Early Medieval Venice examines the significant changes that Venice underwent between the late-sixth and the early-eleventh centuries. From the periphery of the Byzantine Empire, Venice acquired complete independence and emerged as the major power in the Adriatic area. It also avoided absorption by neighbouring rulers, prevented serious destruction by raiders, and achieved a stable state organization, all the while progressively extending its trading activities to most of northern Italy and the eastern Mediterranean. This was not a linear process, but the Venetians obtained and defended these results with great tenacity, creating the foundations for the remarkable developments of the following centuries. This book presents the most relevant themes that characterized Venice during this epoch, including war, violence, and the manner in which ‘others’ were perceived. It examines how early medieval authors and modern scholars have portrayed this period, and how they were sometimes influenced by their own ‘present’ in their reconstruction of the past.

This prosopographical study provides information about each Venetian living in the early Middle Ages, from the invasion of the Lombards in 569 - an action that forced part of the North-East Italy's population to seek refuge in the islands of the Venetian lagoon - to the rule of Duke Petrus Ursoylus II (991-1008). There is an entry for each individual listing all available information and quoting the full text of primary sources within the footnotes. The data are organized in categories such as families, first names, rulers, women, office holders, ecclesiastics, occupations, and places of residence (Venice was a duchy with different urban centers). Venice is an extremely important place for this kind of analysis. It is the area in which family name use began for the first time in medieval Europe. Venice was never conquered by a 'Germanic' people, and therefore it is possible to study the evolution of a post-Roman/Byzantine society by analyzing the names of the Venetians. Moreover, scholars interested in later periods will be able to find the origins of all the most important Venetian families.

Venice and Its Neighbors from the 8th to 11th Century offers an account of the formation and character of early Venice, drawing on archaeological evidence from Venice and related sites, and written sources.

For the first time in a generation, leading scholars of medieval and Renaissance Venice join forces to define the current state of the field and to reveal in its rich diversity. Forays into neglected aspects of Venetian studies reveal new insights into coinage and concubinage, the first Jewish ghetto and the Fourth Crusade, and matters from dowry inflation to state spectacle to cheese...

Innovative study re-positioning the Adriatic as a liminal region between different cultures and faiths before the heyday of Venice.

The medieval palaces of Venice are unlike those from anywhere else and they also survive in this equally unique city in far greater numbers. This well-presented study argues, however, that contrary to other opinions, the architecture of Venice was developed from that of northern and western Europe and not from that of Byzantium and Late Antiquity.