There were more lagoons on the coast of Venetia than what exists today, and even the lagoon landscapes were different. In fact, had it been left to nature, there would have been no lagoons today.

The list of lagoon settlements before the year 1000, from the "Istoria Veneticorum" by John the Deacon.

An incomplete list of the Byzantine exarchs (vice-emperors) of the Exarchate of Ravenna.

The Venetians fleeing the Lombards migrated into the lagoons along the Adriatic coast. Lagoons in the plural, as there were several, but what kind of environment was that, why was it there, and how did the Venetian settle in?

Following the Lombard invasion and conquest of Venetia, a part of the Venetian population of the mainland cities fled or left for the settlements in the nearby lagoons.

The account of the Lombard conquest of the remaining parts of Byzantine Venetia in the 600s — from "Historia Langobardorum" by Paul the Deacon.

The account of the Lombard conquest of the remaining parts of Byzantine Venetia in the 600s — from "Historia Langobardorum" by Paul the Deacon.

The invasion of the Lombards in 568 was only the first part of the Lombard conquest of the Byzantine province of Venetia.

The "Istoria Veneticorum" from around the year 1000, is the first work in the historiography of Venice.

A list of some of the main events of the Lombard conquest of Byzantine Venetia and other parts of Italy.

An account of the bubonic plague in Italy — also called the Justinian plague — from "Historia Langobardorum" by Paul the Deacon.

"Gentildonne" (Noblewomen) from the Gli abiti de veneziani (1754) by Giovanni Grevembroch, translated by René Seindal.

A royal marriage and its tragic end, between Alboin, king of the Lombards, and Rosamund, a Gepid princess.

The Lombard invasion of Venetia in 568 — from "Historia Langobardorum" by Paul the Deacon.

Excerpts related to "Venetia" and the "Veneti" from the "Naturalis Historia" by Pliny the Elder (1st century)

The Lombard invasion of Byzantine Italy in 568 was a pivotal event in Venetian history, as it kicked off the movement towards a distinct Venetian society, culture and, ultimately, state.

The "Liber Pontificalis" on how a Byzantine general invited the Lombards to come and possess Italy, if they pleased.

Why did the Lombards decide to invade Byzantine Italy in 568? A popular story was the Byzantine general Narses, who had just retaken Italy for the empire, invited them. Was Narses a traitor to the empire?

A summary of the main primary sources for the early history of Venice, and where to find them.

The "Chronicon Altinate" is one of the central medieval sources to early Venetian history, used extensively since it was written.

The invasion of the Lombards in 568 set in motion another migration. A part of the people of the Byzantine province of Venetia fled the Lombards, and headed for the areas which remained under the control of Constantinople.

The Kingdom of the Lombards played a major role in early Venetian history, as it was the Lombard invasion of Italy in 568 which started the formation of later Venice.