Urban violence harnessed or unleashed? The role of arms and armour as everyday objects in the daily life of a medieval and early modern port town: The example of Gdańskedited by Lech Marek

This publication explores the role of arms and armour in medieval and early modern Gdańsk through an anthropological lens, departing from traditional studies focused solely on typology, origin, and production. Drawing on archaeological evidence from over 60 sites and a collection of 372 artefacts, the study investigates the social significance, ownership, regulation, and everyday use of side arms (such as daggers, falchions, and swords) within the urban context of a multicultural port town. It examines how weapons functioned as personal accessories, status symbols, and tools for self-identification, while also addressing the legal and social constraints on weapon ownership and display.

The work analyzes how patricians and other urban groups emulated knightly customs, the implications of sumptuary laws, and the overlap between civilian and military obligations. It also incorporates iconographic sources and metallurgical analyses to understand the origins and usage of armour.

Ultimately, the study aims to reconstruct the biographies of artefacts and their owners, placing arms and armour within the broader social, legal, and cultural fabric of historical Gdańsk.

Content

• Introduction (Lech Marek)
• The Spatial Development of Gdańsk and the Characteristics of the Investigated Areas (Zofia Maciakowska)
• Context and Chronology of the Finds (Bogdan Kościński)
• What Implements of Violence Does Attire Include? The Occurrence, Use, Status, and Symbolic Meaning of Edged and Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Early Modern Gdańsk (Lech Marek)
• ‘Arma Diaboli’? The Crossbow in Medieval and Early Modern Gdańsk (Keith Dowen)
• ‘Armatus Corpus’: Armour and Identity in Medieval and Renaissance Gdańsk (Keith Dowen)
• Archaeometric Studies of Selected Artefacts from Gdańsk (Beata Miazga)
• The Arms and Armour of the Gdańsk Townspeople and Their Duties Regarding the City’s Order and Defence (Zofia Maciakowska)
• Summary (Lech Marek)
• Catalogue of Archaeological Sources (Lech Marek)

The monograph was written as a result of the Research Project, Opus 18, no. DEC-2019/35/B/HS3/00065 funded by the National Science Centre, Poland. Principal investigator: Dr hab. Lech Marek, University of Wrocław, Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences.