Norms and Practices: Food in Medieval Monastic Communities
Organiser: Emilie Perez, PhD, CEPAM-UMR 7264, University of Nice (France)
This session aims to discuss the dietary behaviour of medieval monastic communities through an interdisciplinary approach. Substantial written sources are available, such as the Rules of Life (regulae), which defined the essence of their lifestyle and especially their dietary habits. However, these rules and discourses refer primarily to social norms, without informing us about the real practices, the lifestyle of the monks, and the consequences on their health. In contrast, chemical analysis of bones can characterize the diet of past populations, through the development of stable isotope analysis applied to archaeology. The confrontation of these sources helps us to understand the dietary behaviour of monastic communities, between norms and practices.
Paper proposals should be sent to:
Émilie Perez
PhD in History and Archaeology, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis
Associate researcher at CEPAM-CNRS : Cultures and Environments, Prehistory, Antiquity, Middle Ages (UMR 7264)
emilie.perez@outlook.com
Medieval Penitential Literature 
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