The late antiquity and the early Middle Ages are considered a transitional period or a particularly "dark age." Yet it is precisely during this time that the foundations were laid for a European Middle Ages that incorporated essential traditions of Christian late antiquity and the declining Roman Empire. The framework in which the symbiosis of Roman, Christian, and Germanic elements took place was the Merovingian Kingdom, founded by Clovis as the Frankish Empire, with its core area in Gaul. This pivotal period is the focus of a joint effort by two traditionally separate historical disciplines, ancient history and medieval studies. Reinhold Kaiser presents their different perspectives and methods, as well as those of neighboring disciplines such as archaeology and linguistics, highlighting their significance for the study of these "Dark Ages.".