Ross Balzaretti (University of Nottingham) has published widely in the field of early medieval history, especially of northern Italy. His most recent books are Ligurian Landscapes (2004, edited with Mark Pearce and Charles Watkins) and Narrative and History in the Early Medieval West (2006, edited with Elizabeth Tyler). He was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews in 2010-2011 where much of Dark Age Liguria was written.

• Preface Abbreviations Maps FiguresIntroduction: Historical Ecology Villas, Castra and Villages Political Change and Social Organization Genoa: central place? Vara Valley: at the margins? Conclusion Appendix Chronology Select Bibliography Index, including inventory of sites

The book’s strength is in the questions it asks and the possibilities it suggests for shedding light on the obscure corners of past landscapes.

Ross Balzaretti (University of Nottingham) has published widely in the field of early medieval history, especially of northern Italy. His most recent books are Ligurian Landscapes (2004, edited with Mark Pearce and Charles Watkins) and Narrative and History in the Early Medieval West (2006, edited with Elizabeth Tyler). He was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews in 2010-2011 where much of Dark Age Liguria was written.

• Preface Abbreviations Maps FiguresIntroduction: Historical Ecology Villas, Castra and Villages Political Change and Social Organization Genoa: central place? Vara Valley: at the margins? Conclusion Appendix Chronology Select Bibliography Index, including inventory of sites

The book’s strength is in the questions it asks and the possibilities it suggests for shedding light on the obscure corners of past landscapes.

Ross Balzaretti (University of Nottingham) has published widely in the field of early medieval history, especially of northern Italy. His most recent books are Ligurian Landscapes (2004, edited with Mark Pearce and Charles Watkins) and Narrative and History in the Early Medieval West (2006, edited with Elizabeth Tyler). He was a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews in 2010-2011 where much of Dark Age Liguria was written.

• Preface Abbreviations Maps FiguresIntroduction: Historical Ecology Villas, Castra and Villages Political Change and Social Organization Genoa: central place? Vara Valley: at the margins? Conclusion Appendix Chronology Select Bibliography Index, including inventory of sites

The book’s strength is in the questions it asks and the possibilities it suggests for shedding light on the obscure corners of past landscapes.