Sunday, September 15, 2024

Artifacts from Medieval Winchester

Biddle, Martin. Object and Economy in Medieval Winchester: Artefacts from Medieval Winchester. 2 vols., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990. 

This two-volume set, Object and Economy in Medieval Winchester, catalogues and discusses around 6,600 objects recovered from the 1961–1971 Winchester excavation seasons, spanning from Anglo-Saxon to post-medieval periods. The book's primary sections cover the post-excavation process, and the industries and tools of the time, including gold, silver, copper alloy, iron, textile production, tanning, leatherwork, and bone/antler craftsmanship. The objects are organized by function, such as personal possessions, devotional equipment, furnishings, horse gear, weapons, and armor.

This study sheds new light on the economy of a medieval city, with special focus on processes like textile manufacture, wire-drawing, pin production, and the beginnings of window-glass production and glass painting. Each object is thoroughly contextualized, linked to its archaeological site, and classified according to its historical use, offering an in-depth understanding of medieval Winchester's economy and craftsmanship.

The set is brand new, still in the original box, with both volumes and dust jackets in pristine condition. Volume 1 has 466 pages of text + 65 pages of photos. Volume 2 has 1271 pages. When I originally purchased these volumes, they did not come with a slipcase. ISBN: 9780198131755.

There are no copies of these books available for sale on Bookfinder.com but it appears they may be bringing out a new edition later this year. I'm asking $275 for the set.

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