Medieval Life: Archaeology and the Life Course

by Roberta Gilchrist

An examination of daily life in the Middle Ages which reveals the intimate relations between age groups, between the living and the dead, and between people and things.

An important and timely volume... an elegant summary of complex theory, and synthesis of an impressive body of material. It will be eagerly read by current and future generations of archaeologists, and will demonstrate the significance of historical archaeology to a much wider scholarly audience. Dr Kate Giles, University of York.

The aim of this book is to explore how medieval life was actually lived - how people were born and grew old, how they dressed, how they inhabited their homes, the rituals that gave meaning to their lives and how they prepared for death and the afterlife.
Its fresh and original approach uses archaeological evidence to reconstruct the material practices of medieval life, death and the afterlife. Previous historical studies of the medieval "lifecycle" begin with birth and end with death. Here, in contrast, the concept of life course theory is developed for the first time in a detailed archaeological case study. The author argues that medieval Christian understanding of the "life course" commenced with conception and extended through the entirety of life, to include death and the afterlife.
Five thematic case studies present the archaeology of medieval England (c.1050-1540 CE) in terms of the body, the household, the parish church and cemetery, and the relationship between the lives of people and objects.A wide range of sources is critically osteology, costume, material culture, iconography and evidence excavated from houses, churches and cemeteries in the medieval English town and countryside. Medieval Life reveals theintimate and everyday relations between age groups, between the living and the dead, and between people and things.

Roberta Gilchrist is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Nonfiction, British Literature, Academic, Medieval

360 pages, Hardcover

First published July 19, 2012

About the author

Roberta Lynn Gilchrist, FSA, FBA (born 28 June 1965) is a Canadian-born archaeologist and academic specialising in the medieval period, whose career has been spent in the United Kingdom. She is Professor of Archaeology and Dean of Research at the University of Reading.

Reviews

[Emma Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugely enjoyable book, focusing on medieval material culture, but also including information about medieval imagery, and a chapter on osteoarchaeology (digging up bones). About 1/5 of the book is useful appendices, and a lengthy bibliography, which is referenced in detail throughout the text.

Sections include clothing and personal adornment, household objects, the church and cemetary, and a useful chapter giving a general background to material culture, and the role that humans assign objects through curation, and the process of imbuing meaning through heirlooms etc.

Very readable, although be aware the focus is on the artifacts and how these might be interpreted in a social context, rather than, as some pop history is doing, weaving a story about fictional yet representative individuals.

Highlight = the ballock (cock and balls) dagger grips retrieved from the wreck of the Mary Rose.

[Cam Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really an informative read. Really does read like someone's Masters' or PhD thesis.

[Mairi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and in-depth archaeological study of medieval life in England. I was lucky enough to have attended a 3-part lecture that Roberta Gilchrist gave on this subject, and I learned so much from both the lectures and this detailed, wonderful book.