In this engrossing study of an 1,100 year period that transformed ancient Europe, celebrated medievalist Jacques Le Goff explores the startling contradictions that helped to forge a durable civilization. It was a period of violence and bloodshed, in which plague and harsh natural conditions conspired against progress. It was also a period of nation-building and considerable achievements in the arts, sciences, and technology. Thirty-two pages of photo illustrations and eighteen maps give visual depth to the author's flawless scholarship and persuasive writing style, making Medieval Civilization an immensely vivid account of the triumph of Western man - a testament to his tenacity, imagination and faith.