UNIT 1THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

Observe and think

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century,

three civilizations dominated Europe: the Germanic

kingdoms, the Byzantine Empire and Islam.

Answer these questions

Which ilustration belongs to each civilization?

What can we see in these pictures?

Who do you think the people are?

Why do you think the face of one person is not shown?

Vocabulary

Mosaic: mosaico

Tessera: tesela

Pebbles: piedra pequeña

Goldsmith: orfebre

Silversmith: platero

Craftsman: artesano

Miniature: miniatura

Civilizations

Germanic Kingdoms

Byzantine Empire

Islam

1. What were the Germanic

migrations?

The decline of the Roman Empire

Germanic tribes lived to the north of the Roman Empire. The Romans

called them barbarians (foreigners). The empire´s wealth

and military weakness led to a series of Germanic migrations

across the frontier. Some of them were violent invasions.

Roman control over its northern territories gradually declined after the third century.

In 395, Emperor Theodosius divided the empire between his two sons, Honorius and Arcadius, to make it easier to defend.

Thus, the western and eastern provinces became the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.

Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the Western Empire, was deposed in 476 a.D.

For some historians, this date marks the begining of the Middle Ages.

Theodosius division

The Germanic Kingdoms

The centralized government of the Western Empire was replaced by smaller kingdoms:

The Franks, in France The Visigoths, in Spain The Ostrogoths, and later the Lombards in

Italy The Angles and the Saxons, in Britain

Germanic Kingdoms

It was dangerous to travel. Consequently, there was very little long distance trade, and many industries dissapeared. Cities declined, and

people moved to the countryside.

Cultural activity also declined. Some examples of Germanic art have survived, such as small

churches and attractive jewellery.

At first, the Romans and Germanics tribes had different laws, customs and religions. But they

gradually intermingled, and in some places, the Germanic people spoke Latin and became

Christians.

Activities

Are these statements true or false? Correct the false sentences

The Germanic tribes came from Africa ( )

Germanic tribes invaded Rome when the Romans were weak ( )

New cities and trade routes appeared after the fall of the Roman Empire ( )

Theodosius was the last emperor ( )

What do you think?

What was the first meaning of barbarian?

Was it a latin word?

What does it mean today?

Why did the Germanic tribes adopt Latin as their language and Christianity as their religion?