From the Publisher
From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved
Civilization, a fascinating look at how medieval thinkers
created the origins of modern intellectual movements.
After the long period of decline known as the Dark Ages, medieval
Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature,
philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western
society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today,
from the entry of women into professions that had long been closed
to them to the early investigations into alchemy that would form
the basis of experimental science. On visits to the great cities of
Europe-monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter
Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was
Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto-acclaimed
historian Thomas Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of
experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit
of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.
About the Author
Thomas Cahill''s appealing approach to distant
history has won the attention of millions of readers in North
America and beyond. Cahill is the author of four previous volumes
in the Hinges of History series: How the Irish Saved
Civilization, The Gifts of the Jews, Desire of
the Everlasting Hills, and Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea.
They have been bestsellers, not only in the United States but also
in countries ranging from Italy to Brazil. He and his wife, Susan,
also a writer, divide their time between New York and Rome.