Tarasiuk M. Town Society of Volhynia During the Lithuanian Era: The Material Dimension of Everyday Life

Thesis for a scientific degree of Doctor of Philosophy in specialty 032 “History and archaeology” (03 – Humanities). ‒ National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. Kyiv, 2024. The research aims to reconstruct three main components of everyday life — food, wardrobe, and households—of the town society in Volhynia during the Lithuanian period, specifically from the late 15th to the mid. of the 16th cent. The chosen topic has not yet been subject to comprehensive study in Ukrainian historiography. In Soviet historiography, the history of "folk life" didn't receive proper development. In modern Ukrainian historiography, daily life is presented in articles or sections of monographs by historians and archaeologists. Partial contributions to the chosen topic are made by studies by Lithuanian and Polish scholars. The source base consists of published and manuscript acts, namely the acts of municipal and district courts of the Volhynia Voivodeship, and the books of the Lithuanian Metrica. Certain limitations in the representativeness of the sources didn't significantly affect the fulfillment of the work's tasks. The method of document analysis, descriptive method, and the logical reconstruction were applied. The methodological basis relies on approaches of everyday history, microhistory, interdisciplinary approach, as well as the principles of objectivity. In the 16th cent., an active urbanization process was underway. All residents of the towns and suburbs who did not belong to other social classes're considered townspeople. In towns with Magdeburg law, townspeople had self-government, freedom to choose a profession. The dietary habits of urban dwellers in Volhynia were diverse. Rye predominated over wheat, and other grains, complemented by vegetables from gardens. Vitamins were obtained from the consumption of forest berries and fruits. Poppy seeds were used for baking, occasionally supplemented with raisins. The most popular meats were small birds and, among cloven-hoofed animals, lamb. Other meats included sheep, goats, pork (lard), beef, and game. Locally caught and imported fish such as carp, bream, pike, imported herring were consumed, along with caviar. Fish was preserved by smoking, drying, salting, and sold frozen or fresh. Non-alcoholic beverages are difficult to reconstruct. Alcoholic beverages were part of daily culinary culture. Townspeople belonged to the "beer culture," while the "wine culture" was characteristic of the elite's cuisine. Mead was popular, and by the 16th cent., horylka became widely consumed. Clothing and footwear served as protection against external elements and demonstrated wealth. Among undergarments and legwear, townspeople wore sorochkas, koshulias, sukni, men’s ubrannia etc. Outerwear (including fur-trimmed garments) included sukmans, odnoriadkas etc. Headgear varied, with men wearing shapkas, kuchmas, kovpaks; women wearing shapkas, rantukhs etc. Footwear variations included shoes, boots made by local craftsmen. Limited information is available about adornments, such as rings, medallions, etc. Accessories included leather belts, bags, pouches, etc. Jewelry served as festive elements, while accessories were for daily use. The town community during the Lithuanian period was heterogeneous in terms of property ownership, with both property owners and non-owners residing in the city. Volhynian architecture was primarily wooden, with windows mostly consisting of window frames. The urban estate reflected the agrarian character of Volhynian cities during this period, often enclosed by a fence. The household possessions of Volhynian burghers consisted mainly of wooden furniture and ceramic tableware. The findings of this study can be utilized for further research into the everyday life of Volhynians during the pre-modern era. They can also inform the development of educational materials for schools or universities, aid in the creation of specialized courses on the history of everyday life and Ukrainian culture, or contribute to the organization of museum exhibitions and reconstruction festivals. Scientific novelty: for the first time in Ukrainian historiography, the everyday life of Volhynian burghers during the Lithuanian period has been reconstructed. The representativeness of sources and the current state of Ukrainian historiography on the chosen topic have been characterized for the first time. The food and beverages of urban dwellers have been reconstructed, and information about their wardrobe has been refined and expanded. Previous research on the appearance and components of urban estates has been clarified and augmented. Keywords: history of everyday life, court books, food, beer, alcohol, clothes, shoes, headgear, dwelling, townspeople, town, Volhynia, Lithuanian era, 15th–16th cent., Grand Duchy of Lithuania.