Innovations in Medieval Mapmaking

People in the Middle Ages greatly lacked geographical knowledge. While they were aware of the existence of distant places like China and sub-Saharan Africa, their knowledge was largely based on the scanty information found in ancient texts, which were notoriously inaccurate. What is more, medieval scholars saw a theological significance in the natural world in which everything was designed according to a harmonious model set in place by God. Thus geographical accuracy did not matter as much as symbolic importance. This is most evident in the so-called T and O maps that conceived of the world as divided into Asia, Africa, and Europe. The number three corresponded with the Trinity and was also backed by the Biblical story of Noah's three sons who scattered and repopulated the world after the Flood.

In the later Middle Ages, as new navigational technology came to Europe from the Arab world and seagoing trade was recognized as an important source of revenue for centralizing states, there was a greater emphasis on geographical accuracy. This site has a zoomable image of a "Portolian Chart", which is an ancestor of modern navigational maps. You will see much greater accuracy of the shape of the coastlines along with the names of the towns and cities that dotted them. This map is also remarkable for the detail of the western coast of Africa, although it still exposes some important gaps in the medieval knowledge of the world (notice the Nile River).

This new form of mapmaking does not mean that people of the Middle Ages were entirely ignorant of the layout of the world around them. They knew that the neat division of the world into three parts was an oversimplification. What this reveals is a shift in attitudes towards the world around, where it was no longer just a form of theological instruction.

The Bayeaux Tapestry Online

The Bayeaux Tapestry is one of the iconic artifacts of the medieval era. Even people who aren't specifically familiar with it would have likely seen sections of it on book covers or in documentaries. It is 230 foot lone embroidered sheet of linen that depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is best described as a type of comic strip or story board, with individual panels showing a particular event or episode. Before modern times it was kept at the Bayeaux Cathedral in Normandy (hence its name) and hung during local festivals. It was only in the 19th century when scholars from outside the region began to appreciate its historical value.

Apart from being a priceless example of medieval craftsmanship, the Tapestry is a piece of political propaganda. Clearly this is a case of history being written by the winners (it is believed that William's half-brother Odo, commissioned the tapestry to represent William's version of events). His claim to the English throne was by no means indisputable and after the Conquest he had to forcefully subjugate a resentful Anglo-Saxon elite, many who had lost their lands and power. Harold, whose death at the Battle of Hastings opened the way to William's reign, is depicted as an oath-breaker. This Tapestry is also famous for depicting Haley's Comet, which was visible around the time of the conquest. In the Middle Ages such celestial phenomena were viewed as supernatural portents, the falling star predicting the fall of a monarch, in this case Harold.

Because of its great length, the Tapestry is notoriously difficult to reproduce in media. When one narrows in to the details of a particular scene they lose perspective of the monumental length of the Tapestry as a whole (think of the letterbox format for a DVD). This site has a scrollable image of the entire Tapestry along with the Latin inscriptions, offering both a detailed view of the individual scenes as well as a perspective of the magnitude of the work as a whole.

Fall 2011 Final Exam

Instructions: Answer TWO of the following in essay form. An adequate answer will be at least 3 pages using the same formatting standards as the research paper. Your responses will be graded according to how well thought out they are and how well they incorporate the reading assignments. They will be due in my office on Friday of Finals Week between 11 and noon. I will only accept hardcopies. If you would like to submit your materials earlier please that will be possible, but please let me know in advance.

1) The texts by Ladurie, Fossier, and Schmitt are all accounts of the lives of ordinary people during the Middle Ages; people who made up over 90% of medieval society yet appear very little in the historical documents. What are some of the ways in which their worldview differed from that of more learned or elite culture? How did these differences originate? Describe the relationship between official and "popular" or "folk" culture?

2) Describe the "Twelfth-Century Renaissance" and the social, economic, political, and cultural changes it brought. What were the factors that led to this Renaissance? What was the aristocratic response?

3) Why is the fourteenth century described as a century of "crisis"? How did this time of crisis transform medieval society?

DNA of Black Death Bacteria Sequenced

Original article from Nature

Fall 2011 Midterm

Directions: Answer TWO of the following questions in essay form using the same formatting requirements as your research papers. An adequate response will be at least 3 full typed pages. Your grade will be based on how well you incorporate evidence from the lectures, films, and reading assignments.

1) Much of the first portion of class focused on the growing divide between the eastern and western halves of the former Roman Empire. Discuss how this split occurred and its cultural consequences for the modern world. How did political events in the Islamic, Byzantine, and Germanic worlds contribute to this trend? How did the papacy and western rulers legitimize their independence from the emperor in Byzantium?

2) The Fossier text is a history of medieval attitudes towards nature, the human body, the stages of life and death, and the supernatural. Describe these attitudes and how they differ from our modern outlook.

3) Medieval society was extremely hierarchical and based on relationships of power. Discuss how power was articulated in medieval society. In what ways was it reciprocal? What were some of the limitations on power? What was the relationship between power and religion?

Slocum Readings for Week 2

For Tuesday (which is Monday at KU) please read the following documents from Chapter 1 and bring the text to class with you:

1.5

1.6

1.7

1.8

1.11

1.12

1.14

1.15

Discussion Questions for the Black Death

This link is to a summary review of the Aberth text I wrote a few years ago when I was freelancing for the publisher. At the bottom are some questions I'd like to base our discussion on for next Tuesday.

http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/oconnor/oconnor/content/black_death.htm