Medieval Commodities
Contents
What is a commodity?
- Commodity
- Something that is traded between two people, or a good bought and sold in an economy.
Textiles
One of the main textiles produced during the medieval times was wool. It was usually used in the form of woven cloth, but it was sometimes used in the form of felt. Wool came from local sheep, some sheep giving fine silky fleece, others very coarse. If a very fine yarn was wanted, then the fleece was ‘carded’ or combed with a large iron comb-like tool. Another textile that was produced in the medieval times was linen. Linen was produced from flax, a blue flowered plant with slender stems that produced fibers when soaked in water an beaten. After yarn was obtained from the wool, or fibers from the flax, cloth was produced. First, yarn would be made from the raw materials. This was done by placing the material on a drop spindle. A drop spindle was made of wood or bone and weighted on the bottom with stone or metal. The yarn was produced when the fiber was pulled out from the spindle while it was being twisted. After yarn the yarn had been produced, it would be dyed using natural dyes. The dyes could have been bought from the local market or collected from the country side. Woad leaves or indigo were used to give a blue, the whole of the weld plant for yellow, madder roots for oranges, reds and brick color, the sap-wood from a brazil tree for reds, alkanet roots for lilac, etc.. Many other roots, berries, barks and lichens were used for dying too. After the yarn had been finalized, it would be woven into cloth on a loom. After the cloth was produced on the loom, it would be ironed. This was done by pressing the cloth with a whale bone plaque, large glass, or stone smoother which had been heated by a fire. After the cloth had been ironed, it could have been decorated by braided cords, tapestry of embroidery.
Glass
Glass was used in several different ways by the
people of the medieval period. It was used to produce products like drinking
vessels, window glass, jewelry, gaming pieces, enameling and beads. Glass
was produced in one of two ways. It could have been produced from melting
down existing glass and reusing it, or it could have been made from raw
materials of quartz, soda, and potash.
The quarts generally came from clean, stone-free sand, usually river bed
sand. The soda was imported from the eastern Mediterranean in a form called
natron. Potash was obtained from evaporating alkali solutions (which were
made by passing water through burnt wood or root vegetables) in iron pots.
The sand would be mixed with the natron or the potash and heated in an
oven for several days. The heated mixture was constantly stirred and raked
to let gasses escape. The mixture was then placed into a metal container
and melted in a furnace. When the mixture was melted down it produced molten
glass. When the molten glass was first formed, it would be a clear color
or it would have a slight green tint. Minerals were added to the glass
to give it color. Copper was added for red, blue, or green, iron for black,
and tin for yellow. Some of the popular colors were pale blue, dark blue,
blue-green, emerald green, olive green, amber, yellow-brown, red, and black.
After the liquid glass was produced, it could be used in several ways to
make different products. Glass bowls, cups, and containers were produced
using the blowing method. The blowing method is where some molten glass
was placed on the end of a hollow rod. The glass is given shape when air
is blown into the rod. Complicated shapes could be produced using various
tools and molds. Glass rings were produced by shaping the molten glass
around an iron rod or cone. Glass was also molded into the shape of precious
stones to place onto rings and other jewelry. Glass game pieces for board
games were also very popular. These were also produced by molds. One of
the most popular uses for glass was to make beads. Beads were made by forming
droplets with the molten glass or by rolling the bead on a block while
the glass was still soft. Lead oxide was usually added to the molten glass
to give the beads an extra sparkle. Colored glass was also used to make
stain glass windows. This was accomplished by pouring molten glass into
molds of the desired shapes. The different shapes were then held together
by lead frame.
Wood
Wood was the most well known commodity in the
medieval Times. Almost all of the household items used during that time
period were made from wood. All medieval artisans had to know how to work
with wood in some way. Wood was an essential part of the Middle Ages. Most
woodwork done during the medieval period was done green. This means that
the timber was not seasoned before the craftsman began to work on it. This
method was used because the unseasoned wood could be split easily so a
saw was not required to cut it. Another advantage of working with unseasoned
wood is that it is less likely to crack while it dries.
Most of the detailed shaping was done with axes and adzes. Canoes were
produced using the dug-out method. This is where the inside of a log is
burned/scraped out. Barrels, buckets, and tubs were made from planks of
wood bound together with iron hoops. Some of the more sophisticated artisans
were able to make a lathe to shape cups and bowls with. One of the more
creative ways to work with wood was basket weaving. This is where thin
strips of wood, or fine branches from hazel or willow trees were woven
together. The medieval wood artisan would have used planes, axes, adzes,
draw knives, wedges, knives, chisels, hammers, mallets, awls, gouges, twist
bits, and spoon augers. Saws were known but not widely used because they
did not work well on the unseasoned wood. The wooden items were assembled
using iron nails, or wooden pegs. Glues were also used to bond pieces of
wood together. These glues usually came from animals. Wood was used to
produce everything form buildings to ships to forks and spoons. The largest
examples of medieval wood work would be the buildings. The ships that were
made during this time period also required large amounts of timber and
several skilled artisans to produce. Wood was used to produce about everything.
