What period does medieval archaeology cover?

It generally covers Europe and neighboring regions from about the fifth century AD to the end of the Middle Ages around AD 1500, with post-medieval archaeology continuing into modern times.

How does this differ from classical archaeology?

It focuses on later, often more heavily documented periods, dealing with the medieval and early modern worlds rather than Greek and Roman antiquity, though methods overlap.

Medieval and Post-Medieval Archaeology

This area studies the material culture of the medieval and early modern worlds, from the end of antiquity through the Middle Ages to the post-medieval and modern periods, combining excavation with rich documentary and standing evidence.

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Definition

The branch of historical archaeology concerned with the material culture of the medieval and post-medieval periods, from Late Antiquity to modern times.

Scope

It covers the archaeology of Europe and the Byzantine world from roughly the fifth century AD onward, including towns, villages, castles, churches, and monasteries, and extends into the post-medieval and modern eras studied by historical archaeology. The area examines settlement, religion, economy, and material culture across a period for which texts, buildings, and excavated remains together provide evidence.

Sub-topics

Core questions

How did settlement, towns, and rural life change across the medieval period?
How do material remains complement and challenge written sources?
How did religion shape the built and material environment?
How does archaeology illuminate the post-medieval and modern world?

Key theories

Text-aided archaeology: The methodological principle that medieval and post-medieval archaeology works alongside abundant documentary and standing-building evidence, requiring careful integration of material and textual sources.
Archaeology of the modern world: Orser's framing of historical archaeology as the study of the recent, globally connected past, attentive to colonialism, capitalism, and material culture from the fifteenth century onward.

History

Medieval archaeology emerged as a distinct field in the mid-twentieth century, professionalizing through the study of deserted villages, towns, and ecclesiastical sites. Post-medieval and historical archaeology developed alongside it, extending archaeological method into the early modern and modern eras and engaging themes of industrialization, colonialism, and global connection.

Debates

Relationship of archaeology to history: Scholars debate whether text-rich periods make archaeology subordinate to documentary history or whether material evidence offers an independent and sometimes contradictory account.

Key figures

Roberta Gilchrist
Christopher Gerrard
Charles Orser

Seminal works

gerrard2003
gilchrist2009
orser2004

Frequently asked questions

What period does medieval archaeology cover?: It generally covers Europe and neighboring regions from about the fifth century AD to the end of the Middle Ages around AD 1500, with post-medieval archaeology continuing into modern times.
How does this differ from classical archaeology?: It focuses on later, often more heavily documented periods, dealing with the medieval and early modern worlds rather than Greek and Roman antiquity, though methods overlap.