Pt. 1. The "Dark Ages." The legacy of late antiquity -- The Roman response to the cult of relics -- Romanitas and the barbarian West -- The Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England -- Pt. 2.The Carolingian era. Symbols of the new alliance -- Aachen and Rome : the poles of an empire -- Private patronage and personal taste -- The monastic realm : ideal and reality -- The innovations of later Carolingian architecture -- Epilogue. The architectural contribution of the early Middle Ages.