Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Back Bay Books (2000), Edition: unknown, 240 pages
Description
THE YEAR 1000 is a vivid evocation of how English people lived a thousand years ago - no spinach, sugar or Caesarean operations in which the mother had any chance of survival, but a world that knew brain surgeons, property developers and, yes, even the occasional group columnist. In the spirit of modern investigative journalism, Lacey and Danziger interviewed the leading historians and archaeologists in their field. In the year 1000 the changing seasons shaped a life that was, by our standards, both soothingly quiet and frighteningly hazardous - and if you survived, you could expect to grow to just about the same height and stature as anyone living today. This exuberant and informative book concludes as the shadow of the millennium descends across England and Christendom, with prophets of doom invoking the spectre of the Anti-Christ. Here comes the abacus - the medieval calculating machine - along with bewildering new concepts like infinity and zero. These are portents of the future, and THE YEAR 1000 finishes by examining the human and social ingredients that were to make for survival and success in the next thousand years.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member hirotani
A book about Anglo-Saxon England around the 1,000 AD. Um. Yes, I agree with you - I was surprised when found myself buying it as well. It does not seem to be something that one would pickup in an airport to read on a 10 hour flight. Also I generally read earlier or later history. Ancient or 16th
Not sure - but I am sure that I really enjoyed reading this book. Its easy reading, informative in a quirky and attention grabbing way - and ever so interesting. The book is more a themed discussion covering a particular period of time, with comparisions to other periods - than a "history book". An odd description I know - but if you read the book and forgive my poor description - you will know what I mean. There is a lot of history in this book - its just not laid out and tackled like a history book. This is not a text book - its a reading book that happens to be about the history a particular time. Well written and interesting - I very much enjoyed it and recommend it.
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centuary onwards. I don't read much in between. But may be that's the reason it attracted me?Not sure - but I am sure that I really enjoyed reading this book. Its easy reading, informative in a quirky and attention grabbing way - and ever so interesting. The book is more a themed discussion covering a particular period of time, with comparisions to other periods - than a "history book". An odd description I know - but if you read the book and forgive my poor description - you will know what I mean. There is a lot of history in this book - its just not laid out and tackled like a history book. This is not a text book - its a reading book that happens to be about the history a particular time. Well written and interesting - I very much enjoyed it and recommend it.
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LibraryThing member ecw0647
Much of what we know about the first millennium comes from a book written around 1020 called The Julius Work Calendar. It is the earliest surviving example of the English daily routine, "the schedule of the earth, and the life of the spirit." The ink used to put the characters on paper is
Buttons had yet to be invented, so clasps or thongs were used to hold simple sacklike tunics together. Children of age twelve were considered old enough to swear allegiance to the king, and marriage between early teenage girls to older men was the norm. The wheeled plough was crucial to their existence, for it enabled two men and an ox to open up acres. England supported about a million people at this time. It would not have been possible without this invention, which was available as early as the first century, according to Pliny. Slavery was a fact of life and prevalent. In 1066, the Normans introduced the feudal system, but, prior to their invasion, slavery, was introduced by Germanic tribes who made war on their Slavic neighbors — slave derives from the fact that most slaves were "Slavs." Anglo- Saxons raided Wales for slaves, also. Dublin operated the largest slave market in western Europe. It was not uncommon for slavery to be an alternative to prison and it became the penalty for numerous offenses ranging from adultery to theft. Almost everyone was in bondage of one form or another, and often families were forced to place themselves in bondage during times of famine in order to eat. Famine was frequent, especially during July when supplies from the previous year were running low and the new harvest was not yet ripe. Infanticide was not a crime; the law recognized the horrible pressure placed on families by another mouth to feed. Children under the age of seven could legally be sold into slavery to relieve the pressure. The authors have an interesting and plausible explanation for rural frenzies that erupted during the early summer months (see Breughel's famous tableaux of crazed festivals). Lightheadedness was inevitable from lack of food, and the poor had to subsist on whatever they could find during the lean month of July. Rye that has gone moldy is a source of lysergic acid: LSD. " Poppies, hemp, and darnel were scavenged, dried and ground up to produce a medieval hash brownie known as 'crazy bread.'“ According to one modern historian, entire communities became virtually somnolent from the stuff. Taxes were collected in an interesting fashion. Mints were scattered throughout the kingdom, licensed by the crown and strictly watched to make sure that the percentage of silver to alloy was not adulterated. Coin was soft metal (to get a half-penny, one simply cut a penny in half) and to prevent it from becoming debased, it was good for only a relatively short period, two to three years. It then had to be turned in for new coins, exchanged at ten coins for eight or nine, depending on the level of taxation, the difference being kept for the king.
