Hello Historians!
I am looking for a book on “the” Migration Period, i.e. the time of migration in(to) Europe from the 4th to the 6th century AD. I am interested in the “simple” chronology but also a deeper analysis of its causes, consequences and most important interpretations within academia. It would ideally be comprehensive but not encyclopedic.
Also, is there something like a standard work that everyone in that field of research would’ve read?
Thank you!
Edit: specified which migration period
Peter Heathers Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe is probably what you're looking for. It's a bit dense at times, but it does a spectacularly good job explaining the different phases of the migration period, looks a bit into the historiography of the era (particularly when it comes to nationalist movements), and goes into a fairly in-depth analysis of how and why (to the best of our knowledge) the Migration Period took place.
One thing to note is that while it's chronologically ordered, it like a lot of bigger-picture history books in that it glosses over a lot of specific events and focuses more on broader trends.