Status Updates From Ortaçağ Avrupa'sında Günlük...

I do like this graph of the medieval currencies, an example of what they would be used to buy, and the modern US equivalent. Very informative.

While medical knowledge was indeed valuable and recorded for posterity and knowledge, how accessible was it? That's the question. The other question is: how accurate was it and its treatment?

It's crazy to think that medieval physicians depended upon knowledge of "physiologists" from over a thousand years prior! Rather than coming up with newer methods of treating illness, disease, and injuries.

"All of these alcoholic drinks were dietary staples, consumed at every meal by children as well as adults. They were not necessarily very strong, and they had nutritive properties lacking in the principal 'soft' alternative, water." This must be why Europe has a lower age of consumption when it comes to alcohol today since it was such a cultural staple for the longest time and the style is different than the US.

So, if two meals were typical of households ("lunch"/dinner and supper) then when did breakfast start? And why do people writing medieval fantasy include breakfast like Tolkien, Martin, and Jacques.

Without pasteurization, the only use for milk was to make cheese and butter.

"Medieval people were not very squeamish about urine: not only was it an essential element in tanning leather and fulling cloth, but the medieval physician's analysis of a patient's urine was expected to take into account taste as well as appearance." *intense gagging*

Light and heat are things that we take for granted now. In the Medieval Era, buildings not only had low light but weren't insulated very well. Candles were only just invented, and open fires were a hazard.

It's a shame that the garment industry has changed so much since the medieval era. Once we had clothing that used to last for a long time and was made to last generations. Now, clothing fades and rips after a year or two, depending on how much wear it receives. Polyester is made of plastic and can't degrade. It just makes the environment toxic. The industry is built around replacing the clothing after a short time.

Imagine wearing the same clothes every day for a week and only at the end of the week does it get washed. Only those fortunate have a second set. While this is true among those in the poor and lower class today, it was the norm back then.

I do like this in-depth explanation of the process of weaving and cloth-making. Unfortunately, one thing it did not mention was the time it took to gather materials, work the fibers into thread, and weave the thread into cloth.

"Bone, when highly polished, resembles ivory..." Ivory is bone! It's specifically bone-like material like what's on teeth.

I like how starting this chapter on material culture in the Medieval World, the author made it known to the reader that our post-industrialized world takes things for granted compared to the effort back then for such items and how the smallest or simplest things were thought to be rare in some communities.

It's incredible to note that domestic abuse was such a factor in the Middle Ages that it was referenced here. And nothing has changed after a thousand years.

"Since the man was usually the main source of household income, the woman needed to find a husband whose economic prospects met her expectations." This is still relevant today, although now it works for both sexes.

The difference of ages between men and women when it comes to marriage is something that seems to remain to this day, with the twenties being the most common between the two. It's the upper class aristocracy where you see a larger difference of ages with girls in their teens being married. This has continued to this day as well, with some child marriages happening in the US. It's rare but it happens in Red States.

An interesting point. While coming of age was thought to be 14, most apprentices aren't finished until later. It is still too young to be given fieldwork and aren't largely independent. This is the typical age for marriage though. Something to think about when reading fairy tales.

I'm gonna need a reference on that mention of children going from breastfeeding to beer drinking as one of its options.

Without constant maintenance of cleanliness, an infant's backside could become infected. You need someone to constantly take care of the baby to make sure it survives.

It mentions that only the males were given the family's inheritance. The only situation where females were given inheritance was if it was split between them if there were no sons.

Back to reading this again. I want to finish this before the end of August.
"On average, family size reflected economic status: rich families tended to have more children, poorer families fewer."
This has changed and shifted over the centuries depending on the changing of economic growth and culture. If the economy is doing well among more people, more babies are born and survive, and the opposite is true.