Book contents
- Merovingian Worlds
- Cambridge Medieval Textbooks
- Merovingian Worlds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Note on Digitised Manuscripts
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 History and Its Historians
- 2 Identities and Status
- 3 Power in the Early Merovingian World (c. 450–613)
- 4 The Rise of the Shadow Kings (613–751)
- 5 Economies, People, and Nature
- 6 Literacy and Culture
- 7 The Frankish Churches
- 8 Religions and the Wider World
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
6 - Literacy and Culture
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Book contents
- Merovingian Worlds
- Cambridge Medieval Textbooks
- Merovingian Worlds
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Note on Digitised Manuscripts
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 History and Its Historians
- 2 Identities and Status
- 3 Power in the Early Merovingian World (c. 450–613)
- 4 The Rise of the Shadow Kings (613–751)
- 5 Economies, People, and Nature
- 6 Literacy and Culture
- 7 The Frankish Churches
- 8 Religions and the Wider World
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter investigates the many faces of cultural production in the Merovingian kingdoms. As this is supposed to be a period of decay, it is crucial to understand the full range of evidence, including the manuscript and associated palaeographical evidence, libraries, the evidence for lay literacy and bureaucratic culture, and the visual and artistic practices that facilitated communication and display. Through these, we can determine that the Merovingian world had its vibrancy and creativity but also that changes in tastes, resources, and organisation meant that much direct evidence has been demonstrably lost.
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- Merovingian Worlds , pp. 173 - 207Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024