The new four-volume ""Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Medieval World"" provides readers with comprehensive coverage of the medieval world, from the fall of Rome to the European Renaissance, including Western and non-Western cultures and civilizations.Following an introduction that outlines the history of the major centers of civilization, this authoritative set features 71 alphabetical entries that explore specific topics - such as architecture, economy, art, and the military - followed by subsections on Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Islamic World. These insightful entries - including 12 on ""major"" topics with more in-depth coverage - allow readers to compare and contrast events in different areas of the world with ease. Key articles are supported by primary source documents, and a list of further reading complements each entry. More than 200 black-and-white photographs, maps, and sidebars accompany the text, and a glossary, chronology, general bibliography, and comprehensive index round out this accessible set.Entries include: Agriculture; Alchemy and magic; Cities; Climate and geography; Clothing and footwear; Drama and theater; Empires and dynasties; Family; Foreigners and barbarians; Gender structures and roles; Health and disease; Inventions; Literature; Mining, quarrying, and salt making; Money and coinage; Music and musical instruments; Natural disasters; Occupations; Religion and cosmology; Resistance and dissent; Roads and bridges; Sacred sites; Scandals and corruption; Seafaring and navigation; Ships and shipbuilding; Slaves and slavery; Towns and villages; Trade and exchange; War and conquest; and, Weights and measures.