Shoes in the Middle Ages
What were medieval shoes like? What dictated medieval shoe styles?
What were 12th-century Maps of the Holy Land meant to express?
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.
Q&A #6: How does a man-at-arms become a mercenary?
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.
Medieval gaming piece with runic inscription found in Norway
An excavation in Trondheim led to the discovery of a soapstone gaming piece bearing a runic inscription.
New Medieval Books: Fate the Hunter
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.
10 Medieval Beauty Tips
How did women in the Middle Ages make their hair, faces and skin look beautiful?
Forensic Sciences in the Middle Ages
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.
Time and the Middle Ages
A look at time and time-keeping in the Middle Ages
How Pagan Was Medieval Britain?
Ronald Hutton explores how the idea of pagan survivals became prevalent among British historians, based on work by folklorist Lady Raglan and Margaret Murray.
Call for Papers: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, text and images
Conference in Paris, from December 7th to 9th, 2023
The Pied Piper of Hamelin: A Medieval Mass Abduction?
What really happened on June 26, 1284, in the German town of Hamelin?
Pre-Islamic Arabia, with Valentina Grasso
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.
How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple with Azzan Yadin-Israel
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.
Was a woman the first editor of the Qur’an?
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.
Wisdom from a Medieval King
Are you looking for some wise advice? Perhaps the wisdom that came from King Aldfrith of Northumbria will offer you some answers.
Medieval Table Manners: The Messiest Myth?
Because medieval people ate with their hands, there is a common idea that they had no table manners at all.
This is the face of a teenager from early medieval England
A forensic artist has reconstructed the face of a 16-year-old woman buried in 7th-century England.
“Ipswich ware” pottery made for the first time in over 1,000 years
“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.
517 Viking Nicknames
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.
New Medieval Books: The Donkey and the Boat
There is a good chance that The Donkey and the Boat will be one of the most important books in medieval studies for 2023.
10 Types of Bad Friends: A Medieval Guide
What kind of friend are you? A 13th-century writer looks at friendship, including ten types of friends you should stay away from!
New Medieval Books: The Book of Kings and the Explanations of the World
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.
Banquets in the Middle Ages
If the medieval meal you’re imagining looks a little bit like a modern wedding, you’re not too far off.
John Gower with Eve Salisbury and Georgiana Donavin
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.