There is a sense in which the medieval history of eastern Europe begins with the year 568 AD when the Avars defeated the Gepids and the Lombards migrated to Italy. And yet, as Eastern Europe in the Early Middles Ages shows, this is misleading: not only did the Gepids survive under Avar rule but political developments in the Carpathian Basin and the Balkans had begun before this time.
To rectify this, Florin Curta explores the social and economic developments of 6th-century eastern Europe, looking west to east from today's Czech Republic to the Urals and north to south from the Arctic Circle to Greece. Incorporating recent historiographical scholarship and making use of a vast array of archival and archaeological sources, this masterful and nuanced study is the first comparative history of east central and eastern Europe in the early middle ages. As such, it will be a vital resource to all students of early medieval history.