Myths about the Medieval Period

A Newt (recently recovered)

Now that we are about half way through the Medieval Period, it is worth discussing a few common misconceptions about this time period.

1. Myth #1. People were always dirty. False. For some reason, Hollywood loves to depict ancient and medieval people as always covered in a layer of soot. However, bathing is not a new invention. The Romans, for example, had public bathhouses in every major city. People like being clean, and always have.
2. Myth #2. People only lived until the age of 30. False. Infant mortality was high, as it was everywhere before modern medicine, and before the advent of antibiotics in the 20th Century, many common diseases were much more deadly than they are now. However, if you survived childhood, you would very likely live into your 70s or 80s, just like today.
3. Myth #3. There was very little progress during this time. False. Major advancements in agriculture such as the heavy plough and collar harness (plus a global warming trend from the 9th-12th centuries) led to a population boom. The watermill, windmill, and tidal mill were all invented during this time. The study of optics led to the invention of spectacles and eventually the telescope. Astronomers in the Islamic world invented the astrolabe, sextant, quadrant, and compass. The Romans developed an early form of napalm and the Chinese invented gunpowder. Advances in engineering and mathematics resulted in the Romanesque and Gothic architecture that still towers over the modern cities of Europe today.
4. Myth #4. The Church opposed science and oppressed scientists. False. Most scientists worked for the church. The earliest universities, where free inquiry was firmly protected, were all associated with cathedrals. The church did get annoyed when scientists tried to draw theological conclusions from their research, but church courts dealt only with theological heresy, never with science. It is worth noting that "Inquisition" literally means, "Let's look into it rather than jumping to conclusions," an advancement over trial-by-ordeal and guilty-until-proven-innocent justice. Finally, the Church did not burn people at the stake; such punishments were imposed by secular authorities.
5. Myth #5. People believed the Earth was flat. False. The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes had proved it was round in the fifth century BC.