Research Guides: *Classical and Medieval Studies: Medieval Studies

Getting Started in Medieval Studies

The Middle Ages, or the Medieval era, is a historical period extending from 500 to 1500 C.E. At Bates, Medieval Studies examines medieval worlds that stretch from West Africa and northern Europe to Central Asia, encompassing the diverse civilizations of Islam, Latin Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and beyond. This program is committed to being truly interdisciplinary, integrating a wide range of academic perspectives, including Art and Visual Culture, English, Latin American and Latinx Studies, among other disciplines.

Primary Sources in Medieval Studies

These resources connect to primary sources, such as illuminated manuscripts, letters, and other documents produced during the Medieval era.

Epistolae: Medieval Women's Letters
Epistolae is a collection of letters to and from women dating from the 4th to the 13th century AD. These letters from the Middle Ages, written in Latin, are presented with English translations and are organized by the women participating.
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Biographical sketches of the women and descriptions of the subject matter or the historic context of the letter is included where available.
Medieval Manuscripts on the Web
A list intended to offer quick access to various digitization projects on the web, organized geographically.

Index of Medieval Art This link opens in a new window
(Formerly Index of Christian Art) Particular emphasis and focus on art of the western world. Significant additional holdings from Coptic Egypt, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Syria, Armenia, and the Near East. Publication dates: Early apostolic times up to 1550
The Index records works of art produced without geographical limitations from early apostolic times up to A.D. 1550 (some manuscript holdings up to the middle of the sixteenth century). Particular emphasis and focus on art of the western world. This has been corrected over the last few years with the addition of significant holdings from Coptic Egypt, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Syria, Armenia, and the Near East. Seventeen different media are represented in the archive, and these include manuscripts, metalwork, sculpture, painting, glass, etc.

Catalogue of Digitized Medieval Manuscripts
This site was designed to enable users to find fully digitized manuscripts currently available on the web. (development has ceased).

Reference Sources in Medieval Studies

Women in the Middle Ages by Katharina M. Wilson (Editor); Nadia Margolis (Editor)
Written by leading scholars in a variety of fields, "Women in the Middle Ages" offers more than 300 alphabetically arranged entries that conclude with extensive bibliographies of both primary and secondary sources. Entries cover people and topics ranging from the third to the fifteenth centuries, and treat well-known figures, more recently discovered or re-evaluated figures, and much more.
Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy by Henrik Lagerlund (Editor)
ISBN: 9781402097294
The Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy covers all areas of philosophy in the Middle Ages and part of the Renaissance, ranging from 500 to 1500 CE. It contains general entries on medieval philosophers and medieval philosophies and on the key terms and concepts in the subject area, but it also provides more in-depth details and analyses of particular theories.
The Rise of the Medieval World, 500-1300 by Jana K. Schulman
Beginning in 500 with the fusion of classical, Christian, and Germanic cultures and ending in 1300 with a Europe united by a desire for growth, knowledge, and change, this volume provides basic information on the significant cultural figures of the Middle Ages. It includes over 400 people whose contributions in literature, religion, philosophy, education, or politics influenced the development and culture of the Medieval world.

Databases in Medieval Studies

International Medieval Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Medieval studies journal articles, essay collections and conference proceedings. Publication dates: 1967 to present
The International Medieval Bibliography is a comprehensive bibliography of j in this this interdisciplinary field. Areas covered include classics, English language and literature, history and archaeology, theology and philosophy, Medieval European languages and literatures, Arabic and Islamic studies, history of education, art history, music, theatre and performance arts, rhetoric and communication studies. Dates covered range from 400 to 1500 A.D., and geographic coverage includes Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The database also allows users to search the Bibliographie de Civilisation Medievale, an index of over 40,000 books and 64,000 book reviews on medieval topics since 1957.
ADS Library This link opens in a new window
Archaeology publications, with a focus on Britain and Ireland.

Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index
Covers journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages.

Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window
Topical bibliographies in the humanities and social sciences. Oxford Bibliography
Oxford Bibliographies offers peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. There are at least 50 specific topical bibliographies in each subject area. Each of these features an introduction to the topic. Bibliographies are browsable by subject area and are keyword searchable.

General Sources in Medieval Studies

The New Cambridge Medieval History
v. 1. c.500-c.700
v. 2. c.700-c.900
v. 3. c.900-c.1024
v. 4. c.1024-c.1198
v. 5. c.1198-c.1300
v. 6. c.1300-c.1415
v. 7. c.1415-c.1500