Clinton's peccadilloes were not unknown in the eleventh century. When King Eadwig failed to show up on time for his coronation in 955 C. E., a search party went looking for him. He was discovered in bed with a pretty young lass and her mother. Top that one, Bill. This bucolic picture becomes tainted with the evidence that while today’s air is polluted with gasoline fumes, the first millennium was pervaded with the odor of excrement. The toilet was behind the house and animals went just about everywhere. Parasites were a terrible problem, especially the maw-worm, which might reach 30 centimeters in length and had the disconcerting practice of migrating throughout the body and emerging unexpectedly from any orifice, sometimes from the corner of the eye. Despite their ignorance of elementary hygiene — if food fell to the floor, one made the sign of the cross and ate it anyway — they had extensive anatomical knowledge. A ninth century book still extant displays profound knowledge of the body’s interior mechanisms, and another describes the various fetal development stages in detail, even indicating that the soul was not present until after the third month, which suggests a tolerance of abortion.
Skulls dug up in ancient cemeteries of the time reveal evidence of trepanning, a technique still used today to relieve pressure in the brain following head trauma (except that we prefer Black & Decker to a bow drill). They were able to grow grapes for wine in England during this period because the climate was much warmer than today — even warmer than with “global warming.” The period 950 to 1300 A.D. is known as the “Little Optimum.” Archaeologists estimate the climate of the world was at least 4 degrees warmer than today, and the retreating arctic ice may have helped make possible Leif Erikson’s discovery of the New World and the vines he found growing there.
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interesting in itself. It was tapped from oak trees boils, created by wasps that had gnawed at the bark to lay eggs. In self defense, the tree formed a gall that was filled with a clear acid. The ink was called encaustum from the Latin caustere, meaning "to bite," because the ink literally "bit into the parchment." The parchment was made from the skin of a lamb or kid; the ink was finished with iron salts to provide black or brown color and thickened with gum arabic. Treated appropriately, the document lasts for centuries. Life was short, but the skeletons unearthed reveal people of stature similar to our own. It was only later that malnourishment and overcrowding created the shorter people of the middle ages and Victorian era. Life was simple and work hard. Buttons had yet to be invented, so clasps or thongs were used to hold simple sacklike tunics together. Children of age twelve were considered old enough to swear allegiance to the king, and marriage between early teenage girls to older men was the norm. The wheeled plough was crucial to their existence, for it enabled two men and an ox to open up acres. England supported about a million people at this time. It would not have been possible without this invention, which was available as early as the first century, according to Pliny. Slavery was a fact of life and prevalent. In 1066, the Normans introduced the feudal system, but, prior to their invasion, slavery, was introduced by Germanic tribes who made war on their Slavic neighbors — slave derives from the fact that most slaves were "Slavs." Anglo- Saxons raided Wales for slaves, also. Dublin operated the largest slave market in western Europe. It was not uncommon for slavery to be an alternative to prison and it became the penalty for numerous offenses ranging from adultery to theft. Almost everyone was in bondage of one form or another, and often families were forced to place themselves in bondage during times of famine in order to eat. Famine was frequent, especially during July when supplies from the previous year were running low and the new harvest was not yet ripe. Infanticide was not a crime; the law recognized the horrible pressure placed on families by another mouth to feed. Children under the age of seven could legally be sold into slavery to relieve the pressure. The authors have an interesting and plausible explanation for rural frenzies that erupted during the early summer months (see Breughel's famous tableaux of crazed festivals). Lightheadedness was inevitable from lack of food, and the poor had to subsist on whatever they could find during the lean month of July. Rye that has gone moldy is a source of lysergic acid: LSD. " Poppies, hemp, and darnel were scavenged, dried and ground up to produce a medieval hash brownie known as 'crazy bread.'“ According to one modern historian, entire communities became virtually somnolent from the stuff. Taxes were collected in an interesting fashion. Mints were scattered throughout the kingdom, licensed by the crown and strictly watched to make sure that the percentage of silver to alloy was not adulterated. Coin was soft metal (to get a half-penny, one simply cut a penny in half) and to prevent it from becoming debased, it was good for only a relatively short period, two to three years. It then had to be turned in for new coins, exchanged at ten coins for eight or nine, depending on the level of taxation, the difference being kept for the king.
