The literary significance of clothing in the Icelandic family sagas
We do not often hear about what the character is wearing – and when we do it can be difficult to discern why clothes are being mentioned at this particular point and why only in relation to a certain character.
Shadow and Paradoxes of Darkness in Old English and Old Norse Poetic Language
This thesis confronts, explores, and attempts to meaningfully interpret a surprising nexus of stimulating cruces and paradoxes in Old English poetry and prose and Old Norse skaldic and Eddic poetry.
Anglian and Viking York
The Latinised form of the city’s name, Eburacum, was never forgotten and remains in learned use until the thirteenth century, but it seems of some significance that the English invaders adapted the late British pronunciation of the word Evoroc adding the simple terminal wic – town.
Conservation project to restore Rosslyn Chapel completed after 16 years
Rosslyn Chapel is no longer obstructed by scaffolding, as a major conservation project to restore the Scottish historic site has been finished after 16 years.
The Introduction and Use of Eastern Drugs in the Early Middle Ages
For the most part the recipes pertain to things of everyday life, e. g., remedies for coughing and removing lice, and for headaches, pain in the stomach, and wounds.
Free online course on ‘England in the time of King Richard III’
The University of Leicester and FutureLearn are teaming up to offer a six-week online course that will examine King Richard III and his era. The massive open online course, which is freely open to anyone interested in the topic, begins on November 25th.
Basiliscus the Boy-Emperor
Under the year 475 Victor recounts a unique version of the last days of the young emperor Leo II, the son of Zeno and Ariadne, grandson of the emperor Leo I and his wife Verina.
Rome, Constantinople, and the Barbarians
The barbarian invasions definitely did not happen to an unsuspecting empire, as though mysterious beings had landed from outer space. On the contrary, Rome had always had warlike tribesmen at its gates and had centuries of experience in dealing with them.
Where to gamble on the medieval Adriatic?
A recent article on medieval gambling reveals that it was a popular pastime but what you could or could not do often depended on which town you were in.
Commonwealth, Conversion and Consensus: An Examination of the Medieval Icelandic Free State and Political Liberalism
John Rawls’ Political Liberalism opens with a question: ‘how is it possible for there to exist over time a just and stable society of free and equal citizens, who remain profoundly divided by reasonable religious, philosophical, and moral doctrines?’
Call for Papers: The Fortieth Annual Sewanee Medieval Colloquium
April 4-5, 2014, at The University of the South, Sewanee, TN
Faroe Islands were first colonized between 4th to 6th century AD, archaeologists find
The Faroe Islands were colonised much earlier than previously believed, and it wasn’t by the Vikings, according to new research.
Preventing ‘Monkey Business’. Fettered Apes in the Middle Ages
The practice of keeping monkeys and apes in captivity during the Middle Ages, mainly as pets, is well known.
Making and breaking order via clothing
Following the events which disrupted social stability in fourteenth and fifteenth-century England, individuals from a variety of social contexts demonstrated a particular necessity to see order visibly displayed in society.
Venice – obstacle for the Crusades?
At first sight, the topic’s title sounds somewhat intriguing. It certainly raises the question: is it possible for the Venetians to regard themselves as an obstacle for such a noble initiative as crusades had been?
King James IV of Scotland
James IV ushered the Renaissance into Scotland in many ways. He cemented an alliance with England, patronized the arts, and built wonderful palaces and a strong navy. The only shortcoming James had was as a leader in battle as we shall see.
Interview with Matthew Johnson on medieval castles and archaeology
That being said, the endless fascination with landscape archaeology is the way the little details of the landscape reward very careful observation and dissection. I love walking through the landscape and trying to understand what I am looking at, fitting it into a bigger picture.
Oaths in The Battle of Maldon
In the world of Maldon, bravery and keen hearts are not so much an affect of choice as they are a manifestation of interior disposition, of who one is born to be. Deeds reveal the man, who in turn is defined by his status and family.
Call for Papers: (Un) Expected Animals in (Un)Expected Places in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period
Conference taking place on May, 6-7 2014, at the University of Louisville, Kentucky
Late Medieval Franciscan Statutes on Convent Libraries and Education
Although the higher education of the Franciscans has frequently been the object of research, their role in offering elementary instruction has often been ignored.
Conisbrough Castle begins £1.1 million redevelopment project
Conisbrough Castle in northern England has started a £1.1 million redevelopment project that will include a new visitors centre. The castle will remain closed to the public until the spring of 2014.
The Albigensian Crusades: Wars Like Any Other?
There are three great clichés in our view of the Albigensian Crusades which most historians find hard to resist.
Medieval Studies in England
Here are university programs related to medieval studies in England
Bone-Hard Evidence
Raging marauders or heroic warriors? What were the Vikings really like? How did they master a demanding environment? How did they form trading networks and what did they use as trade goods?
Medieval French bestiaries
The French Bestiaries of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries marked the culmination of at least two traditions of Beast Legend.