A monumental and captivating history of European thought, from the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD to the Scientific Revolution thirteen centuries later.

The Awakening traces the process of retrieving and reshaping Europe's classical heritage from the ruins of the Roman Empire. The initially fragile preservation of surviving texts was strengthened under the Christian empire founded by Charlemagne in the 8th century. Later, during the High Middle Ages, universities were established and the study of philosophy was revived. The renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought provided the intellectual momentum for the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries, whose ideas—esthetic, political, and scientific—spread across Europe with the invention of the printing press. Equally significant was Europe's encounter with the New World and the naval dominance that secured global reach for Europe's merchants and settlers.

Rich in detail and informed by the latest research, The Awakening is guided not by the fate of kings or the clash of arms, but by deeper currents of thought, research, and discovery, which initially reclaim and eventually surpass the achievements of classical antiquity, ultimately leading the West to the dawn of the Age of Reason.

Charles Freeman takes the reader on a fascinating journey and provides a vital key to understanding the world we live in today.

Pages: 768, Year of Publication: 0604, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm