UCSB Alumna Prof. Robin Fleming Wins MacArthur “Genius” Award

Using new kinds of evidence, Fleming recreates lives of common folk in early medieval Britain

Robin Fleming received a B.A. (1977) and a Ph.D. (Warren Hollister, 1984) from UCSB. She is currently a professor and chair of the Department of History at Boston College. She is the author of Kings and Lords in Conquest England (1991) and Domesday Book and the Law: Society and Legal Custom in Early Medieval England (1998), as well as numerous articles and book chapters. – See more at: http://www.macfound.org/fellows/891/

Prof. Fleming’s recent work focuses on the centuries of economic collapse following the withdrawal of Roman power from the edges of its empire. Using climatological evidence, findings from smelting and burial site excavations, and metallurgical analysis, she details the dismantling of the stratified, urban society that began in the late fourth century as the raw materials and skilled workers needed to sustain the metal economy disappeared and the population was forced to rely on widespread scavenging and recycling of metal objects.

Be sure not to miss the 3 1/2 min. video clip at the link below!

hm 9/25/13 pm 10/25/13