The first prerequistie for towns even to exist is the ability to feed themselves. Along those lines growth of cities throughout history, such as in Mesopotamia and the Industrial Revolution (covered in FC004 and FC109 respectively), have generally been preceded by a leap in food production. The same was true for Western Europe in the High Middle Ages. Thus this lesson focusses on the various agricutural advances (3-field system, heavy plow, and horse collar) and how they led to Western Europe's dramatic population and urban growth after 1000 CE. To me, the most interesting part of this lesson is the use of some basic math charts to show how these various innovations combined to multiply agricultural production by several times. In addition to the 70 slide Powerpoint with pictures and graphs to illustrate medival agriculture, this package includes my research notes on medieval peasant life and agricultural techniques.

This is a self-contained PowerPoint that develops slide by slide while other notes for the students scroll down the side. It can be run as a timed presentation on its own, presented slide by slide for discussion, or integrated into your other lectures. There are also extensive pictures with captions mixed in to illustrate the lesson and capture students’ interest. This packet also contains a student reading, flowchart, and the author’s own research notes which contain lots of details and interesting trivia to spice up your class.

For more information on my flowcharts and approach to teaching history, please view my profile or visit my website at www.flowofhistory.com


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