Clinton's peccadilloes were not unknown in the eleventh century. When King Eadwig failed to show up on time for his coronation in 955 C. E., a search party went looking for him. He was discovered in bed with a pretty young lass and her mother. Top that one, Bill. This bucolic picture becomes tainted with the evidence that while today’s air is polluted with gasoline fumes, the first millennium was pervaded with the odor of excrement. The toilet was behind the house and animals went just about everywhere. Parasites were a terrible problem, especially the maw-worm, which might reach 30 centimeters in length and had the disconcerting practice of migrating throughout the body and emerging unexpectedly from any orifice, sometimes from the corner of the eye. Despite their ignorance of elementary hygiene — if food fell to the floor, one made the sign of the cross and ate it anyway — they had extensive anatomical knowledge. A ninth century book still extant displays profound knowledge of the body’s interior mechanisms, and another describes the various fetal development stages in detail, even indicating that the soul was not present until after the third month, which suggests a tolerance of abortion.
Skulls dug up in ancient cemeteries of the time reveal evidence of trepanning, a technique still used today to relieve pressure in the brain following head trauma (except that we prefer Black & Decker to a bow drill). They were able to grow grapes for wine in England during this period because the climate was much warmer than today — even warmer than with “global warming.” The period 950 to 1300 A.D. is known as the “Little Optimum.” Archaeologists estimate the climate of the world was at least 4 degrees warmer than today, and the retreating arctic ice may have helped make possible Leif Erikson’s discovery of the New World and the vines he found growing there.
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LibraryThing member liz.mabry
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great introduction to the life of the English people. The chapters were the months of the year, illustrated with drawings from the Julius Work Calendar. My interest in pre-1066 England was piqued by reading "Wulf the Saxon" by G.A. Henty, so this book was
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perfect for a first step into English history. Show Less
LibraryThing member ursula
I finished a little nonfiction book I had laying around, The Year 1000.
It's about ... well, you already figured that out, I'm sure. Anyhow, it uses an illustrated calendar from the era to talk about what daily life was like. This is the sort of thing that I tend to wonder about when I'm reading
This was a very quick and easy read, and doesn't suffer too much from having been written in 1998 (a couple of references to the upcoming Y2K fears were the worst of it). It would be a perfect choice for someone who's moderately interested in times past, but not really into history.
It's about ... well, you already figured that out, I'm sure. Anyhow, it uses an illustrated calendar from the era to talk about what daily life was like. This is the sort of thing that I tend to wonder about when I'm reading
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about history - it's all fine and good to know what life was like for the noblemen, but what about the ordinary people? And not just the obvious answer of "short, dirty, and difficult," but the actual logistics of how things were done.This was a very quick and easy read, and doesn't suffer too much from having been written in 1998 (a couple of references to the upcoming Y2K fears were the worst of it). It would be a perfect choice for someone who's moderately interested in times past, but not really into history.
