Syllabus
Session 1 (02.10.2023):
Introduction - Material culture studies and medieval treasures. Sources and approaches.
Session 2 (02.10.2023):
The fall of the Roman Empire
Session 3 (09.10.2023):
Treasures of the Avars and Byzantium
Session 4 (09.10.2023):
Treasurs of the early states. Guest lecture by Naďa Profantová
Session 5 (23.10.2023):
Vikings in Central Europe? 11th century hack silver hoards
Session 6 (23.10.2023):
Treasures of the Mongol invasion
Session 7 (20.11.2023):
Cuman hoards? - Late medieval rural treasures
Session 8 (20.11.2023):
Local conflicts and goldsmiths?
Session 9 (04.12.2023):
The Black Death, Jewish pogroms and hoards
Session 10 (04.12.2023):
Late medieval urban hoards
Annotation
Medieval treasure hoards are intriguing sources, studied by archaeologists, historians and art historians. Beyond the – usually – fascinating objects of highest art quality of the epoch, they are time capsules preserving valuable information about the political, social and economic history of their time The broader contexts of their deposition changes in time and across space, and hoards unique biography tell a different story about the past. Furthermore, the circumstances of their discovery (from Early Modern to recent times) allows to trace the change in approaches to hoards themselves, but also to general understanding of the value of artefacts and the importance of their cultural context, and de facto in the development of the archaeology as a whole discipline.
The aim of this course is to give a comprehensive view on the history of what is today Central Europe, through the lenses of contextualising the hoard finds, dating from the Late Antique to the Late Medieval period. The course aims to introduce interdisciplinary methods for interpreting medieval material culture, with special regard to hoard finds’ unique character. By examples, we will explore the history of this area during the Middle Ages, and review how diverse circumstances led to hoards finds related to various communities.
Classes will be held in blocks according to the timetable.