The passage from Roman to Frankish Gaul, culminating in the rise of the kingdom of the Merovingians. The course provides a context for considering the continuities and discontinuities that consititute the transition from ancient to medieval civilization in western Europe during the period from, roughly, the fourth to eighth centures. The latter part of the course concentrate on reconstructing the kingdom of the Merovingians of the sixth and seventh centuries, traditionally seen as laying the foundations of both France and Germany. Students will be expected to participate in class discussion, to produce a research report for the instructor, and to convey its approach to their colleagues in the pedagogical and critical setting of the classroom.