Economy of Travel

This is a cut and voided velvet with pomegranate motif indicative of the style and of silk and velvet in Italy at the time and indicative of the silk trade to Europe.

This is a silver bracelet fastened with a clasp, hinge, and pin with four griffons and four lions on each side and covered with niello decoration.

This is an incredibly elaborate metal belt buckle from Southwestern France.

This is a brass bowl from 15th century Germany with an image of St. George and the Dragon embossed on the bottom.

This is a characteristic Roman-style oil lamp of the "North African" style, Bronner type XXXI, used mainly for simple lighting purposes but with a religious function as well.

This is a brooch made of a copper-silver alloy, resembling a late-Roman raised shield boss, and made sometime between 300 and 600 A.D.

This is a zoomorphic penannular brooch most likely from England or Great Britain, with a dragon head on each end. It was used both decoratively and functionally.

This is an illustrated folio from a manuscript of De Materia Medica in Arabic, from the 13th century.

This is either an amethyst, garnet, or carnelian engraved sometime between the 5th and 8th centuries.

Throughout history, travel and trade have been paramount in the movement of artifacts and ideas. This was especially true in the Middle Ages, a time of surprisingly high cultural integration. The artifacts from this period not only carry monetary value but novel ideas, exotic goods and a cultural exchange which can only be explained by the movement of these pieces and ideas from their original context to new environments. Trade allows for ideas and materials to be exchanged across vast distances, introducing new goods and ideas and establishing a bridge between cultures across which the currency of knowledge can be spread.

This type of exchange is demonstrated in artifacts such as the orient-based piece of silk cloth and the MS Materia Medica. The silk cloth, having been woven in the East, introduced a new type of material to Europe that opened the door to greater wealth and an exchange of cultural identity. The MS Materia Medica, while written in Europe, shows an exchange of ideas through its interpretations of Arabic medical practices. These ideas would not be present in Europe were it not for the travel of individuals carrying knowledge. A growing diversity in knowledge which was being spread throughout the world in this time allowed for the development of new ideas and intellect, benefitting both cultures.

For trade to occur, however, the two parties must meet to exchange goods and ideas. Therefore, a prerequisite to trade is always travel. Clothing pieces such as brooches, bracelets and buckles are often used during travel as they were made specific to the needs of those who traveled often. Not only did they have functional purpose, they also were used to show the status of those wearing them, illustrating to those they encountered--either en route or at the courts they visited--their rank and how they should be treated. This illustrates the innovative designs and ideas which were developed as a result of the increasing interest in travel as well as the growing necessity of travel to accommodate and allow for the fruition of travel and the spread of knowledge.