In some myths about the Middle Ages believed to this day

Most of our knowledge of the Middle Ages is based on fantasy books and serials, as well as books by Dan Brown. Therefore, some of the facts that come to mind when the words "Middle Ages", this is just a myth publicized.

The Middle Ages - a very long historical period that began with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 and lasted until about the 14th century. Perhaps some of our beliefs were true. But the most popular misconceptions we decided to debunk.

Religious slowed technological progress

Many believe that the strict religious beliefs, along with diseases such as the plague in the Middle Ages were not allowed to develop scientific thought and progress. This age is even called the Dark Ages.

In fact, thanks to the medieval church there were educational programs, including mathematics and other sciences. Rethinking the Bible as a guide to the knowledge of the world, and the gap between the ancient and the present level of science declined. In the Middle Ages invented the printing press, windmills and watermills, glasses, magnetic compass. In many of these discoveries, one way or another participated church. So religion is not hampered progress and even accelerated it.

was dental care

Dentistry and now also considered a form of torture, so it seems, in the Middle Ages it belonged. However, we forget that our ancestors did not have the same access to sugar, so that their teeth were much healthier than ours. At the same time, scientists have studied the jaws of the people of the Middle Ages and found that they are cleaned and removed the teeth with the help of professional tools. In the early 1400s Italian professor Giovanni de Arcola wrote a treatise on dental care, which proved that the basic modern dentists techniques used then. He even told us how to preserve a rotting tooth, filling it with gold.

Women tortured chastity belt

Everyone knows the myth of the soldiers who are left before the long march to the wives of the metal shackles like cowards to not doubt their loyalty. In fact, the chastity belt image appeared in 1405 as a joke. Author pictures meant the ancient Roman tradition of the wedding bride's lace waist belt as a sign of chastity.

Everyone thought the earth was flat

common misconception is that people of "Dark Ages," thought the earth was flat, and only in the Enlightenment people's views have changed. In fact, people have begun to realize that the Earth is not a disc is already in the sixth century BC. And in the spread of modern myth blame the writer Washington Irving, in "History of the life and travels of Christopher Columbus' who said that the pre-Columbian people believed the earth was flat.

The right of the first night was commonplace

The right of the first night - it is the right of the influential person or representative of the authorities to deflower the bride of his vassal, and is a frequent subject of films and books about the Middle Ages. In fact, the evidence of this tradition there, and first appeared in the myth of the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh.

The women stayed at home and take care of children

In a typical film about the Middle Ages, women just do what they give birth, prepare and die young. In fact, women in the Middle Ages did not shun men's work and have been full members of society. They cared about the harvest, worked in the industry - from textile factories to the confectionery factories, run the family shops, taverns and hotels. They are available even the major positions of power: women became queens and managed monasteries - centers of medieval life. When, after the plague of London's population halved, then the enterprise, including in the brewing took over the widow.

People survived only 30 years

It is clear from this myth come from: Life in the Middle Ages was much more dangerous than the present one. But there is a difference between life expectancy and life expectancy. The first number - this is the life of a particular person, and the second - the average statistical measure, and it was equal to only 30 years due to the high infant mortality rate.

Imagine a family of two parents and four children. The first child died shortly after birth, the second surviving to 70, and their parents die in 35 and 60 years. Thus, the average life expectancy in this family - 41 year. But this does not mean that after 40 all died en masse. If a man has survived as a child, that he could live up to 70 years.

Because of the dirty water all drank wine and beer

In fact, medieval people drink is not as much alcohol as we think. Most of the cities then built near large sources of fresh water. Dangerous were the only industrial sites, working with dyes, but their control was forbidden to dump waste into water bodies. So that the water was all right. Beer then also loved, but it was much less modern, and drink it mainly in order to quench their thirst during hard work.

Medieval medicine was solid madness

It seems that the doctors at the time were completely inadequate and could cut off a man of the skull, to deliver him from evil spirits. In fact, medical knowledge was quite reasonable, and even now we are using a modification of the medieval practice - for example, for the treatment of burns or destroy viruses. It was invented in the Middle Ages to explore the physiological fluid to put a person diagnosed.

people try to "iron maiden"

At the word "medieval" torture immediately to mind, and along with them - a device called the "Iron Maiden". Fortunately, this is only an invention. For the first time a "Virgin" written in the 18th century, referring to execution in 1515, although most of the stories about medieval torture dates from a later period, and real evidence of them is practically no.