A01=Sauro Gelichi
Author_Sauro Gelichi
Category=NH
Category=NKD
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forthcoming
Product details
- ISBN 9780198998181
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 30 Oct 2026
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Among the many myths surrounding Venice's origins is the legend that it was founded by refugees fleeing to the lagoon to escape barbarians. Early Medieval Venice draws on written sources and archaeological evidence to deconstruct the myths and provide a thorough history of the birth of one of the world's most famous cities.
During the sixth to eighth centuries, the Venetian duchy developed slowly from Byzantine military structures and fought to assert its autonomy against the powers of the Lombard kingdom and Carolingian empire on the Italian mainland, as well as the threat from the Slavs and the Saracens in the east. A political community slowly formed, which, during the ninth and tenth centuries, laid the foundations for the extraordinary commercial growth of the Venetian duchy. In this latter period, the city of Venice was born in Rialto, winning out over many other centres in the lagoon, including Metamauco, Equilo, Torcello, and Cittanova.
An important part of this account is the material face of the new city of Venice: the houses, churches, and the Doge's Palace, in a city made almost entirely of wood and grappling with problems such as water supply. Although new, Venice sought to build its identity by establishing a relationship with antiquity, both through its links with Byzantium as the heir to Rome and through spolia, thereby recycling materials from older structures into new ones.
Stefano Gasparri is Professor Emeritus at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. He specializes in the history of the early Middle Ages, particularly the Lombard and Carolingian periods and the first centuries of the history of Venice.
Sauro Gelichi is Former Professor at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. His interests lie in the history of material culture and settlement history, especially the early medieval period. He has directed extensive archaeological research in Italy and abroad, is principal editor of the journal Archeologia Medievale, and has been a member of the Accademia dei Lincei of Rome since 2024.
