Distorting Madonna in Medieval Art
After Rome was destroyed, people were wary of attachment to physical beauty. As Christianity gained traction, Romans instead began to focus on the metaphysical beauty of virtue, and art began to follow suit. James Earle discusses how Medieval paintings of Madonna were affected by this shift.
Stanford University and Walters Art Museum team up for medieval manuscript digitization project
A new agreement will ensure the long-term preservation of the Walters Art Museum’s digitized collection of medieval manuscripts and provide new apps for studying them.
Five medieval websites to explore
Five more websites we have come across that are worth a look at…
Did medieval sailors reach Australia?
Archaeologists hope to unravel the mystery of how coins dating back to the 10th century were found off the shores of Australia.
Feeding the Dogs: The Queer Prioress and Her Pets
Everybody knows what we should think about the Prioress’ love for animals. She steals from the poor by feeding her ‘smale houndes’ roast meat and good bread. And she’s breaking the rules just by keeping pets.
The Calamitous Fourteenth Century in England: All Doom and Gloom?
This was a fantastic paper given at the Crown and Country in Late medieval England session at KZOO. There were only two papers but both were interesting and enjoyable. This paper delved into the history of science in late medieval England and examined why the fourteenth century, a time that is usually synonymous with doom and gloom, plague and uprising, wasn’t all that bad upon closer observation.
Matthew Paris in Norway
It appears that Matthew only ever left England once, when, in 1248-9, he visited Norway to assist in settling a dispute at the Benedictine abbey of Nidarholm near Trondheim. It is on this episode that the following will focus.
The Mongol Intelligence Apparatus: The Triumphs of Genghis Khan’s Spy Network
Genghis Khan was a great military strategist, but his unparalleled ability to run intelligence operations was the key to his victories.
Theft, Homicide and Crime in Late Anglo-Saxon Law
In order to understand these issues properly we must first consider our own ideas about ‘crime’, a deeply problematic term for the period before the late twelfth century.
The Privileging of Visio over Vox in the Mystical Experiences of Hildegard of Bingen and Joan of Arc
Even though medieval women mystics have enjoyed increased attention in recent scholarly discussion, a topic that still has not been tackled is the possible difference between seeing a vision and hearing a voice during a mystical experience
Danish Penal Law in the Middle Ages: Cases of Homicide and Woundings
In the provincial laws, a killing was not simply a killing. The penalty imposed on the killer depended on the conditions under which the killing had taken place.
The Still Lives of Medieval Objects
Discussions of the relationship between time and medieval artworks often hinge on examinations of use and reception: how has the meaning of this object changed over time?
Reconstruction of a Judicial Duel c. 1400
Watch this demonstration of a judicial duel at the turn of the 15th century, presented at the International Congress on Medieval Studies in 2013
The Battle of Arsuf, 7 September 1191
Benjamin Z. Kedar asks what was Richard I’s plan at Arsuf, one of the key battles of the Third Crusade?
The Garments of Guy in the Bayeux Tapestry
In her paper, Gale R. Owen-Crocker looks at how the late 11th century frieze portrays Guy, Count of Ponthieu.
Reading between the lines: Old Germanic and early Christian views on abortion
The object of my studies was to determine whether women in the early medieval Germanic West (could have) committed abortion, when confronted with an unwanted or inconvenient pregnancy.
‘The king in the car park’: new light on the death and burial of Richard III in the Grey Friars church, Leicester, in 1485
Immortalised by Shakespeare and others as an infamous villain, but with a strong cohort of modern-day supporters, he has remained a highly controversial figure of both history and drama since his death.
The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien released today
The poem, using Old English alliterative meter and written in modern English recounts how Arthur was a British military leader fighting the Saxon invasion, and includes characters such as Guinevere, Lancelot and Mordred.
Word of Mouth: Charlemagne’s Capitulare de Villis
Xavier Riaud examines The Capitulare de Villis, one of Charlemagne’s documents which has a surprising dental content.
Byzantine mosaic discovered in Israel
The 1500 year-old mosaic was discovered during archaeological excavations ahead of the construction of a new highway.
Is the Past a Foreign Country?
People tend to overemphasize similarities and ignore differences when comparing the present with the past, says Suzannah Lipscomb.
The Ecology and Economics of Medieval Deer Parks
There is a wealth of literature on a diversity of aspects of medieval parks, from their invertebrate ecologies, to rare lichens and bryophytes, to their herds of deer, their fishponds, and to the politics of fashion and taste and the provision of sport and entertainment for an affluent elite.
Searching for the Vikings on the Isle of Man
The Vikings were not just the wanton marauders of popular portrayal, says a Longwood University medieval scholar who recently conducted archaeological research on the Isle of Man.