Introduction

Studies of the five senses in the Middle Ages have proven their value. Research on vision and optics has been especially fruitful in contributing to discussions in many fields, including philosophy, medicine, literature, and art history. While there has been some research on the sense of smell in the Middle Ages, it is largely limited to the early period. The question of medieval olfactory theory has rarely been considered and has potential to inform our understanding of many aspects of medieval life. The current book takes the scholastic theory of olfaction between the late eleventh and fifteenth centuries as its subject. This introduction provides an overview of the most frequently cited sensory histories that discuss odor and smelling in the Middle Ages and outlines the argument of the chapters, which examine the development of medieval olfactory theory from Greek and Arabic sources, medical uses of odors, olfactory theology, and popularization of both physical and spiritual smell theory.