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LibraryThing member Shuffy2
What was life like at the turn of the first millennium? ‘The Year 1000’ will tell you… A great overview!
The book's chapters and topics are set up to correspond to the months of the year, detailing what life was life was like during that time and in particular that month. For example, March
Overall I enjoyed the book, it was not too heavy but such is its design. It was written to ‘ask the questions about everyday life and habits that conventional history books often ignore…’ It paints a picture in one’s mind by merely giving the reader a feel for the time not a starched compilation of tedious facts. As a history buff, I found it a light yet interesting read. If you are looking for a more thorough historical chronicling of the time, this is not the book for you.
The book's chapters and topics are set up to correspond to the months of the year, detailing what life was life was like during that time and in particular that month. For example, March
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was the beginning of spring and the equinox, what did they inherit from the Romans, Vikings, and Anglo-Saxons besides the names of the towns and their calendar. July was hay month and goes into harvesting the crops, the weather, and how the monks not only prayed but carried out certain agricultural tasks themselves. December talks about the breaking with the past and beginning anew.Overall I enjoyed the book, it was not too heavy but such is its design. It was written to ‘ask the questions about everyday life and habits that conventional history books often ignore…’ It paints a picture in one’s mind by merely giving the reader a feel for the time not a starched compilation of tedious facts. As a history buff, I found it a light yet interesting read. If you are looking for a more thorough historical chronicling of the time, this is not the book for you.
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LibraryThing member isabelx
Christ, there is a swarm of bees outside,
Fly hither, my little cattle,
In blest peace, in God's protection,
Come home safe and sound!
This book is about every-day life in Anglo-Saxon England around the year 1000 A.D. The annual round of agricultural tasks, as shown in the pages of a mediaeval
One of the things I found most interesting was about bees and the charms (both Christian and pagan) used to persuade a swarm of bees to build their nest on your land. Honey was the only form of sweetener in use at that time and it was a lucky day when a swarm of bees took up residence on your land, since there was good money to be made from honey, beeswax and a resin used as a building material by the bees. Maybe the charms are the precursor of the tradition that beekeepers should always tell their bees when anything important happens, such as a death in the family. Make the bees feel welcome and part of the family and they will hang around!
Fly hither, my little cattle,
In blest peace, in God's protection,
Come home safe and sound!
This book is about every-day life in Anglo-Saxon England around the year 1000 A.D. The annual round of agricultural tasks, as shown in the pages of a mediaeval
Show More
manuscript known as the Julius Work Calendar, gives the book its structure.One of the things I found most interesting was about bees and the charms (both Christian and pagan) used to persuade a swarm of bees to build their nest on your land. Honey was the only form of sweetener in use at that time and it was a lucky day when a swarm of bees took up residence on your land, since there was good money to be made from honey, beeswax and a resin used as a building material by the bees. Maybe the charms are the precursor of the tradition that beekeepers should always tell their bees when anything important happens, such as a death in the family. Make the bees feel welcome and part of the family and they will hang around!
Show Less
LibraryThing member pjsullivan
If I were born in England in the year 1000 I would be a farmer because that was the default occupation in those days. With famines ever lurking, food was the issue for most people. And if I had no land to farm I would have to submit myself to a landowner, voluntarily, to be a slave. Because the
I would not be able to read or write, but could communicate orally in English, such as it was then. I could not afford to own even one book. I would have only one name, no surname. I would live by saints’ days and the church calendar, like the neighbors. I would know nothing of the world beyond a few miles of my home, but would live in fear of invasion by armies of thugs. And I would have to behave myself, lest I be mistaken for the anti-Christ who was expected to arrive with the millennium. Typically, there was a gallows on the edge of town. Such was England, or Engla-lond, in the year 1000.
