Context :

Aims : Although the time of the Maunder minimum ( 1645–1715 ) is widely known as a period of extremely low solar activity , claims are still debated that solar activity during that period might still have been moderate , even higher than the current solar cycle # 24 .
We have revisited all the existing pieces of evidence and datasets , both direct and indirect , to assess the level of solar activity during the Maunder minimum .

Methods : We discuss the East Asian naked-eye sunspot observations , the telescopic solar observations , the fraction of sunspot active days , the latitudinal extent of sunspot positions , auroral sightings at high latitudes , cosmogenic radionuclide data as well as solar eclipse observations for that period .
We also consider peculiar features of the Sun ( very strong hemispheric asymmetry of sunspot location , unusual differential rotation and the lack of the K-corona ) that imply a special mode of solar activity during the Maunder minimum .

Results : The level of solar activity during the Maunder minimum is reassessed on the basis of all available data sets .

Conclusions : We conclude that solar activity was indeed at an exceptionally low level during the Maunder minimum .
Although the exact level is still unclear , it was definitely below that during the Dalton minimum around 1800 and significantly below that of the current solar cycle # 24 .
Claims of a moderate-to-high level of solar activity during the Maunder minimum are rejected at a high confidence level .