Growing Old in the Middle Ages

Shulamith Shahar, Translated from the Hebrew by Yael Lotan

• INTRODUCTION: On the history of old age in Medieval Europe 1 WHO WERE THE OLD IN THE MIDDLE AGES? 2 THE OLD BODY 3 TRANSCENDING AGE, TRANSCENDING THE BODY 4 WHO AND WHAT IS AN OLD MAN, AND HOW HE SHOULD CONDUCT HIMSELF 5 ‘HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER’ 6 CHURCHMEN IN THEIR OLD AGE 7 OLD AGE IN THE RANKS OF THE RULERS AND SOLDIERS 8 OLD AGE IN URBAN SOCIETY 9 OLD AGE IN THE PEASANTRY 10 THE OLD AND THE CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

'There is much here of interest to social historians, information culled from unfamiliar sources, and some useful and challenging ideas.' - English Historical Review 'Mêlant habilement sources primaires et sources secondaires, SS, Professeure émérite à l'Université de Tel-Aviv, parvient à élaborer une synthèse de type socio-historique relativement exhaustive sur la question… Ce faisant SS accomplit un veritable travail de sociologie historique, travail qui se révèle ici particulièrement fecund.’