Barbarian Europe / / Karol Modzelewski ; translated by Ewa Macura ; editorial work by Elena Rozbicka.

• VerfasserIn: Modzelewski, Karol, 1937-
• TeilnehmendeR: Macura, Ewa,; Rozbicka, Elena,
• Place / Publishing House: Frankfurt am Main, [Germany] : : Peter Lang Edition,, 2015.; ©2015
• Year of Publication: 2015
• Edition: 0 ed.
• Language: German; English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (416 p.)
• Notes: Includes index.

European culture has been greatly influenced by the Christian Church and Greek and Roman culture. However, the peoples of Europe's remote past, whom the Greeks, Romans, and their medieval heirs called the «barbarians», also left their mark. Closely examining ancient and medieval narratives and the codifications of laws, this thoughtfully conducted comparative study sheds light on the illiterate societies of the early Germanic and Slavic peoples. The picture that emerges is one of communities built on kinship, neighborly, and tribal relations, where decision making, judgement, and punishment we

Table of Contents

Cover; Table of contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Chapter I. From Written Evidence to Illiterate Communities: Narratives on the Barbarians; 1. Literary Topoi and Reality; 2. Cross-Cultural Communication as a Source Studies Problem. In Praise of Barbarian Hospitality and Decorum; Chapter II. The Laws of the Barbarians; 1. From Recited to Written Law; 2. The Law and the Song; 3. Barbarians and Romans amidst the Ruins of the Empire: The Principle of the Ethnic Separation of Laws; 4. Between Tribal Tradition and the Pressure of Civilization; 5. Foreign Script, Native Speech

Chapter III. An Individual in the Realm of a Kinship Community1. Revenge and Wergild; 2. Parties to Feud and to Reconciliation; 3. Collective Guilt, Collective Honor, and Collective Oath; 4. Women under Men's Authority; Chapter IV. Some above Others: Social Differences in the Tribal System; 1. Outside the Community of Law: Slaves; 2. The Laeti; 3. Social Diversification among Free Tribespeople; Chapter V. The Community of Neighbors and its Territory; 1. The Neighborly Community of the Commons; 2. The Territorial Scope of the Community; Chapter VI. The Political Dimensions of Neighborhood

1. Centena, Pagus and Go2. Kopa and Opole; Chapter VII. The Institutions of the Tribal Community; 1. Segmentary Structures; 2. The Assembly and Cult; 3. The King; Epilogue: The End of the World of the Barbarians; List of Abbreviations; Primary Sources and their Abbreviations; Secondary Sources; Author's Note Regarding the Translations of the Primary Sources; Index of Names