The database has been compiled using all major published source collections reflecting the history of medieval Livonia – collection of Livonian, Estonian, and Courland charters, materials from Livonian estates' diets, various account books of the Tallinn and Riga magistrates, collections of Livonian manor charters, etc. For the 16th century, prices from unpublished material – various account books and the accounts of the Tallinn treasury (Kämmerei) – have also been included.
As of now, the database contains nearly 2500 prices, but this number is expected to grow in the future. The selection of prices includes food and drinks as well as various domestic animals, church and everyday items, and clothing and footwear.
When comparing prices, one must take into account their dynamics, which were caused by economic and demographic fluctuations as well as medieval inflation. As a result of the unsuccessful coinage and tax reform of the early 1420s, a somewhat different and simpler monetary system than before emerged (see the link to the monetary accounting). In addition to local denominations, prices in Livonia were also expressed in international currencies – mainly in Rhine guilders in the late Middle Ages and increasingly in thalers in the 16th century.


The database mainly covers prices in medieval Livonia from the 13th-16th centuries as recorded in published sources.