HIST-338 Lecture 20: Daily Medieval Life
21 Nov 2020
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Document Summary
Daily medieval life. medieval society continued to be dynamic and changeable. A monolithic medieval society never existed; regional and local differences in social organization, religious practices, laws and currencies, dress and diet norms, dialects, prides and prejudices, remained strong. Its population around the year 1300 was between seventy five and one hundred million twice and even three times what it had been around the year 1000. A farming town of four thousand people was not uncommon. A traveler could eye most cities at a distance of several miles especially their towering cathedrals. In order to support this increased population some changes in the land became necessary: medieval engineers perfected the methods of draining fens and marshland. In northern italy a vast network of canals, dams, embankments, and reservoirs helped control the runoff waters of the alpine heights. In spain the ancient roman irrigation systems were revived.
