Print Making & Literacy
Before the printing press was invented, how were most books in the Middle Ages made?
They were written out entirely by hand.
Medieval farmers realized that planting the same crop in the same field every year ruined the soil. What was the name of the system where they rotated crops across three different fields each year to keep the soil healthy?
The three-field system. One field grew a spring crop, one grew an autumn crop, and one was left empty (fallow) to rest.
What was the most popular medieval sporting event where two knights on horseback raced toward each other at high speeds to try and knock each other off with long wooden poles?
Jousting
What does BCE stand for?
Before Common Era
What are 2 symptoms of The Black Death?
Headache
Fever
Buboes
Vomiting
Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized the world in the 1440s by inventing a machine that could mass-produce books. What was this machine called?
The printing press.
Before a new type of padded collar was invented, medieval farmers used oxen to pull plows because traditional ropes would choke horses.
True or False
True
Knights were expected to follow a strict code of conduct that required them to be brave, loyal, fair, and protective of the weak. What was this code called?
Chivalry
What does CE stand for?
Common Era
What was 1 treatment used to cure the Black Death?
Leeches
Bloodletting
Herbs and Flowers
Balancing body humors
Because paper was rare and expensive in Europe for much of the Middle Ages, what material made from dried animal skins was often used to write books and documents?
Parchment (or vellum, which was high-quality parchment made from calfskin).
What is the term for a poor farmer in the Middle Ages who was legally bound to the land they worked and could not leave the manor without the lord's permission?
A serf or peasant
Because suits of armor covered a knight's face completely, knights used colorful designs, symbols, and animals painted on their shields so their friends could identify them on the battlefield. What was this design system called?
Coat of Arms
To protect themselves from attacks, medieval towns and castles were often surrounded by a deep, wide ditch filled with water. What was this ditch called?
A moat
How did The Black Death arrive in Europe?
By ships
Throughout most of the Middle Ages, what language were almost all official European books, laws, and church services written in?
Latin.
What were the most common crops grown during the Middle Ages?
What was a common and formidable siege weapon used during the Middle Ages?
Catapult
What did Medieval Europeans use to measure time?
Hourglass
What animal carried The Black Death?
Rats
How did stained glass windows in churches promote literacy during the Medieval period?
Since most of the population was illiterate, large pictorial windows acted as "bibles for the poor," depicting stories and moral lessons from scripture.
What large structures were built near rivers or on hills during the Middle Ages to grind grain into flour using the power of nature?
Watermills and windmills
What other weapon was the catapult similar to?
Crossbow
The Middle Ages is the historical period that sits right in the middle of two other major eras. What are the eras that came right before and right after the Middle Ages?
Fall of Rome & Renaissance
How did humans become infected by The Black Death?
Rats would infect fleas, and fleas would infect humans by biting them.