From Charters to Codex

About this book

During recent decades, a profound renovation in the way of reading and interpreting the sources of the Middle Ages led researchers to reconsider the historical value of medieval cartularies and to explore the different ways and purposes according to which medieval institutions built their own archival memory. In this collective volume we aim at approaching the topic through specific case studies, analysing models and practices in the organization of the corpora, the selection, organization and use / re-use of documents. The book focuses above all on cartularies in the strict sense of the term, mostly produced within the ecclesiastical sphere. Moreover, some of the contributions presented here regard (or also regard) documentary collections in volume form that cannot be identified with the 'libri iurium et privilegiorum' as traditionally understood but were, like them, born out of the need to organise the parchment charters forming the archives of their creators and make them concretely usable for various purposes. It is therefore our hope that, despite the diversity of the cases examined and approaches employed, this volume will be of use not only to those currently engaged in the study of cartularies but also to those undertaking broader investigation of the management of archival memory in the medieval period."-- Back cover.