Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 1
Although I like to think of myself as a "history buff," I wasn't offended by this "lighthearted look" at history, as one reviewer suggests. In fact, I so enjoyed it I debated whether to keep the book or re-post it. I re-posted it.
I learned a lot from the book and I'll try and give just a few examples. The people of this time were just as large as the people of our time, due to their good diet, healthy environment and work. We know this through the examination of their skeletons in graves. It wasn't until the population got so large later that people in the cities lived in unhealthy environments with poorer diets became shorter and weaker.
Then there was the Anglo-Saxon word for the people they forced off their lands into SW Britain---"wealisc---meaning foreign. This is where the word Welsh comes from. English wine was weak, only about 4% alcohol, and had to be drink soon or it spoiled. If they wanted to get drunk they drank mead. And the king's representative who controlled the local government was the "shire reeve" which eventually became "sheriff." I bet Wyatt Earp never knew that.
The food they ate consisted mainly of vegetables and grain, and a lot of pork. Mutton was slave food. Speaking of slaves, the early Germanic people---some of whom traveled west into new lands like Britain---often raided into what are now the Balkans for those, and thus Slav became slave. I was surprised to find they had no spinach until seeds were brought back by the Crusaders in the 12th century. As they had no sugar, as we know it, only honey which was heavily prized, skeletons from their graves have very little dental or jaw decay. Something we should all think about today.
There are 14 chapters in the book, the first and last are mainly introductory and summation. The other 12 are titled as months, and cover different subjects. The ladies will be interested in the "November" chapter which covers the status of women in this period. Apparently, the women had a great deal of equity with their men, and enjoyed many rights, including leadership of secular and religious communities. But as the Millennium was drawing to a close the Church stepped in and drastically changed all that.
I learned a lot from the book and I'll try and give just a few examples. The people of this time were just as large as the people of our time, due to their good diet, healthy environment and work. We know this through the examination of their skeletons in graves. It wasn't until the population got so large later that people in the cities lived in unhealthy environments with poorer diets became shorter and weaker.
Then there was the Anglo-Saxon word for the people they forced off their lands into SW Britain---"wealisc---meaning foreign. This is where the word Welsh comes from. English wine was weak, only about 4% alcohol, and had to be drink soon or it spoiled. If they wanted to get drunk they drank mead. And the king's representative who controlled the local government was the "shire reeve" which eventually became "sheriff." I bet Wyatt Earp never knew that.
The food they ate consisted mainly of vegetables and grain, and a lot of pork. Mutton was slave food. Speaking of slaves, the early Germanic people---some of whom traveled west into new lands like Britain---often raided into what are now the Balkans for those, and thus Slav became slave. I was surprised to find they had no spinach until seeds were brought back by the Crusaders in the 12th century. As they had no sugar, as we know it, only honey which was heavily prized, skeletons from their graves have very little dental or jaw decay. Something we should all think about today.
There are 14 chapters in the book, the first and last are mainly introductory and summation. The other 12 are titled as months, and cover different subjects. The ladies will be interested in the "November" chapter which covers the status of women in this period. Apparently, the women had a great deal of equity with their men, and enjoyed many rights, including leadership of secular and religious communities. But as the Millennium was drawing to a close the Church stepped in and drastically changed all that.
Amaris R. (niffycat) reviewed The Year 1000 : What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed how the author used the illustrations in the _Julius Work Calendar_ to give a glimpse into life in and around the year 1000. Each chapter has a theme, such as "Feasting" (April) and "War Games" (October.) This book is a quick, easy read, and it's full of interesting and memorable facts about life in England over 1000 years ago.
John O. (buzzby) -
One of the best books I've read in quite a while. It is organized around the Julius Work Calendar, and discusses a different activity in normal life every month. The authors acknowledge that there is not a lot of information out there about how life was like in 1000, so a lot of there information is in the years before and after 1000. There's a fair amount on the Y1K problem, since the book was written in 1999, when Y2K was looming.
jjares reviewed The Year 1000 : What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium on + 3273 more book reviews
Another title might be: 'The Year 1000; World History Lite.' This is not intended to be disparaging of a very interesting work; the authors tried to sprinkle humorous and interesting facts (a reader might enjoy) amongst the dire and difficult conditions many folks lived under at the end of the first 1000 years (of history).
If the reader is just looking for a nice, brief overview of the first century, this will suffice admirably. Otherwise, the authors make short excursions into many facets of life around the first millennium. Along with the quirky and interesting facts they share, readers will find many starting points for further study.
The reason I felt this book earned 5 stars has to do with the fascinating way the authors explained history. The text is so readable that I like to reread it every few years. I find new tangents to pursue as my understanding of world history expands.
The authors have snooped into everything related to the the first millennium. No subject is too smelly to pursue for knowledge's sake. A case in point: Human wastes and animal dung (those that remain in archaeological digs) are explained in the light of the Anglo-Saxon's distrust of too much cleanliness. The authors tell us that the Danes were more careful with their personal cleanliness and had an easier time finding mates than the rank-and-file Anglo-Saxons.
Both authors spend considerable time shooting down the stereotypes that have come down through the ages. They say that most educated folks knew the earth was round and that sailors would not drop off at the edge of the world. They weave an interesting story about how the English became stronger as they survived many invasions over the passing decades. They also show how the locals adapted to the organized religion (the Catholic Church) while blending it with their more pagan rites and attitudes.
Life in the monastery must have been difficult; talking was discouraged but a system of hand signals sufficed to keep the community cohesive and organized. This fact may seem trivial, but it is info like this that brings the English into our realm -- living and breathing.
Probably, a history buff would be offended by such a light-hearted look at world history. However, those of us just looking for an overview of Europe after 1000 years, will enjoy the writers' style and substance.
If the reader is just looking for a nice, brief overview of the first century, this will suffice admirably. Otherwise, the authors make short excursions into many facets of life around the first millennium. Along with the quirky and interesting facts they share, readers will find many starting points for further study.
The reason I felt this book earned 5 stars has to do with the fascinating way the authors explained history. The text is so readable that I like to reread it every few years. I find new tangents to pursue as my understanding of world history expands.
The authors have snooped into everything related to the the first millennium. No subject is too smelly to pursue for knowledge's sake. A case in point: Human wastes and animal dung (those that remain in archaeological digs) are explained in the light of the Anglo-Saxon's distrust of too much cleanliness. The authors tell us that the Danes were more careful with their personal cleanliness and had an easier time finding mates than the rank-and-file Anglo-Saxons.
Both authors spend considerable time shooting down the stereotypes that have come down through the ages. They say that most educated folks knew the earth was round and that sailors would not drop off at the edge of the world. They weave an interesting story about how the English became stronger as they survived many invasions over the passing decades. They also show how the locals adapted to the organized religion (the Catholic Church) while blending it with their more pagan rites and attitudes.
Life in the monastery must have been difficult; talking was discouraged but a system of hand signals sufficed to keep the community cohesive and organized. This fact may seem trivial, but it is info like this that brings the English into our realm -- living and breathing.
Probably, a history buff would be offended by such a light-hearted look at world history. However, those of us just looking for an overview of Europe after 1000 years, will enjoy the writers' style and substance.
