Falling between the heyday of the Western Roman Empire and the onset of the Renaissance, the Middle Ages have an unflattering reputation as something of a backward epoch of human civilization. Wars raged across Europe, serfs toiled in backbreaking service to feudal lords, and diseases wiped out villages with little hope of preventing the next outbreak. While the negative connotations may not be entirely fair, few would dispute that medieval citizens lived in more primitive conditions than their modern counterparts, and that the day-to-day necessities for survival were markedly different. As such, the era produced certain professions that filled important needs of the time but seem quite unusual in hindsight. Here are six of the strangest. Rat Catcher Although the widespread belief that rats were the main carriers of the bubonic plague has largely been debunked, these critters nevertheless did spread disease in …Read More