"The Medieval Legacy offers a deep look at a stunning millennium of change and innovation which continues to inform our contemporary world. Throughout the course, individual lectures highlight our heritage from the Middle Ages as it affects daily experience: in the kinds of paperwork we live with every day; the ways we read and publish texts; the medieval inventions we use, such as clocks and eyeglasses; how we compose poetry and novels; the universities we attend; and more. Professor Symes brings the medieval world vividly alive through remarkable specificity and detail. In a lecture on medieval finance, you'll enjoy a sumptuously detailed look at the colorful accounting system of the English Exchequer--a huge table that functioned like a giant abacus. In studying medieval trade guilds, you'll witness the extravagant York theatrical pageants and elaborate outdoor Passion plays, for which a myriad of trades created the staging. And, in exploring medieval pastimes, you'll study a richly detailed image of a chess match, portraying the complex social ceremony of the game and the distinctive costumes of the players and watchers--forms of dress that persisted until the early 20th century and live on in modern formal wear."--Publisher's website.