Medieval leather production from Litovel

Abstract

Between 1997 and 2017, an extensive collection of approximately 3,500 leather fragments from the second half of the 13th to the 15th century was obtained from archaeological rescue excavations carried out in the historic core of Litovel. Most of the finds come from public areas of the town. Only a few dozen artefacts have been determined in terms of their original function. All the remaining finds can be classified as primary to secondary waste, among which manufacturing waste was often present, indicating the nearby presence of a craft workshop. In the case of Litovel, this has been demonstrated at two sites, and hypothetically at three others. These are specifically shoemaker or cobbler workshops. The leather artefact assemblage from Litovel contains typical representatives of material culture from the High and Late Middle Ages, most often in the form of shoes (high and low cuts, children’s sizes), clothing accessories (belts), equipment (scabbards) and items rarely found elsewhere including unique objects such as a case for wax writing tablets and a face mask.