Artifacts from Medieval Europe

Tschen-Emmons (history, North Idaho Coll.; mythology, Northern Virginia Community Coll.; Artifacts from Ancient Rome) presents life in medieval times in this work arranged according to a table of contents of nine wide-ranging topics, including agriculture and animal husbandry, communication and business, entertainment, and religion. Entries supply information on such artifacts as horse collars, garderobes, penannular pins, bone ice skates, chessboards, and icons, with each accompanied by an introduction, a description, and a discussion of the object's significance. A list of titles for further information and sometimes the address of a related website are also offered. Though color photos would have been better, each article contains one black-and-white photo of the object under consideration. An occasional line drawing is also included. Quoted primary sources are identified and highlighted in gray boxes. While the informative text isn't particularly scholarly, it often assumes prior knowledge of the subjects. In other instances, the work could benefit from term explanations, a pronunciation guide, or a glossary. Chapters contain cross-references where appropriate.