This book is a fascinating glimpse into the past, derived from contemporary documents such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, the Julius Work Calendar, monastic rules, wills and legal documents, even bawdy jokes and poems. Plus archaeological findings. It makes me appreciate the comforts I have now, but it was not all bad then. Their world was quiet, unpolluted, and not overpopulated.
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only alternative was starvation. Mine would be a short life of hard labor and exposure, for others. I would try to keep warm in winter by burning wood or dung, if I could get them. And I might have fleas or worms.I would not be able to read or write, but could communicate orally in English, such as it was then. I could not afford to own even one book. I would have only one name, no surname. I would live by saints’ days and the church calendar, like the neighbors. I would know nothing of the world beyond a few miles of my home, but would live in fear of invasion by armies of thugs. And I would have to behave myself, lest I be mistaken for the anti-Christ who was expected to arrive with the millennium. Typically, there was a gallows on the edge of town. Such was England, or Engla-lond, in the year 1000.
This book is a fascinating glimpse into the past, derived from contemporary documents such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, the Julius Work Calendar, monastic rules, wills and legal documents, even bawdy jokes and poems. Plus archaeological findings. It makes me appreciate the comforts I have now, but it was not all bad then. Their world was quiet, unpolluted, and not overpopulated.
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LibraryThing member meggyweg
This was an excellent, pithy and very accessible history about what common people's lives were like in England in 1000 A.D. I learned many interesting facts. I would recommend this to any history buff, especially Anglophiles.
LibraryThing member hroethgar
Fantastic work: a detailed, ground-level view of the world in the early medieval era.
LibraryThing member Edith1
This book came out around the year 2000, describing what life was like, in England, at the turn of the millennium a millennium earlier. It was an easy read, and I did learn a few interesting tidbits. (The people who lived in 1000 generally had very healthy teeth, without cavities, as they didn't
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have sugar. One reason corporal punishment was so common was that with the available materials and technology, it was not possible to build prisons suitable for long-term stays, i.e., with stone walls and secure iron bars.) But most of it would not be new for anyone who paid some attention in high school. Show Less
LibraryThing member jztemple
A short, Anglo-centric look at life in the year 1000 or thereabouts. Broadly organized by months but the chapters really revolve about different aspects of life like religion, food, employment and the like. An interesting and easy read for those who would like to learn more.
LibraryThing member bibliothecarivs
In this interesting little volume, Lacey and Danziger take us into a medieval world which is at times both very alike and very different from our own. Using a contemporary calendar to guide the reader through the months of the year, and with doses of humor and trivia along the way, we are
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introduced to the daily life of royalty, churchmen and, more often, the ordinary man and woman. We learn how they worked, how they played, how they talked, and even how they ate. The Year 1000 is an accessible overview of the period and a surprisingly entertaining read. Show Less
LibraryThing member McWolf
I'm one who prefers fiction (sci-fi or fantasy) but this book sparked my interest when I read the back cover. And it didn't disappoint me either I was quite fascinated by all the information gleaned from England 1000 years ago. I was interested in how much of the same human issues they dealt with
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back then that we are still dealing with now... especially the commotion over the 'end of the world' when the calendar turned over to 1000. Definitely worth the read. Show Less
LibraryThing member sarams
Easy reading. I love to read about everyday life a long time ago, after all, it wasn't just kings and queens then either.
LibraryThing member lsg
I fouind this quite a fascinating little book. While I agree with other reviewers that it would have been even better with a good "further reading" resource, that was not really the intent. The authors are not actually historians, just intellectually curious individuals who talked to many
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historians. It was not an in-depth study, but did have lots of fascinating facts. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mendoza
This is simply an amazing history lesson in English medievel life. This book brings to life the little details about surviving and what it took to survive at the turn of the first millenium.
LibraryThing member jcbrunner
"What life was like at the turn of the first millennium" in England. Following the year in the Julius Work Calendar, the authors give a popular account about matters small and large. While some things never change, the prospect of hunger and starvation as well as the general level of violence are
A good appetizer that would have profited from a commented further reading guide.
