{"title":"Rory Naismith","description":"\u003cp\u003eRory Naismith explores the complexities of early medieval history with a keen eye for detail, illuminating themes of power, economy, and society. His works, such as \u003cem\u003eMaking Money in the Early Middle Ages\u003c\/em\u003e, offer readers a meticulous examination of the period’s financial and political landscapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDelving into figures like Offa, Naismith combines rigorous scholarship with engaging biography, presenting historical narratives that uncover the intricate connections between leadership and historical change. His books will appeal to readers drawn to thoughtful historical and biographical studies.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"making-money-in-the-early-middle-ages-by-rory-naismith-9780691177403","title":"Making Money in the Early Middle Ages","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn examination of coined money and its significance to rulers, aristocrats and peasants in early medieval Europe.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBetween the end of the Roman Empire in the fifth century and the economic transformations of the twelfth, coined money in western Europe was scarce and high in value, making it difficult for the majority of the population to make use of. And yet, as Rory Naismith shows in this illuminating study, coined money was made and used throughout early medieval Europe. It was, he argues, a powerful tool for articulating people's place in economic and social structures and an important gauge for levels of economic complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWorking from the premise that using coined money carried special significance when there was less of it around, Naismith uses detailed case studies from the Mediterranean and northern Europe to propose a new reading of early medieval money as a point of contact between economic, social, and institutional history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNaismith examines structural issues, including the mining and circulation of metal and the use of bullion and other commodities as money, and then offers a chronological account of monetary development. He discusses the post-Roman period of gold coinage, the rise of the silver penny in the seventh century and the reconfiguration of elite power in relation to coinage in the tenth and eleventh centuries. In the process, he counters the conventional view of early medieval currency as the domain only of elite gift-givers and intrepid long-distance traders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEven when there were few coins in circulation, Naismith argues, the ways they were used—to give gifts, to pay rents, to spend at markets—have much to tell us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849532985580,"sku":"9780691177403","price":89.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1761173482434.jpg?v=1759049714"},{"product_id":"offa-by-rory-naismith-9780300257465","title":"Offa","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOffa\u003c\/em\u003e ruled the Mercian heartland of the West Midlands from 757 to 796. While Alfred the Great and his dynasty are seen as agents of a new beginning that resulted in a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Offa is best remembered as the builder of a great dyke and as a symbol of an older, divided order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this major new biography, Rory Naismith challenges this view. Naismith reveals how Offa cemented Mercia's position as the dominant force in the southern part of Britain, strengthened the internal cohesion of his domains, and laid the basis for a new model of kingship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on a wide range of sources, including charters, coins, and chronicles, Naismith reveals Offa as a king who was ambitious and successful, and who carefully constructed his image and that of the royal family. Far from just one in a sequence of overlords, Offa had a lasting impact on how kingship was practised and conceived across England.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47650171191532,"sku":"9780300257465","price":150.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780300257465-offa.jpg?v=1779317651"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/rory-naismith.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}