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Mohammed and Charlemagne cover

Mohammed and Charlemagne

Henri Pirenne

History

Pirenne's posthumously published thesis that the true break between antiquity and the Middle Ages came not from the Germanic invasions but from the Islamic conquest of the Mediterranean, which severed Roman trade routes. Graham listed it on his RAQ history page — it is a masterclass in revisionist causal history built from economic evidence.

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  • Paul Graham

    From PG's RAQ history list; revisionist thesis that Islam's Mediterranean blockade — not the Germanic invasions — broke the ancient world.

    paulgraham.com