Medieval housing

"The archaeological study of standing buildings is experiencing a welcome renaissance. This book outlines recent developments in the field and shows how they have contributed to our understanding of medieval domestic dwellings. Evidence from the buildings themselves, from excavation and from documentary sources is combined to provide an outline of the development of building techniques in the Middle Ages, and current knowledge about the housing of the rich, the middling sort and the poor is reviewed. The specific adaptations demanded of domestic dwellings in the growing context of towns are also discussed." "This volume is about the ways of life and standards of living in the Middle Ages. It is aimed not only at archaeologists and historians but also at an increasingly well-informed lay audience which is visiting medieval buildings in greater numbers. The work seeks to explain to such visitors how we may obtain a better comprehension of all levels of society by understanding the houses in which medieval people lived."--Jacket.