Mark A. Handley

Death, Society and Culture: Inscriptions and Epitaphs in Gaul and Spain, Ad 300-750 (British Archaeological Reports) Mark A. Handley

The end of the Roman rule and the rise of Christianity brought changes in long-held beliefs about death and commemoration, some of which were immortalised in stone. This study looks at monumental stone inscriptions, primarily Christian and Latin, in Late Antique and early medieval Spain and Gaul, as a means of providing insults into social, religious and cultural history. Placed within the context of Christian inscriptions in Italy, North Africa, the Balkans and Britain and Ireland, Mark Handley examines the production of inscriptions in Spain and Gaul, as well as their social dialogue on family history, gender, age and mortality. The use of inscriptions in revealing aspects of demography, for dating purposes, the commemoration of the cult of saints through epigraphy, and links with literacy, are also explored.