Daily Life in a Medieval Monastery

Sherri Olson, PhD, is associate professor of history and codirector of the medieval studies program at the University of Connecticut.

• List of MapsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Benedictine Beginnings2. The Monastery in an Age of Invasion and Reform: Saint Gall and Cluny3. Child Oblates and Personal Fulfillment in the Monastic Life4. Checking Up on Monks and Nuns in Thirteenth-Century Normandy: Archbishop Eudes Rigaud5. Godstow Nunnery, 1133–1540: A Women's Community of the Later Middle Ages6. Monks and PeasantsGlossary of TermsBibliographyIndex

Shepherd, who specializes in early medieval archaeology, has made use of recent archaeological finds as well as the usual primary sources. She spends time within the narrative discussing the importance of the findings of these excavations and how the materials found—including pottery, flora and fauna, and DNA—give us a new window into life during this time. This unique feature makes the work distinctive from other reference sources about the time period . . . a useful starting point for high school and undergraduate students working on research within these two areas. Recommended for most high school, academic, and public libraries.