Thursday 15 March 2012

Two sides of the Medieval Economic Coin!

Week 4 - Economic Life: Agriculture, Trade and the Emergence of Towns -Tutorial Discussion Post


Hi everyone!


**** Remember that the test will take place during this week's lecture time (March 21). The test will take place during the second hour of lecture (11am). It will be multiple choice. All material from the lectures and tutorial readings is the focus of the test. There will be some questions related to a map, however, there will be no other images. You are expected to attend the first hour of lecture as normal and then once you have completed the test you will be free to go. You may take as much time to complete the test as you need. ****

This week we will be focusing on the chapter from A History of Medieval Europe by R.H.C. Davis on the economic situation of the early Middle Ages (with a focus on trade and the agrarian economy). For your first assignment you will be asked to summarize the arguments Davis makes in this chapter so it is very important you look over this reading in detail.

The goal of the assignment is to help students develop their reading and note-taking skills, as well as their ability to synthesize material and summarize arguments.

With that in mind I thought I would ask a few different types of questions here to help get you started.

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What is Davis' argument in this chapter? Can you summarize it in one or two sentences?

In your opinion, what are the key points to Davis' argument?

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To help you zero in on some of the key points in the article have a look over the tutorial discussion questions for this week. They will help you examine the first part of the article (focusing on trade in the Mediterranean). For help examining the second part of the article (on the agrarian economy) have a think about the following questions.

1) What is a polyptych? Why are they useful historical sources?
2) What is the demesne? What is tributary land?
3) Why might a peasant proprietor surrender his land to his lord?
4) What is a serf? Are they different in the early medieval period from a colonus?
5) What is a manse?
6) How and why was ninth-century agrarian society in a state of transition?
7) What is meant by the term 'manorial system'?
8) What is the difference between the 'open-field' and 'enclosure' field systems?

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Finally, what aspects of this assignment do you feel confident about? What aspects are you a little worried or nervous about?

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Remember, your comments can address the points above or be the result of any of your thoughts, reflections or questions about the reading for this week. Happy posting everyone!


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Here are some images to help spark our imaginations!




Serfs reaping the harvest overseen by a reeve
The three-field system


An impression of a medieval plow team
An early Byzantine besant



























And just for fun.......I think we could all do with a laugh at this point in term! The first link here is to the video we watched in lecture on the 'Codex IT' sketch, and the second is a fun clip from Monty Python's 'The Holy Grail'. Enjoy!



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5 comments:

  1. AmbsMarch 20, 2012 1:48 pm

    Hey Guys,
    I enjoyed the readings this week and I found them much easier to concentrate on while thinking about the questions in Diana's post.
    I've found it interesting learning about the emergence of these different social structures and I felt that they were explained really well in the reading. The changing economy was also interesting and I found the different takes on the situation helpful as they gave a more rounded view of the situation.
    I didn't really have any questions for this week either as it seemed pretty straight forward to me....
    So I guess this will be quite a short post
    Ambs

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  2. AnonymousMarch 20, 2012 3:12 pm

    Hello,
    I also enjoyed this weeks reading. And yes, it was straightforward, and especially interesting to see just how Western European society cotrasted with its more stable eastern counterparts. I found it interesting to see how the gradual decline of Roman influence in the east allowed for the strengthening of the Muslim world, and the continued success of the Byzantine, as opposed to the more abrupt and violent end to influence in the West. And how the comparitive trade stagnation caused the perpetuation of Feudalism and land ties.
    Also i had a bit of a 'lol' at the East's logistical capabilities, especially with regards to watermelons.
    No questions really, a very concise reading.
    -Martin

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  3. tori_sMarch 20, 2012 4:25 pm

    Hello everyone,
    I also found this weeks readings to be very straightforward and easy to understand. I enjoyed the contrasting between the economies of the eastern and western regions and found it interesting to read Davis' arguments in response to Pirenne's views on the decline of trade.
    thats about it really :)
    tori

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  4. James WindussMarch 20, 2012 5:11 pm

    Hey!
    Everyone seems to feel the same way as I did I in regards to the readings I guess. I found it straightforward too and as a result I found more interesting in some ways. All of the economic information in regards to the east/west wealth separation, as a result of political stability I found particularly interesting, mainly due to how it highlights the fragility of the relationship between politics and power and further the importance of the economic situation within medieval Europe.

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  5. LachlanMarch 20, 2012 5:22 pm

    Hi
    I found it interesting as even though the medieval european world had these setbacks they would later come to effectivley dominate the area, that was in effect ruling it/destroying it in the crusades.
    The shifting economy and perspectives given revealed cultural presures at the time and expansion or wealth within certain area, as exotic good indicate a strong economy at least in part.
    -Lachlan

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