The Archaeology of the Prussian Crusade
Holy War and Colonisation
Now in its second edition, this remains the first synthetic book on the archaeology of medieval Prussia in any language
It explores the archaeology and material culture of the crusades against the Prussians in the thirteenth century, and the resulting society created by the Teutonic Order which endured for almost three hundred years. Pluskowski provides an updated synthesis of the material culture of the conquest and creation of a new society in the south-eastern Baltic region (today modern northeastern Poland, the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, southwestern Lithuania and western Belarus), encompassing the full range of archaeological data, from standing buildings through to artefacts and ecofacts, integrated with written and artistic sources.
The work is sub-divided into broadly chronological themes, beginning with a historical outline, then exploring the settlements, castles, towns and landscapes of the Teutonic Order’s domain, the character and tempo of religious transformation and concluding with the roles of the reconstructed and ruined monuments of medieval Prussia in the modern world, particularly within the context of Polish culture.
This book is intended as a comprehensive introduction to a period and area of growing interest, representing an important contribution to promoting international awareness of the cultural heritage of the Baltic region.
Published by Routledge in 2013 and 2022.
What have people said about this book?
“This is an excellent study of the development, consolidation, and eventual destruction of the Teutonic Knights’ Prussian state. Pluskowski deserves praise not only for making his subject accessible to Anglophone audiences, but also for demonstrating the critical role of archaeology in ensuring a fuller understanding of medieval history… The Archaeology of the Prussian Crusade is now an essential study for specialists…” — David S. Bachrach, Michigan War Studies Review
“A debt of gratitude is owed to Pluskowski for bringing together such an enormous wealth of material otherwise only available in German, Polish and other Eastern European publications and for presenting it in an accessible and intelligible form. In doing so he provides both a critical assessment of present knowledge and a blueprint for future research.” — Denys Pringle, Cardiff University
“The Archaeology of the Prussian Crusade is a welcome and timely synthesis that plugs a major gap in current scholarship: the lack of any significant archaeological contribution in English to the study of the Northern Crusades. There is nothing currently in print to rival this book…” — Tom Williams, British Museum
