Paolo Squatriti Book order

Weeds serve as central figures in the narrative of early medieval Europe, influencing agricultural practices and theological beliefs during the Carolingian empire. These unwanted plants not only posed challenges to farming efficiency but also sparked debates among writers and theologians regarding divine creation. The book explores how early medieval Europeans reconciled their agricultural needs with their spiritual beliefs, using a variety of texts and archaeological evidence to illustrate their complex relationship with the environment and the significance of weeds in shaping their world.

Focusing on the chestnut tree, this environmental history reveals its significance in medieval Italy, exploring how it shaped the landscape, culture, and economy of the time. The narrative delves into the tree's ecological role and its impact on local communities, highlighting the intertwined relationship between nature and human history. Through this lens, readers gain insights into broader themes of sustainability and environmental change in a historical context.

Exploring the intricate relationship between people and water, this book delves into medieval Italy's social, economic, and cultural dynamics. It examines how water shaped communities, influenced trade, and impacted daily life. Through historical analysis, the text reveals the significance of waterways in urban planning and the challenges of managing this vital resource. By highlighting various perspectives, it offers a comprehensive understanding of how water was integral to medieval Italian society.

A collaborative study of the uses of water and the technologies employed to use it in medieval Europe. Experts on different areas of water use and of the European continent contribute separate studies to it so as to produce the first comprehensive survey of the techniques people used to harness, and defend themselves from, water in western Christendom between 500 and 1500. Each chapter sets the technologies of fishing, land drainage, irrigation, flood control, urban, domestic, and ecclesiastical water supply within a social and cultural context. Of interest to historians of technology and science, social historians, and all medievalists.