Medieval Archaeology has developed as a distinctive academic domain in the last fifty years or so. It is now taught widely at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and learned societies for Medieval Archaeology flourish across Europe. The subject is more interdisciplinary than most types of archaeology, engaging critically with fields such as History and Art History to provide fresh and independent insights to the medieval world. It draws on sources of evidence that are unique to Medieval Archaeology, such as extant medieval churches. Medieval Archaeology is literally history ‘from below’; it offers unique access to people and practices that were never documented by medieval élites. (Medieval Archaeology also has relevance beyond academia. Indeed, much of the commercial archaeology that now takes place in Europe seeks to record and conserve medieval towns in advance of new developments.)
Focusing on the archaeology of medieval Europe (c. 1000–1550AD), this new four-volume collection from Routledge enables researchers and advanced students to make better sense of a vast—and rapidly growing—corpus of scholarship. The gathered materials have been carefully selected to highlight the key issues and debates in the development and contemporary practice of Medieval Archaeology, and each volume includes a comprehensive introduction newly written by the editor. Medieval Archaeology is an essential work of reference. It is destined to be valued by specialists—as well as those working in allied areas such as Medieval Studies, History, and Art History—as a vital one-stop research tool.