Weathering a medieval climate : gauging the impact of natural hazards on northern European society through archaeology and history, AD 1000-1550
This thesis investigates the occurrence of meteorological hazards in northern Europe and their impact on society during the medieval period (AD 1000-1550). When high-magnitude meteorological hazards affected vulnerable human populations disasters were the inevitable consequence. These events resulted in highly complex repercussions over the short- and long- terms, touching a wide variety of different spheres of human activity and experience. Additionally, the occurrence of these events was usually sudden and unpredictable in an age when natural processes were poorly understood. As a result, floods, storms and other hazards were widely interpreted through a framework of religious and superstitious beliefs which is widely attested by the historical record. A range of different types of archaeological artefact are also associated with these beliefs and, particularly, in accruing personal protection from a hazardous environment. At the same time, medieval society understood disasters in a practical sense and took steps to minimise risk through constructing flood defences and reinforcing structures damaged by storms. Medieval society, therefore, interpreted disasters through a duality of understanding in which
Brown, Peter James
Weathering a medieval climate : gauging the impact of natural hazards on northern European society through archaeology and history, AD 1000-1550. This thesis investigates the occurrence of meteorological hazards in northern Europe and their impact on society during the medieval period (AD 1000-1550). When high-magnitude meteorological hazards affected vulnerable human populations disasters were the inevitable consequence. These events resulted in highly complex repercussions over the short- and long- terms, touching a wide variety of different spheres of human activity and experience. Additionally, the occurrence of these events was usually sudden and unpredictable in an age when natural processes were poorly understood. As a result, floods, storms and other hazards were widely interpreted through a framework of religious and superstitious beliefs which is widely attested by the historical record. A range of different types of archaeological artefact are also associated with these beliefs and, particularly, in accruing personal protection from a hazardous environment. At the same time, medieval society understood disasters in a practical sense and took steps to minimise risk through constructing flood defences and reinforcing structures damaged by storms. Medieval society, therefore, interpreted disasters through a duality of understanding in which
weathering medieval climate impact natural hazard northern_european society archaeology history investigate occurrence hazard northern_europe impact society medieval_period high magnitude hazard affect vulnerable human_population disaster inevitable consequence event result highly_complex repercussion short long term touch wide_variety different sphere human_activity experience additionally occurrence event usually sudden unpredictable age natural process poorly_understood flood storm hazard widely interpret framework religious belief widely attest historical_record range_different type archaeological_artefact also associate belief particularly accrue personal protection hazardous environment time medieval_society understood disaster practical sense take_step minimise risk construct flood defence reinforce structure damage storm medieval_society therefore interpret disaster duality