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Mohammed & Charlemagne Revisited: The History of a ControversyDuring the 1920s Belgian historian Henri Pirenne came to an astonishing conclusion: the ancient classical civilization, which Rome had established throughout Europe and the Mediterranean world, was not destroyed by the Barbarians who invaded the western provinces in the fifth century, it was destroyed by the Arabs, whose conquest of the Middle East and North Africa terminated Roman civilization in those regions and cut off Europe from any further
During the 1920s Belgian historian Henri Pirenne came to an astonishing conclusion: the ancient classical civilization, which Rome had established throughout Europe and the Mediterranean world, was not destroyed by the Barbarians who invaded the western provinces in the fifth century, it was destroyed by the Arabs, whose conquest of the Middle East and North Africa terminated Roman civilization in those regions and cut off Europe from any further trading and cultural contact with the East. According to Pirenne, it was only in the mid-seventh century that the characteristic features of classical life disappeared from Europe, after which time the continent began to develop its own distinctive and somewhat primitive medieval culture. Pirenne's findings, published posthumously in his Mohammed et Charlemagne (1937), were even then highly controversial, for by the late nineteenth century many historians were moving towards a quite different conclusion: namely that the Arabs were actually a civilizing force who rekindled the light of classical learning in Europe after it had been extinguished by the Goths, Vandals and Huns in the fifth century. And because Pirenne went so diametrically against the grain of this thinking, the reception of his new thesis tended to be hostile. Paper after paper published during the 1940s and '50s strove to refute him. The most definitive rebuttal however appeared in the early 1980s. This was Mohammed, Charlemagne and the Origins of Europe, by English archaeologists Richard Hodges and David Whitehouse. These, in common with Pirenne's earlier critics, argued that classical civilization was already dead in Europe by the time of the Arab conquests, and that the Arabs arrived on the scene as civilizers rather than destroyers. Hodges and Whitehouse claimed that the latest findings of archaeology fully supported this view, and their work was highly influential. So influential indeed that over the next three decades Pirenne and his thesis was progressively sidelined, so that recent years have seen the publication of dozens of titles in the English language alone which fail even to mention his name. In Mohammed and Charlemagne Revisited historian Emmet Scott reviews the evidence put forward by Hodges and Whitehouse, as well as the more recent findings of archaeology, and comes to a rather different conclusion. For him, the evidence shows that classical civilization was not dead in Europe at the start of the seventh century, but was actually experiencing something of a revival. Populations and towns were beginning to grow again for the first time since this second century - a development apparently attributable largely to the spread of Christianity. In addition, the real centres of classical civilization, in the Middle East, were experiencing an unprecedented Golden Age at the time, with cities larger and more prosperous than ever before. Excavation has shown that these were destroyed thoroughly and completely by the Arab conquests, with many never again reoccupied. And it was precisely then, says Scott, that Europe's classical culture also disappeared, with the abandonment of the undefended lowland villas and farms of the Roman period and a retreat to fortified hilltop settlements; the first medieval castles. For Scott, archaeology demonstrated that the Arabs did indeed blockade the Mediterranean through piracy and slave-raiding, precisely as Pirenne had claimed, and he argues that the disappearance of papyrus from Europe was an infallible proof of this. Whatever classical learning survived after this time, says Scott, was due almost entirely to the efforts of Christian monks. The Pirenne thesis has taken on a new significance in the post 9/11 world. Scott's take on the theory will certainly ignite further and perhaps heated debate.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: World Encounter Institute/New English Review
Published: 01/15/2012
ISBN: 9780578094182
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.89lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.61d
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4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 17 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 1
Not new condition; not gift-worthy; no turn off switch
Format: Board book, Format: Board book
FIRST Biggest downfall is that baby can’t just turn the gears and look at the book. I see no turnoff switch and the slightest touch to the gears sets off rather loud/obnoxious and random sounds - clanging & moos in additions to choochoos.
SECOND, not in new condition. I should’ve known this when I took the package out of the mailbox and it started clanging (batteries in). Scratches on the front cover; worn cover edges; not gift-worthy
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Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2024
★★★★★ 5
Amazing value for the price - perfect for my 2 year old book lover!
Format: Hardcover
This is an amazing value! My 2yo loves books and princesses, and I am trying to work on her independence (and find screen free activities). She was able to figure out the reader on her own, and can easily follow along. Of course, she would rather I do it with her but we're working on it.
The pages are very thin paper, but that's ok considering the price for 8 books. Just might want to keep an eye on little hands. The art work doesn't look cheap, and despite the delicate pages the books are good quality. The reader is cool, sound quality is meh but again, under $20. I wish the box didn't have display holes so it would be a better storage case, but even the cardboard is pretty good so I can make it work.
I will definitely be gifting this and buying more for my girl because you cannot beat the value of this!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2022
★★★★★ 5
Great Read-a-Long
Format: Hardcover, Format: Hardcover
This is a great idea for young children to listen and learn to read. It's easy for little ones to learn how to use it. Just match the picture on the selected book to the corresponding picture on the electronic reader and that's it. The electronic reader voice speaks clearly and understandable. The words are printed on the page, making it easy to follow along. This was the perfect book for my five-year-old princess granddaughter.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023
★★★★★ 5
Great for 4 Year Old, Pages Need to Be Thicker
Format: Hardcover
I got these for my daughter for Christmas last year and she loves them. The reader is easy to operate - press the princess and then press the buttons that correspond to the page and it reads it to you. I like the variety of princesses included, such as Mulan, since she's not often featured. There was Merida and Tiana as well as the most popular ones like Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, etc. The books are hardcover, which is nice, but the pages are so thin and will bend and tear over time. The pages are colorful and the stories are fun to listen to. These remind me of the books on tape of my youth. Very happy with the purchase.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2022
★★★★★ 5
Great Product!
Format: Hardcover
We bought this for a 14 hour car ride!
It was a life saver kept our 4 year old and 6 year old nieces occupied. They love the stories and the illustrations in the book were beautiful.
The voice of the narrator is so much fun.
We would recommend for sure.
The price was really great as well.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2026
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