Abstract
In the past decades, the phenomenon of progressively ageing societies, in particular in the Western industrialised world, has stimulated scientific investigation of the subject of old age. Medieval studies have followed this trend more intensively since the turn of the millennium. In turn, gerontology, the field of research dedicated specifically to the study of old age, has progressively opened its doors to humanities studies. Nevertheless, interdisciplinary perspectives have thus far remained unsystematic. From the point of view of medieval studies, an interdisciplinary exchange with gerontology can lead to a specifically medievalist approach that will be referred to as „gerontological medievistics“. The nature of the source material on which „Repertorium Germanicum“ (RG) and „Repertorium Poenitentiariae Germanicum“ (RPG) are based predetermines that their records on old age are closely connected to members of the clergy. Therefore, the respective state of research must be taken into account. Using selected search terms to generate a corpus of relevant material from these resources, this essay will investigate a range of questions arising both from the material itself and from the field of gerontology. On the basis of examples, it illustrates connections to gerontological theories, concepts, and findings, while also revealing the relevance of the said repertories for investigating old age.
