When the shadow of the first millennium descended upon the Christian world in A.D. 1000, many people believed - & even hoped - that the end of the world was at hand. Not only was it the first time civilization grappled with the idea of one thousand years coming to an end, but another thousand was unfathomable. How did people make sense of the end of one era & the start of another? How did they envision the future? And what were their daily lives like? The Year 1000 plunges us into the past in colorful detail. Leading scholars provided the authors with the facts, & they have painted a historically accurate & stunning portrait of life on the cusp of the first millennium. Traveling across Europe we are introduced to such lively & authentic characters as the Vikings, witches, forest dwellers, & peasants from the streets of London, Paris & Rome. In a market inundated by millennial titles, The Year 1000 takes the unique stance that while it is impossible to predict the future, it is fascinating & enlightening to uncover the past.