Honors College Lecture Explores Early Medieval Gaul With 'Views from the Edge'

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Scene from the Saint Remigius binding, last quarter of the ninth century C.E., ivory, Musée de Picardie in Amiens, France. The scene shows Clovis I being baptized by St. Remy.

Explore early medieval Gaul through the lens of its neighbors with Jon Arnold, an associate professor of ancient and medieval history and the director of classical studies at the University of Tulsa. 

Join the Honors College and Medieval and Renaissance Studies for a lecture hinged on “Views from the Edge” at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in Gearhart Hall 130. 

Arnold will cull perspectives from individuals living in Italy, Byzantium and Spain during the sixth and seventh centuries to construct a picture of Gaul from outsiders’ perspectives. 

While late Roman and eventually Frankish Gaul has been the subject of extensive scholarship, Gaul’s perception from outside the region has not. Arnold’s lecture dissects what Gaul was “thought to have been” and what it was “becoming.” 

“Classical ethnographic traditions and stereotypes persisted, allowing Gaul, Gauls and Franks to be ‘Roman,’ but also, surprisingly, Celtic and Germanic — something out of the pages of Julius Caesar,” Arnold shared. “Religion also played an important role, allowing Gaul to seem Christian, pagan and even Jewish, depending on the context.” 

Jon Arnold is an associate professor of ancient and medieval history and the director of classical studies at the University of Tulsa. He is the author of Theoderic and the Roman Imperial Restoration (CUP, 2014), co-editor of A Companion to Ostrogothic Italy (Brill, 2016) and is currently translating the major historical works of Magnus Felix Ennodius for Liverpool's Translated Texts for Historians series.

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university’s top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $80,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. All Honors College graduates have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.