Tally sticks as media of knowledge in the contexts of medieval economic and administrative histor
- Tanja Skambraks
- © 2023 Author(s) |
- CC BY 4.0
- DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0092-9.09
Tally sticks worked as ubiquitous stores of numerical knowledge and tools of accounting and administration in medieval Europe. Previous research emphasized both the potential and value of the wooden notched sticks not only for the social and economic history of the Middle Ages, but also for the history of writing, intellectual history. This article combines the analysis of archival objects and written sources from England and Germany analysing their various contexts of use. These involve the centralised, highly professional and ritualised tax accounting at the English Exchequer, husbandry and agriculture, consumer taxation as well as public credit and circulating money-substitutes. Furthermore tallies were often used as evidence in court and functioned alongside written administration.
- Keywords:
- tally sticks,
- book-keeping,
- material culture,
- numerical knowledge,
Universität Mannheim, Germany
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Chapter Information
Chapter Title
Tally sticks as media of knowledge in the contexts of medieval economic and administrative histor
Authors
Tanja Skambraks
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0092-9.09
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2023
Copyright Information
© 2023 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Bibliographic Information
Book Title
L’economia della conoscenza: innovazione, produttività e crescita economica nei secoli XIII-XVIII / The knowledge economy: innovation, productivity and economic growth, 13th to 18th century
Editors
Giampiero Nigro
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
456
Publication Year
2023
Copyright Information
© 2023 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0092-9
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0091-2
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0092-9
Series Title
Datini Studies in Economic History
Series ISSN
2975-1241
Series E-ISSN
2975-1195