The Bright Ages -- Shimmering stars on the Adriatic -- The gleaming tiles of New Rome -- Dawn in Jerusalem -- A golden hen and the walls of Rome -- Sunlight on a northern field -- A towering ivory tusk -- A ship aflame on the Volga -- A golden girl in France -- The brilliant jewels of the heavenly Jerusalem -- The sun-dappled towers in a city of three religions -- Divine light reflecting off the Nile -- A radiant white hind with the antlers of the stag -- Cities on fire -- Stained glass and the smell of burning books -- Glistening snow on the Eastern Steppe -- Quiet candles and falling stars -- Stars above an octagonal dome -- The Dark Ages

"A lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality--a brilliant reflection of humanity itself."--Dust jacket