A new two-volume publication entitled Luxury, Living Standards and Poverty in the Cities of East-Central Europe in the 15th–18th Centuries. Case studies of Wrocław and Prague has been released as part of the prestigious BAR International Series (3265). The volume is the outcome of a project funded by the National Science Centre and carried out at our Institute. Its preparation involved 35 researchers—authors and co-authors of individual chapters—representing leading academic centres in Wrocław, Prague and Warsaw. The wide-ranging research programme focused on issues of lifestyle and quality of life in the cities of East-Central Europe, examined through interdisciplinary analyses of archaeological sources.

The volume focuses on the analysis of Wrocław and Prague—two key urban centres of the region, culturally interconnected yet subject to dynamic political, economic, and social transformations. Employing the methodology of historical archaeology, the authors attempt to reconstruct the living environment of urban inhabitants, taking into account natural conditions, spatial development, social structures, wealth differentiation, and patterns of consumption.

A central aspect of the study is the analysis of material culture as a carrier of information about social status, lifestyles, and the aspirations of urban populations. The research also addresses issues related to sanitation infrastructure, urban spatial organisation, as well as the intellectual and religious life of city communities, including the role of education developed since the Middle Ages.

The publication constitutes a significant contribution to research on historical archaeology and the history of urban societies, contributing to the international discourse on social differentiation and material culture in pre-industrial Europe.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407362977