The Complete History of This Exciting Period in One Comprehensive ReferenceThe Middle Ages fascinates scholars and laypeople alike. The period has been romanticized, misrepresented, and misunderstood perhaps more than any other in history. Behind the imaginative stories of knights, castles, and epic quests there lies a medieval world that is every bit as incredible and intriguing as the fictional one only its people really lived, its events actually happened, and its achievements helped create the world of today. The two-volume Encyclopedia of the Medieval World provides a detailed look at this significant thousand-year period.Broad Cultural and Geographic CoverageBased on reliable and accurate scholarship, this comprehensive yet accessible encyclopedia covers the medieval world from Scandinavia to the Maghreb and Iceland to Moscow, including Byzantium, Seljuk and early Ottoman Anatolia, Armenia, the Kurds, the Levant, Syria, and Palestine. Approximately 2,000 entries offer exhaustive coverage on everything from significant personalities, archaeology, arts and architecture, institutions, literature, philosophy, and religion to economy, law, science, technology, politics, and warfare.Reflecting the changes in scholarly interest that have occurred over the last two decades, this encyclopedia is interdisciplinary and comparative with attentive detail to cultural and geographic subject matter. Topics that have been treated only marginally in previous publications on the Middle Ages such as women, ecology, ethnicity, nationalism, and labor are treated more thoroughly here, making this an authoritative resource that readers with an interest in the Middle Ages will want to consult.Highly Accessible Historical InformationFurther readings listed at the end of all articles and a comprehensive bibliography in the second volume direct readers to the latest and most accessible scholarship. More than 120 black-and-white photographs and illustrations depict battles, significant individuals, artifacts, and more, and 52 stunning maps and charts make this period come to life. A detailed index, bibliography, cross-references, and chronology complete this magnificent encyclopedia. In a reference perfect for high school and college students, academic scholars, and general readers interested in the Middle Ages, Encyclopedia of the Medieval World covers more information than any single reference book of its kind.Coverage includes:Significant individuals (Charlemagne, Gregory VII, Saladin)Archaeological artifacts of particular importance (Sutton Hoo)Economic and agricultural practices, ideas, and commodities (plough, gold, banking, usury)Institutions of church and state (papacy, parliament, commune)Scientific and technological knowledge and inventions (Roger Bacon, the compass)Items and practices from daily life (games, food, cooking)Landmark documents (Magna Carta)Artistic production, styles, techniques, themes, producers, and patrons for painting, sculpture, architecture, and the minor arts (Romanesque, Gothic, manuscript illumination)Social ideas and practice (marriage, death and burial, childhood) from all levels of societyWarfare (technology, battles, and wars)Kingship (dynasties and practices)National literary and cultural authors (Dante), monuments (Decameron), subjects (Gawain), and stylesReligious ideas and practices (simony, reform movements, heresies, saints)Cultural interchange among peoples (peaceful and violent)Theological and philosophical ideas, individuals, and movements (scholasticism, Thomas Aquinas)Travel and expansion (Eastern Europe, the Levant, geographical knowledge, ships).Editorial ReviewsFrom BooklistHaving already published Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages,by Matthew Bunson, in 1995 (now out of print), Facts On File offers this new work by a professor of medieval history at the University of California-Santa Barbara. It covers the time period from the late antique world to about 1500 C.E and includes events, people, institutions, and culture in western and eastern Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa, Byzantium, and the Near East. The 2,000 entries discuss significant people, art, politics, literature, religion, economics, law, science, and warfare in an A-Z format. The articles range in length from a few sentences to one page. All have numerous cross-references and a list of further reading that includes both current and classic articles and books. The articles are aimed at students in high school and college so the language is direct and all concepts are explained. There are also 122 black-and-white illustrations, 19 maps, and 33 genealogical charts of the ruling houses of Europe. The volumes conclude with detailed lists of all the rulers of the various kingdoms, a 50-page bibliography, and a comprehensive index.Reflecting recent scholarship, topics such as ecology, labor, and women are discussed much more fully than in earlier reference sources. Entries are interdisciplinary and refer to non-European and non-Christian cultures. For example, Universities and schools and Wills and testaments compare Christian ideas and practices to those in Judaism and Islam. Other articles, such as Kabbala and Kalam, bring out various aspects of Judaism and Islam. However, there are no overview articles on Christianity or the Catholic Church, or on medieval literature and poetry. Students will have to know the names of individual popes, saints, literary works, and so on. Some articles are curiously missing important see also references. For example, the brief Barbarians and barbarian migrations has no cross-references to Franks, Vandals, and other related entries.The interdisciplinary nature of the articles and the way they compare Christian, Jewish, and Islamic ideas and practices make them invaluable for students who want to see how medieval cultures contrasted. Librarians will have to weigh this set against other reference sources, such as the Greenhaven Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages (2003) or The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students (Scribner, 1996). The former is less expensive but not as comprehensive, while the latter, though based on the scholarly Dictionary of the Middle Ages (Scribner, 1982), is written for students from middle school and up. Librarians will also need to consider whether to replace Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. The newer work is recommended to high-school, college, and public libraries that want to update or broaden their history reference collections. Merle JacobCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedProduct detailsPublisher ‏ : ‎ Facts on File (December 1, 2004)Language ‏ : ‎ EnglishHardcover ‏ : ‎ 860 pagesISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0816046905ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0816046904Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.51 poundsDimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 2 x 10.75 inches