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Medieval Fairs and Markets
In Chapter 4, you learned that most medieval towns had a market
where food and local goods were bought and sold. Once or twice a year, a town
might hold a great fair. These fairs could attract merchants from many
countries. The goods for sale at large fairs came from all over Europe and the
east. They included everyday items like food, clothing, and household goods.
They also included luxury goods such as woolen cloth, glass, and silk.
Below is a description of the Great Fair at Thessalonica, in Greece, as it was
in the middle of the 12th century. Where did the people and goods come from?
How many of these places can you find on a world map?
It is at the same time the most important fair held in Macedonia. Not only do
the natives of the country flock together to it in great numbers, but
multitudes also come from all lands and of every race.
I was anxious to get a bird’s eye view of the whole scene, that I might pass
over nothing unnoticed. With this object I made my way up to a height close by
the scene of the fair, where I sat down and surveyed everything at my leisure.
What I saw there was a number of merchants’ booths, set up in parallel rows
opposite one another; and these rows extended to a great length, and were
sufficiently wide apart to leave a broad space in the middle, so as to give
free passage for the stream of the people.
And if you are anxious to know what [the fair] contained… well, there was every
kind of material woven or spun by men or women, all those that come from
Boeotia [central Greece] and the Peloponnese, and all that are brought in
trading ships from Italy to Greece. Besides this, Phoencia furnishes numerous
articles, and Egypt, and Spain, and the pillars of Hercules [strait of
Gibraltar], where the finest coverlets are manufactured. These things the
merchants bring direct from their respective countries to old Macedonia and
Thessalonica.
I was struck with wonder at the number and variety of the animals, and the
extraordinary confusion of their noises which assailed my ears--horses
neighing, oxen lowing, sheep bleating, pigs grunting, and dogs barking, for
these also accompany their masters as a defence against wolves and thieves.
Source
Fordham.edu, “Medieval Sourcebook: The Great Fair at Thessalonica, Mid
12th century,”
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/thess-fair.html.
Investigating Primary Sources
Create an advertisement announcing a medieval fair. Your advertisement should
include the following:
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a catchy headline announcing the fair |
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information about where and when the fair is to be held |
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colorful visuals of at least three types of items available for
sale at the fair, with brief captions explaining what they are |
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a list of countries that will be providing goods |
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other clever and creative touches you think of |
History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond, Investigating Primary Sources
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