Material Culture in the Etymologiae of Isidore of Seville

The Etymologiae of Isidore of Seville rarely has figured into modern scholarly discussions of the material culture of seventh-century Visigothic Spain, on account of the work's heavy reliance upon written sources which often date to centuries earlier. This article seeks to redress this underrepresentation by comparing selected passages of the Etymologiae with independent evidence for material culture of the seventh century ce to argue that Isidore has more credibility as source for contemporary social and cultural realia than scholars traditionally have imputed to him.