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HIST 100 EARLY MEDIAEVAL EUROPE. Dr Niall Christie Office Hours: Mon, Wed and Fri, 12:00-12:30 pm and 3:00-3:30 pm, or by appointment Copy of outline on the web at: <http://www3.telus.net/nchristi/HIST100outline.html>. History: Why do we care?. History, n. An account mostly false, of
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HIST 100EARLY MEDIAEVAL EUROPE Dr Niall Christie Office Hours: Mon, Wed and Fri, 12:00-12:30 pm and 3:00-3:30 pm, or by appointment Copy of outline on the web at: <http://www3.telus.net/nchristi/HIST100outline.html>
History: Why do we care? History, n. An account mostly false, of events unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), The Devil's Dictionary
Why study history? • To avoid the mistakes of the past • To help us understand other cultures • To help us understand ourselves
Some Mediaeval Achievements • Transformation of Roman Empire into precursors of modern nation-states • Birth of precursors to modern governmental systems • Establishment of Christianity and Islam • Major advances in science and technology • Major works of literature in Latin and other languages
“Middle Ages” “Dark Ages” medium aevum (1688) “Mediaeval” Not used at time Geographically limited Issue of determining start and end: 476 (end of Roman Empire in west) to 1492 (Columbus)?