Barbero, Allesandro. Charlemagne: Father of a Continent. 2004. A wonderful biography of Charlemagne and a study of the times in which he lived that argues for the complexity of his legacy.

Brown, Peter. Augustine of Hippo, rev. ed. 2000. The definitive biography of Saint Augustine, who is viewed here as a symbol of change.

Brown, Peter. The World of Late Antiquity, A.D. 150–750, rev. ed. 1989. A lavishly illustrated survey that stresses social and cultural change and has clearly written introductions to the entire period.

Burns, Thomas S. Rome and the Barbarians, 100 B.C.– 400 A.D. 2003. Argues that Germanic and Roman cultures assimilated more than they conflicted.

Clark, Gillian. Women in Late Antiquity: Pagan and Christian Lifestyles. 1994. Explores law, marriage, and religious life.

Dunn, Marilyn. The Emergence of Monasticism: From the Desert Fathers to the Early Middle Ages. 2003. Focuses on the beginnings of monasticism.

Fletcher, Richard. The Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity. 1998. A superbly written analysis of conversion to Christianity.

Goldsworthy, Adrian. How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower. 2009. A detailed narrative that emphasizes internal weaknesses caused by civil war and struggles for power.

Herrin, Judith. Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire. 2009. An examination of many aspects of Byzantine culture that focuses on people and demonstrates Byzantium’s continuing significance for world history.

Herrin, Judith. The Formation of Christendom. 1987. The best synthesis of the development of the Christian Church from the third to the ninth centuries.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Excellent Empire: The Fall of Rome and the Triumph of the Church. 1987. Describes how interpretations of the fall of Rome have influenced our understanding of Western culture.

Riche, Pierre. Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne. Trans. JoAnn McNamara. 1978. A detailed study of many facets of Carolingian society.

Todd, Malcolm. The Early Germans, 2d ed. 2004. Uses archaeological and literary sources to analyze Germanic social structure, customs, and religion and to suggest implications for an understanding of migration and ethnicity.

Ward-Perkins, Bryan. The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization. 2006. Uses material evidence to trace the physical destruction and economic dislocation that accompanied the barbarian migrations.

Wells, Peter S. The Barbarians Speak: How the Conquered Peoples Shaped Roman Europe. 1999. Presents extensive evidence of Celtic and Germanic social and technical development.

Wickham, Chris. Framing the Early Middle Ages: Europe and the Mediterranean, 400–800. 2007. A massive yet accessible survey of economic and social changes in many regions, with great attention to ordinary people.