The Long First Millennium: Affluence, Architecture, and Its Dark Matter Economy

Jarzombek's book argues that long-distance trade in luxury items - such as diamonds, gold, cinnamon, scented woods, ivory, and pearls, all of which require little overhead in their acquisition and were relatively easy to transport - played a foundational role in the creation of what we would call "global trade" in the first millennium CE. The book coins the term "dark matter economy" to better describe this complex - though mostly invisible - relationship to normative realities. "The Long Millennium" will appeal to students, scholars, and anyone interested in the effect of trade on medieval society.

From Summer 2024 recommended reading from MIT (MIT News).