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perhaps the starkest difference to living today.A good appetizer that would have profited from a commented further reading guide.
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LibraryThing member Black821Library
I read this back around 2000 and recently read again. I do genealogy research and this helped me imagine my ancestors' lives.
LibraryThing member lyzadanger
Totally approachable, easy, quick read about quotidian life in medieval England. Not an academic text, but a light and entertaining read.
LibraryThing member skane86
This book brings to life just what it would be like to live in the year 1000. From daily life to religion, this work truly encapsulates the everyday life of the average human being in this time period. One of the most interesting tidbits for me was the mention of "Crazy Bread" a hallucinogenic
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bread that villagers would eat to stave off hunger before that year's harvest would come in. The visual image of an entire village hallucinating was very interesting (and humorous) to me. Another element that I found interesting were the distinct parallels between contemporary society and that of the year 1000. People still wanted to care for their families, take care of each other, and were naturally inquisitive about the world around them. Technology wasn't nearly as advanced by any stretch of the imagination, but many of the aspects of the human condition were the same. Show Less
LibraryThing member classyhomemaker
I read through this for the second time over the weekend and found it to be a bit more “meh” than the first time I read it. A lot of the info was things I already knew and what I didn’t know wasn’t that interesting.
LibraryThing member ljhliesl
It is sadly rare for me to browse the library shelf these days. I find out about books from friends or online and then request them from the library. Only occasionally will I graze through the stacks, and I say ���graze��� because I can���t help thinking that the authors who
The other day, grazing, I spotted The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium [for Britons]. It reminded me a bit of Eileen Power���s Medieval People and was a factor* in my rereading Pillars of the Earth soon after.
Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger arranged their book according to the Julian Work Calendar and the sketches that depict the work of the month. They discuss the sign language monks used to communicate under vows of silence, though according to Anne Sullivan in ���The Miracle Worker��� it took Spanish clergy to devise a manual alphabet (and also how to teach deaf people to speak, since you needed to articulate in order to partake in rites without which you could not inherit, a problem for inbred aristocracy). They explain how people managed before sugar was available (big surprise: honey!)
* The main factor was the severe reaction to two facial stings, right eyelid and left eyebrow, my little honeyfuckers administered to me on Thursday morning. I am getting a better veil, one incorporated into a hooded jacket, rather than this one that too easily gapes at the nape, before I next open the hives.
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happen, through accident of alphabet and shelf-space, to be at eye-level are at an advantage that food companies pay for at the supermarket.The other day, grazing, I spotted The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium [for Britons]. It reminded me a bit of Eileen Power���s Medieval People and was a factor* in my rereading Pillars of the Earth soon after.
Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger arranged their book according to the Julian Work Calendar and the sketches that depict the work of the month. They discuss the sign language monks used to communicate under vows of silence, though according to Anne Sullivan in ���The Miracle Worker��� it took Spanish clergy to devise a manual alphabet (and also how to teach deaf people to speak, since you needed to articulate in order to partake in rites without which you could not inherit, a problem for inbred aristocracy). They explain how people managed before sugar was available (big surprise: honey!)
* The main factor was the severe reaction to two facial stings, right eyelid and left eyebrow, my little honeyfuckers administered to me on Thursday morning. I am getting a better veil, one incorporated into a hooded jacket, rather than this one that too easily gapes at the nape, before I next open the hives.
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LibraryThing member JoClare
Excellent book, well researched and engages your interest and dosen't let go. Lots of humor and interesting trivia helps you to identify with the medieval mind.
LibraryThing member midkid88
I didn't quite know what this book was going to be about when I picked it up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an easy read that brought me back in time to how it might have been around the year 1000.
LibraryThing member JesseTheK
Intriguing topic, focus on why white male hard work has made England such a wonderful country, and English a global language
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1999
Physical description
240 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
9780316511575
Local notes
FB