The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822

Walter Pohl

Published by Cornell University Press 2018

The Avars

A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822

Walter Pohl

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501729409

Overview
Contents

About this book

"Though the book was first published in German in 1988, this English version includes many revisions and updates and will be the definitive English-language study of the Avar empire for years to come. It will be invaluable for those interested in medieval history or in the impact of nomadic steppe empires on sedentary civilizations."
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The Avars arrived in Europe from the Central Asian steppes in the mid-sixth century CE and dominated much of Central and Eastern Europe for almost 250 years. Fierce warriors and canny power brokers, the Avars were more influential and durable than Attila's Huns, yet have remained hidden in history. Walter Pohl's epic narrative, translated into English for the first time, restores them to their rightful place in the story of early medieval Europe.

The Avars offers a comprehensive overview of their history, tracing the Avars from the construction of their steppe empire in the center of Europe; their wars and alliances with the Byzantines, Slavs, Lombards, and others; their apex as the first so-called barbarian power to besiege Constantinople (in 626); to their fall under the Frankish armies of Charlemagne and subsequent disappearance as a distinct cultural group. Pohl uncovers the secrets of their society, synthesizing the rich archaeological record recovered from more than 60,000 graves of the period, as well as accounts of the Avars by Byzantine and other chroniclers.

In recovering the story of the fascinating encounter between Eurasian nomads who established an empire in the heart of Europe and the post-Roman Christian cultures of Europe, this book provides a new perspective on the origins of medieval Europe itself.

Author / Editor information

Walter Pohl is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Vienna, and Director of the Institute of Medieval Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He is the editor of Visions of Community and Strategies of Identitifcation, and author of numerous works in German.

Reviews

One wonders how it could have taken thirty years for the appearance of this, the first English edition of Walter Pohl's seminal work. But now that it is finally accessible to a much wider readership, it must be made clear that The Avars is more than just a translation.

The book clearly stands as a monumental starting point of any future research on the Avars. Pohl and Cornell University Press deserve praise for publishing this important work of scholarship in English.

Though the book was first published in German in 1988, this English version includes many revisions and updates and will be the definitive English-language study of the Avar empire for years to come. It will be invaluable for those interested in medieval history or in the impact of nomadic steppe empires on sedentary civilizations.

Walter Pohl picks his way judiciously though the minefield of primary sources—fragmentary and contradictory—and secondary interpretations of varied value. His solid medievalist training coupled with common sense often balk at the most fanciful interpretations. The documentation assembled by Pohl is impressive; the use he made of it commands respect. Future research on all questions concerning the Avars, henceforth cannot bypass this very important book.

This volume contains a wealth of information and informed discussion; it will repay careful study by anyone involved in the late Roman and early medieval period, and will remain the standard guide into the foreseeable future.

Walter Pohl has succeeded in stripping much of this veil of mystery from the Avars.... a heterogeneous group from central Asia who dominated the Byzantine Danube frontier in a complicated relationship that saw raids, wars, trade, and the payment of large annual sums of tribute. In tracing the history of the Avars and the peoples they dominated or fought and traded with, this is an illuminating history of southeast Europe in the early Middle Ages.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Maps Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
Timeline Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	xxi
1. Approaching the Avars Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. The Avar Migration Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	21
3. The New Power, 567–90 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	69
4. Avars and Slavs Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
5. The Balkan Wars of Maurice, 591–602 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163
6. Life and Organization in the Avar Empire Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	198
7. The Seventh Century Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	280
8. The Century of the Griffin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	344
Appendix: Amount of Subsidies Paid by Byzantium to the Avars Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	403
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	405
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	407
Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	549
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	559
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	621

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