Abandonment of rural settlements in the Late Medieval Period. The Cheb region and the Slavkov Forest
Abstract
The deserted medieval villages are a fascinating historical source, sometimes considered as key evidence of the crisis of European society in the Late Medieval Period. The monograph brings together the main research approaches of the disciplines involved, the relevant economic theories, as well as existing interpretations of abandonment.
It proposes to view the deserted villages as an indicator of the adaptability and resilience of pre-industrial peasant communities and with this prism approaches to the analysis of selected regions and localities on the border between Bohemia and Germany. The study has a unique and experimental character, as it combines an in-depth analysis of written, cartographic and onomastic sources, the results of traditional surface surveys and the analysis of relics identified on the basis of modern remote sensing methods.