Reading early medieval miscellanies

Abstract

This chapter examines the principal issues faced by historians when working with early medieval miscellanies. These manuscripts are usually viewed as heterogeneous collections; even when a reason is evident for their compilation, they are generally considered trivial. The chapter argues that they are, on the contrary, coherent, purposefully created, and reveal important new contexts for inherited knowledge. The typology of early medieval miscellanies is explored by comparing the materiality, contents and layout of two case-study manuscripts. This typology functions as an aid to interpreting such miscellanies, while highlighting their importance as evidence of collaborative scribal choice and the organisation of intellectual activity in monastic communities.