Middle Ages Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Sources== {{See also|Cartulary|historical source}} [[File:Новгородская грамота 109 от Жизномира к Микуле 12 век.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Cyrillic letters on a small piece of birch bark|One Zhiznomir's letter to a certain Mikula written [[Birch bark manuscript#Old Slavonic script|on birch bark]] in the city of [[Novgorod]] in the early {{nowrap|12th century}}]] Certain aspects of medieval society (including the life of [[Women in the Middle Ages|women]] or [[Slavery in medieval Europe|slaves]]) are poorly documented, which sets the limits of the comprehensive study of the period.{{sfn|Harris|2008|p=4}} The systematic publication of medieval written sources began with the {{lang|la|[[Rerum italicarum scriptores]]}} by [[Ludovico Muratori]] (d. 1750) which was followed by similar series such as the {{lang|la|[[Monumenta Germaniae Historica]]}} in [[German Confederation|Germany]], and the [[Rolls Series]] in the United Kingdom. These large collections mainly contain [[annals]], [[chronicle]]s and other narrative sources with a focus on the deeds of powerful men.{{sfn|Arnold|2021|pp=26–27}} Professional historians mainly treat medieval narratives cautiously, as these are often filled with distorted facts or unrealistic information.{{sfn|Arnold|2021|pp=37, 40}} Documents of state or church administration, such as [[royal charter]]s and [[chrysobull]]s, are indispensable sources for medieval history, although forged legal papers abound.{{sfn|Arnold|2021|pp=44–45}} Further types of written sources include [[graffiti]], [[Seal (emblem)|seals]], and letters.{{sfn|Curta|2019|pp=17–23}} Since the 1950s, [[archaeology]] have significantly contributed to the study of the history of poorly documented regions and periods, although [[chronological dating]] is still uncertain.{{sfn|Curta|2019|pp=28–29}} Legislation may influence archaeological research: new finds of coins and [[hoard]]s are frequently exhibited in jurisdictions with a liberal regulation, such as England and Wales, whereas in other countries, such as Italy, finds from unofficial excavations are exceptionally published.{{sfn|Naismith|2023|pp=17–19}} As few detailed written records documenting peasant life remain from before the {{nowrap|9th century}}, surviving information available to historians comes mainly from archaeology.{{sfn|Wickham|2009|p=204}} Medieval images and sculptures may provide useful information about everyday life but a critical approach is warranted because irony, satire, and anachronism were popular stylistic devices of medieval artists.{{sfn|Arnold|2021|pp=47–50}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page