Just how historically accurate is this new Lego Medieval Town Square set?
There’s a new Lego set coming this March, the Lego Medieval Town Square 10332, and while it’s not cheap at a penny under £200, it’s an excellent looking set. But is the Lego Medieval Town Square historically accurate? The internet’s The Fake History Hunter has had a few thoughts on the matter.
Historian Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, better known as The Fake History Hunter, was fast off the mark, tweeting her thoughts the day of the set’s announcement. The author of Fake History: 101 Things That Never Happened, she’s known for shooting down historical falsehoods that crop up on Twitter and other mediums.
So, what did she find when she turned her gaze to Lego’s Medieval Town Square set? For a start, she absolutely approved of the set’s bright colours. When films depict the middle ages, everything’s often brown, either dirty, washed out or both. That wasn’t the case according to Teeuwisse, rather it’s playing into people’s false perceptions of that time period.
Just what time period are we talking about, anyway? When people refer to medieval times or the Middle Ages, they mean the period between the 4th and 16th centuries. That’s a lot of time to play with. But, even with that in mind, The Fake History Hunter did spot a few inaccuracies. Her criticisms include:
- The presence of a pumpkin. Pumpkins didn’t arrive in Europe till the very end of the 16th century.
- Fixed torches by the door. It’d be impractical to use them (which burn out in under an hour) that way.
However, she had many more positive things to say about the set. She praised the multi-coloured carrots, the period-accurate animals, the tapestry weaver and the fact that, while it’s a tad grim, child labour was absolutely in use during that period.
Overall, she gave the set a thumbs up, not just because the Lego Medieval Town Square is (mostly) historically accurate but also because it’s an awesome set. You can find her full thoughts here on Twitter and it’s worth checking out her blog where she debunks some other medieval myths.
The set is a reimagining of 2009’s Medieval Market Village set, following on from the Lego Medieval Blacksmith set. It contains 3304 pieces, comes with eight minifigures and is for builders age 18+. You can get it from the Lego Store this March 4th, priced at £199.99.
