On Old Age: Approaching Death in Antiquity and the Middle Ages ed. by Christian Krötzl and Katariina Mustakallio (review)

Like many collections, the essays in this volume have been generated from papers first presented at a conference, in this case at the University of Tampere in 2005, which examined issues of ageing, old age, and death in ancient and medieval societies.

There are several brilliant essays in this collection that draw on detailed research findings to present interpretations of how old age and death have been regarded over a long period of time. The aim of the collection is to present studies of ageing, old age, and death in ancient and medieval societies from a comparative perspective. In large part, the collection succeeds in this aim, and there is commendable interrelation between the chapters, which have clearly been developed in workshops before finally coming together in this publication.

Mary Harlow and Ray Laurence set the tone in providing evidence to correct many views that have been generally held, particularly with regard to the longevity of the elderly. The popularly held view, that in antiquity as well as in the Middle Ages life expectancy was low, is shown by hard evidence in several essays to be misleading, since it relies on statistical analysis, and ignores the high incidence of infant mortality at birth, during the very early years of childhood, and often during the years of youth. While this may not be a new finding, the variety of evidence used leads the various authors to draw quite subtle distinctions about longevity, treatment of the elderly both as revered and valued, and as a worthless burden.

I found the work on antiquity quite riveting; five of the sixteen essays deal with issues of respect, treatment of older women, interpretation of the challenging Roman saying: 'sixty year olds over the bridge', and the social importance of the old. In addition to these essays, there are two more on old age: a study of the fate of aged priests in the Middle Ages, and a second study of the medieval elderly in Hungarian towns. Both of these contributions bristle with fascinating facts, such as those concerning the familial care of the elderly as provided in wills. Again, much of this material is similar to findings of scholars who, for example, study English wills, but the wealth of detail and the soundness of the conclusions drawn makes these chapters important additions to our collective understanding of old age in greater Europe.

The nine essays on aspects of death, dying, and memorialisation are well researched and fascinating each in its own right. Unlike the essays on old age, I found it hard to discern any logical connections between the essays, but taken separately each widens the approach to death, with studies on medical perspectives, ritual games in antiquity, miraculous cures, martyrdom, tombs, and the personification of death.

I strongly commend this volume for its content. Yet, for this reader, the book would have had more coherence if the essays had been organised so that all the interpretations of old age in antiquity and the Middle Ages were grouped together, particularly as the essays consciously draw on each other's findings. As it is, these topics are scattered through the three parts of the volume, and I found the tripartite sections to be artificial. Many essays overlap and it is not clear how closely they reflect the subheadings under which they are grouped.

It is also disappointing that the book lacks an index, an essential tool to help readers navigate and make the best use of this densely illustrated text. And it would have been good to know who these fine scholars are and where they are to be contacted: a brief biography of each author is another must in this kind of work...