The medieval carpenter would have had to known had to construct coffins,
musical instruments, bridges, and roads using wood.
Metal
Metalwork was held in high esteem during the medieval
period. Most farms had their own forge where the farmer would be able to
make simple everyday items. However, more complicated items would be made
either by travelling smiths who came to the farm, or be made by the village
or town smith. Kings and noblemen often had their own smiths. Smiths made
anything from nails to swords. Many cooking utensils, pans and cauldrons
were made of iron. Almost every other craftsman relied on the smith for
many of their tools. One of the most important tools made by the smith
was the knife, which had an enormous number of uses, from eating to carving
wood. The smith was also responsible for making locks and padlocks and
shoeing horses. The Blacksmiths of the medieval period usually got their
raw materials in the form of iron ore. The ore was usually collected from
deposits near the surface of bogs giving it the name bog ore . The iron
ore was then heated in a clay furnace (a process called smelting) at very
high temperatures to remove the impurities, known as slag. Inside the furnace,
the ore would be layered with charcoal. The charcoal was then lit and the
temperature of the furnace was raised using bellows. The iron then melted
out of the ore and the slag collected in the pit at the bottom of the furnace.
When the slag had been removed the smith was left a bloom, which was a
lump of fairly pure iron. The blacksmith could then take the bloom and
use it to make whatever he needed. This type of iron is called wrought
iron. The blacksmith would shape this metal by first heating it on a hearth,
which sometimes reached 900 to 1000 degrees Celsius. The blacksmith would
then remove the glowing metal from the hearth with a pair of tongs and
place it on an anvil.
Once on the anvil, the blacksmith could hammer the metal into the desired
shape. The blacksmith also had punches to make holes in the metal, clippers
for cutting sheet metal, and files for smoothing the metal. Later on in
the medieval ages, steel was produced by adding carbon from charcoal to
iron. The extra hardness and strength of steel was especially useful in
making things such as knives and chisels.
Stone
Stone masons are responsible for many of the medieval
stone buildings that we see today. The stone masons produced stone blocks
and many decorative stone items the same way we do today, with a hammer
and a chisel. They also used templates and stencils to put intricate designs
on the stones that they carved. The largest pieces of stonework from the
period are obviously the stone churches. The earliest stone churches were
built in the early seventh century and continued to be built throughout
the period. However, later on in the medieval period, many large stone
buildings such as the Westminister Abbey were being built.
Other large pieces of stonework from the period are the stone crosses found
in many church-yards. These were always highly decorated, and, like the
carvings in churches, were often painted. Traces of black, blue, red, brown,
orange, yellow and white paints are known from stonework. The stone masons
also produced stone grave stones which were often carved with a cross and
inscription. The stone masons were also responsible for making some everyday
items as well. They built the stone weights on the bottom of looms as well
as stone molds for iron and glass casting. One of the most important things
that the stone masons built were the millstones in the water mills. Another
important product produced by the stone masons were the whetstones. These
stones were needed to sharpen tools used in most of the other trades.
Leather
Leather was an important commodity in the medieval
period because it was a flexible material and it was long wearing as well.
Leather was used for a variety of things including shoes, belts, pouches,
saddles and bridles, scabbards, covering shields, book-bindings, cups,
bottles and bags. Leather garments such as cloaks, hoods and jerkins could
be made, and if these were then oiled (using fish or vegetable oil) they
could be made waterproof. Blacksmiths wore leather aprons for protection
from heat and sparks. Leather production was a long and difficult process.
The hides of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer, and perhaps horses, were
all used. Once the animal was killed the skin was removed and the first
job was to remove any bits of flesh and fat. In order to do this the hide
was soaked and pounded and placed over a wooden beam where it was scraped
with a special knife. The hair and outer part of the skin were then removed
by rubbing urine, quicklime or wood ash into the wet surface. This loosened
the hair and allowed it to be scraped off.
The hide was then washed to stop the chemicals affecting it further. Oils and
minerals were then added to the leather to prevent it from stiffening or
rotting. The leather would then be tanned (a chemical called tannin is
added to it) to preserve it. Sometimes the freshly skinned cow-hide would
be cleaned to prevent it rotting, but otherwise be left untreated so as
to make rawhide. This is much stiffer and stronger than ordinary leather
and could be used for edging and facing shields, making shoes, or any other
job requiring a stiffer, stronger material. The skin of the animals could
also be tanned in such a way as to keep the hair on the skin. These furs
could then be used as sleeping mats and blankets, or liner for clothes,
cloaks, sleeping bags, and blankets.