Court Culture in the Early Middle Ages, (Proceedings of the 1st York Alcuin Conference), (SEM 3), 2003, 290 p., 47 ill. n.b., rel. -

Alcuin (c.735-804) was an eminent educator, scholar and theologian and an important figure in the revival of learning in the early medieval period, eventually being lured from his birthplace of York to the royal court of Charlemagne. This group of 13 essays broadly reflects Alcuin's milieu and acknowledges his standing in any discussion of court culture during this period. Contributors to this book take a range of historical, art-historical, archaeological and literary approaches to court culture, addressing its multiple roles as a government agency, a discrete social community, a centre of royal power and display and a centre of learning and ideology. The papers largely focus on the courts of England, France, Rome and Byzantium from the 8th to 10th century.