emperors and kings in this period, including Constantine, Justinian, Clovis and Charlemagne, and the peculiar blend of pagan and Christian cultures that defined early medieval art.
