A thought-provoking account of some of our most fascinating ancestors by an author renowed for bringing less familiar history to life. The Dark Ages is an era in European history that are both little-known and little-understood. In this book Richard Rudgely challenges the conventional portrait of a dangerous and barbaric time. Through archaeological investigation and critical analysis. the art, society and cultural legacy of the barbarians are shown to have shaped and moulded the destiny of Europe even more than the Roman Empire. The author is also interested in what the Dark Ages can tell us about Europe today and arguments about a joint currency and US air bases in Britain take their place alongside accounts of the coins found at Sutton Hoo and the military technology of the Vikings making this The book will be divided into three sections, the first starting with the fall of Rome, the second with the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the third with the rise of the Norse culture of the Vikings leading to the end of the Dark Ages.