Where the Middle Ages Begin
During the Middle Ages, maintaining discipline on campaign was always difficult – and commanders knew that criminality was a ‘gateway behaviour’ which opened up the path to an even greater breakdown of authority.
Bernard S. Bachrach, one of the leading scholars of medieval military history, passed away on July 14th at the age of 84.
In his new book The Vanished Settlers of Greenland: In Search of a Legend and Its Legacy, Robert Rix of the University of Copenhagen argues that the lost Norse settlement played a decisive role in Denmark’s efforts to colonize Greenland during the 18th century.
Cadw has released its summer holiday events schedule, offering families a huge variety of activities to enjoy and experience Welsh culture and history, much of it medieval-themed.
What were medieval shoes like? What dictated medieval shoe styles?
My argument is that the earliest Western type of Holy Land map was formulated in a purely religious context — not in relation to the Crusader enterprise and ideology — and that this type of map was a pure devotional image.
Michael and Kelly answer your questions in this somewhat abbreviated edition of Bow & Blade. Topics include the Ottoman siege of Rhodes, reading Vegetius on campaign, and historical fiction.
An excavation in Trondheim led to the discovery of a soapstone gaming piece bearing a runic inscription.
A collection of 26 poems and one prose piece from the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras, focused on hunting, a hugely important activity among the Arabs.
How did women in the Middle Ages make their hair, faces and skin look beautiful?
This article looks at the state of forensic sciences in the Middle Ages and unveils the role of medical practitioners and coroners in the tedious process of crime-solving.
A look at time and time-keeping in the Middle Ages
Ronald Hutton explores how the idea of pagan survivals became prevalent among British historians, based on work by folklorist Lady Raglan and Margaret Murray.
Conference in Paris, from December 7th to 9th, 2023
What really happened on June 26, 1284, in the German town of Hamelin?
A conversation with Valentina Grasso on Arabia before Islam. This used to be known primarily from preserved Arabic poetry, but the picture is now filling in from inscriptions and contemporary texts. There were competing kingdoms, tribal coalitions, and foreign empires with a stake in trade routes. There were pagans, Jews, and Christians, as well as generic or “cautious” monotheists. The cultural background of the Quran has never been known in such richness and complexity.
Everyone knows that the fruit Eve was tempted to eat in the Garden of Eden was an apple – or was it? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Azzan Yadin-Israel about the original fruit of original sin, how written culture and art worked together to transform it, and why it took centuries to settle on the apple.
Did one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad have a crucial role in editing and codifying the Qur’an? A study about Hafsa bint ‘Umar offers some different perspectives on the early days of Islam.
Are you looking for some wise advice? Perhaps the wisdom that came from King Aldfrith of Northumbria will offer you some answers.
Because medieval people ate with their hands, there is a common idea that they had no table manners at all.
A forensic artist has reconstructed the face of a 16-year-old woman buried in 7th-century England.
“Ipswich ware” jars and pots, first made 1,400 years ago in the English town, are being fired again in a replica Anglo-Saxon kiln thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Of all the peoples of the Middle Ages, it was the Norse who had the best nicknames. You can now explore a list of hundreds of interesting and strange nicknames from the Viking Age.
There is a good chance that The Donkey and the Boat will be one of the most important books in medieval studies for 2023.
What kind of friend are you? A 13th-century writer looks at friendship, including ten types of friends you should stay away from!
Likely created in the seventh century, this text is a cross between history and scripture written by the Mandaeans, a people living in present-day Iraq and Iran. It offers a look at the perspective of one community in the Middle East during the Early Middle Ages.
If the medieval meal you’re imagining looks a little bit like a modern wedding, you’re not too far off.
Everyone’s heard of Geoffrey Chaucer, but he wasn’t the only poet writing powerful and political verse in fourteenth-century London. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Eve Salisbury and Georgiana Donavin about John Gower, his poetry, and why we should all get to know him.
In his new book The Vanished Settlers of Greenland: In Search of a Legend and Its Legacy, Robert Rix of the University of Copenhagen argues that the lost Norse settlement played a decisive role in Denmark’s efforts to colonize Greenland during the 18th century.
For anyone who visits Örebro, it is hard to miss its castle – an ancient-looking fortress made of weathered grey stones that stands on an islet in the middle of the city centre.
On the 10th of August 1628, the Vasa sank in Stockholm harbour, thus ending the career of the most powerful warship that Sweden had ever seen.
This strategic location not only makes the castle a majestic sight, but also earns it the reputation as the most modern defence fortress in its time. But, as all ancient buildings, there is always more than meets the eye. Here are the five things that you may not know about Uppsala Castle.
How do you operate a business when you can’t read and your knowledge of math is extremely limited? Making your mark on the…
Narbonne is one of those European cities with evidence of its past on every street.
The V&A Museum opened its latest medieval exhibit exhibit on Saturday: Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery. I had the opportunity to see it opening day and it was spectacular.