The twenty-three essays that make up this volume constitute a revised and bibliographically updated and enriched form of related articles and studies that were first published between 1997 and 2005 in various journals.

Thematically, these essays primarily focus on the early medieval centuries (4th-8th), while also examining aspects of the later period - mainly up to around the mid-11th century, with some interpretations extending chronologically to the end of the medieval era (the second half of the 15th century).

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]