Minuscule Texts and the Transmission of Practical Knowledge in the Early Middle Ages

This volume offers a representative selection of Latin minuscule texts that were added before ca. 1000 to manuscripts produced up to the ninth century. “Minuscule texts" are typically very short texts that were added to existing manuscripts' margins, flyleaves, and other blank spaces but lack a direct thematic or formal connection with the main content. Over 200 such texts are here presented in the form of editions and English translations and analysed through detailed commentaries. Our selection highlights the different ways in which minuscule texts were generated in response to immediate practical needs and sheds light on the various socio-economic, religious, and cultural practices in which the (typically) anonymous authors were involved. The themes of this volume will appeal to a broad range of audiences interested in early medieval Europe, including students of medieval Latin, textual transmission, manuscript studies, and the period’s social, economic, religious, cultural, and intellectual history.

Introduction

1. Minuscule texts
2. Structure and core themes of this volume
3. Editorial conventions

1. Liturgy
2. Personal Prayers, Blessings, Charms, and Incantations
3. Cultures of Healing

1. Social Practices
2. Economic Practices
3. Legal and Judicial Practices

1. Lists and Inventories
2. Practical Manuals
3. Prognostics

1. Encyclopaedic and Didactic Texts
2. Religious Knowledge
3. Varia

Indices

1. Index manuscriptorum
2. Index vocum rariorum
3. Index nominum et locorum