IMC 2018: Sessions

Since the end of Antiquity, the societies of Western Europe underwent a continual process of militarisation. This process intensified during the early Middle Ages, and came to be a defining characteristic of the period. Militarisation can be identified by criteria like the lack of demarcation between the martial and civil spheres of the population, weapons becoming increasingly widespread, and warlike attributes, activities, and values being widely recognised and respected. Furthermore, militarisation also impacted how contemporaries perceived their own world. This round table aims to conclude a triennial research project conducted in Berlin and funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation by discussing the use of the concept of 'militarisation' for the study of early medieval societies and possible approaches. The speakers include specialists in Anglo-Saxon, Frankish, Lombard, Viking, and Byzantine military history.

Participants include Ellora Bennett (Freie Universität Berlin), Guido Berndt (Freie Universität Berlin), Jakob Ecker (Universität Innsbruck), Edward James (University College Dublin), Ryan Lavelle (University of Winchester), Philipp von Rummel (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin), Laury Sarti (Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg), and Thomas Scharff (Technische Universität Braunschweig).