The Archaeology Of Medieval Europe Vol 2

The two volumes of The Archaeology of Medieval Europe together comprise the first complete account of Medieval Archaeology across the continent. This ground-breaking set will enable readers to track the development of different cultures and regions over the 800 years that formed the Europe we have today. In addition to revealing the process of Europeanisation, within its shared intellectual and technical inheritance, the complete work provides an opportunity for demonstrating the differences that were inevitably present across the continent - from Iceland to Sicily and Portugal to Finland.

The two volumes of The Archaeology of Medieval Europe together comprise the first complete account of Medieval Archaeology across the continent. This ground-breaking set will enable readers to track the development of different cultures and regions over the 800 years that formed the Europe we have today. In addition to revealing the process of Europeanisation, within its shared intellectual and technical inheritance, the complete work provides an opportunity for demonstrating the differences that were inevitably present across the continent - from Iceland to Sicily and Portugal to Finland. Forty-one archaeologists from fifteen countries collaborated to produce Volume 1, which was published in 2007 and presented the period from the eighth to the twelfth century. Sixty-six archaeologists from eighteen countries have got together to create Volume 2, which surveys the scene from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. In this second volume, the same broad scheme is followed. After introducing the method and theory of Medieval Archaeology, the focus is on Habitat (environment, rural life, housing and portable artefacts), followed by Power, where war, manufacture, trade and towns are the subjects for discussion. A third theme is the study of Spirituality, an often overwhelming force in medieval life, which archaeologists encounter in landscape, buildings and burial practice. As well as the expected emphasis on Christian Catholic practice, there are major sections showing the importance of Judaism and the Islamic presence in later Medieval Europe. Each volume is comprehensively illustrated throughout in colour and monochrome, with line drawings, tables and maps designed to guide the reader. The book is intended to show what archaeology can do, not only for the archaeologist, but for the historian, the art historian, the environmentalist, the zoologist and the general scientist - in fact, all those scholars, students and general readers, for whom the Middle Ages is a fundamental element in the foundations of modern Europe.

The two volumes of the Archaeology of Medieval Europe comprise the first book ever to give a complete account of medieval archaeology in Europe. Archaeologists from universities in fifteen countries have collaborated to produce these two volumes of sixteen chapters each. Born out of a request for more European focused texts instead of purely nationally focused books at a conference in Seville in 1999, these books are sure to be key texts in the growing academic area of medieval European archaeology. This ground-breaking double volume set examines medieval archaeology across Europe, enabling readers to track the development of different cultures and regional characteristics. In addition to looking at contexts and developments in medieval Europe, this complete work also gives academics the opportunity to study the differences and why they exist - such as cooking methods across the continent - stoves were used in Western Europe while ovens were the method favoured by Eastern Europe and Central Europe.

The two volumes of The Archaeology of Medieval Europe will together comprise the first complete account of medieval archaeology across Europe. Archaeologists from academic institutions in fifteen countries are collaborating to produce these two books of sixteen thematic chapters each. In addition, every chapter will feature a number of 'box-texts', by specialist contributors, highlighting sites or themes of particular importance. The books will be comprehensively illustrated throughout, in both colour and b/w, including line drawings and specially commissioned maps. This ground-breaking set, which is divided chronologically into two (Vol. 1 extending from the Eighth to Twelfth Centuries AD, and Vol. 2 from the Twelfth to Sixteenth Centuries - to appear 2008), will enable readers to track the development of different cultures, and of regional characteristics, throughout the full extent of medieval Catholic Europe. In addition to revealing shared contexts and technological developments, the complete work will also provide the opportunity for demonstrating the differences that were inevitably present across the Continent - from Iceland to Italy, and from Portugal to Finland - and to study why such differences existed.

The two volumes of The Archaeology of Medieval Europe will together comprise the first complete account of medieval archaeology across Europe. Archaeologists from academic institutions in fifteen countries are collaborating to produce these two books of sixteen thematic chapters each. In addition, every chapter will feature a number of 'box-texts', by specialist contributors, highlighting sites or themes of particular importance. The books will be comprehensively illustrated throughout, in both colour and b/w, including line drawings and specially commissioned maps. This ground-breaking set, which is divided chronologically into two (Vol. 1 extending from the Eighth to Twelfth Centuries AD, and Vol. 2 from the Twelfth to Sixteenth Centuries - to appear 2008), will enable readers to track the development of different cultures, and of regional characteristics, throughout the full extent of medieval Catholic Europe. In addition to revealing shared contexts and technological developments, the complete work will also provide the opportunity for demonstrating the differences that were inevitably present across the Continent - from Iceland to Italy, and from Portugal to Finland - and to study why such differences existed.

Medieval Archaeology has developed as a distinctive academic domain in the last fifty years or so. It is now taught widely at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and learned societies for Medieval Archaeology flourish across Europe. The subject is more interdisciplinary than most types of archaeology, engaging critically with fields such as History and Art History to provide fresh and independent insights to the medieval world. It draws on sources of evidence that are unique to Medieval Archaeology, such as extant medieval churches. Medieval Archaeology is literally history from below; it offers unique access to people and practices that were never documented by medieval elites. (Medieval Archaeology also has relevance beyond academia. Indeed, much of the commercial archaeology that now takes place in Europe seeks to record and conserve medieval towns in advance of new developments.) Focusing on the archaeology of medieval Europe ("c." 1000 1550AD), this new four-volume collection from Routledge enables researchers and advanced students to make better sense of a vast and rapidly growing corpus of scholarship. The gathered materials have been carefully selected to highlight the key issues and debates in the development and contemporary practice of Medieval Archaeology, and each volume includes a comprehensive introduction newly written by the editor. "Medieval Archaeology" is an essential work of reference. It is destined to be valued by specialists as well as those working in allied areas such as Medieval Studies, History, and Art History as a vital one-stop research tool. "

This is the first reference work to cover the archaeology of medieval Europe. No other reference can claim such comprehensive coverage--from Ireland to Russia and from Scandinavia to Italy, the archaeology of the entirety of medieval Europe is discussed.