"This fine book breaks new ground in ... its bold interpretation of ... the development of civil and religious communities in the African countryside." -- J. Patout Burns Church History "A groundbreaking work... Dossey has made a major contribution to the study of this important facet." -- Jesper Carlsen, University of Southern Denmark The Historian "Fascinating... Leslie Dossey has succeeded in producing an important study of North African peasants in Late Antiquity... A valuable contribution." -- Eric Fournier, West Chester University of Pennsylvania Jrnl Of World History "Powerful... [Dossey] fills a major lacuna in understanding... A penetrating account of archaeological and source analysis." -- M. A. Gaumer Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses "An important contribution to a long-running debate." -- Matthew Hobson Early Medieval Europe