When being broken on the wheel is not enough! Ten brutal ways to die from the Middle Ages.
Medieval Islamic Thought and the ‘What is X?’ Question
July 11, 2017 by
Medieval Islamic Thought and the “What is X?” Question By Thérèse-Anne Druart American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, Vol.73:1 (1999) Introduction: In his early dialogues Plato presents a Socrates who goes around raising the famous “what is x?” question and receiving no satisfactory answer. In the case of Medieval Islamic Thought the raising of the “what is x?” […]
The sex-selective impact of the Black Death and recurring plagues in the Southern Netherlands, 1349-1450
July 11, 2017 by
We present a newly compiled database of mortality information taken from mortmain records in Hainaut, Belgium, in the period 1349-1450, which not only is an important new source of information on medieval mortality, but also allows for sex-disaggregation.
White, Black and Grey: recent discoveries at Aberdeen’s medieval friaries
July 11, 2017 by
Recent excavations at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen have revealed 30 burials from the medieval Dominican (Black) friary as well as hints at remains of the buildings. This talk will present the latest evidence from this site and look at the other excavated medieval friaries, Franciscan (Grey) and Carmelite (white).
Legal Arguments: The Medieval Origin of a European Invention
July 11, 2017 by
What do we mean as we say that ‘During the Middle Ages Roman Law became the shared common law of Europe’?
Medieval Medicine for Modern Infections
July 11, 2017 by
Recent scholarship may show that there is more methodology to the medicines of medieval practitioners and further inquiry may show that their medicines were more than just placebos or palliative aids but actual antibiotics being used long before the advent of modern infection control.
Pilgrim and patron: Cnut in post-conquest historical writing
July 10, 2017 by
This article examines a number of short narratives from the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries which relate to the activities of Cnut as king of England.
St Augustine’s Abbey recreated digitally
July 9, 2017 by
St Augustine’s Abbey – part of Canterbury’s World Heritage site – has been ‘rebuilt’ in virtual reality as part of a ground-breaking collaboration between English Heritage and the University of Kent.
The Medieval History of the Pantheon
July 9, 2017 by
One of the great landmarks of ancient Rome is the Pantheon. Built around the year 126 AD by emperor Hadrian, it initially served as a temple to all gods. However, in the Early Middle Ages the Pantheon would be repurposed.
Heads, shoulders, knees and toes: Injury and death in Anglo-Scottish combat, c.1296-c.1403
July 9, 2017 by
For all that has been written about this period, little, however, has been produced regarding the realities of war, the impact that it had on the individual soldier, or the wounds suffered by those who engaged in these conflicts.
The Evil That Kings Do: Kingship, Tyranny and William I in Hugo Falcandus
July 9, 2017 by
A study of the presentation of William I of Sicily in the work of the pseudo – Hugo Falcandus, with particular attention to the author’s views on the entirety of the Hauteville dynasty and kingship in Sicily through the lens of his reign.
The Medieval History of Stonehenge
June 23, 2017 by
How was Stonehenge perceived in the Middle Ages? Was it simply abandoned to the passage of time?
New Medieval Books: Historical Fiction, Part 2
June 23, 2017 by
Five more new historical fiction novels…
Nine Things You Didn’t Know Were Medieval
June 23, 2017 by
From vegetarian meat substitutes to beach parties – find out what came from the Middle Ages!
Medieval Dog Tricks
June 22, 2017 by
Can your dog dig up rings, dance to music, or tell if a lady is pregnant? Find out what strange tricks dogs could perform in the Middle Ages.
The many faces of Duchess Matilda: matronage, motherhood and mediation in the twelfth century
June 21, 2017 by
In this book I argue that the varied visual and textual source material related to Matilda (1156-1189) provides an insight into her duties and responsibilities at her husband’s court.
Frail or hale: Skeletal frailty indices in Medieval London skeletons
June 21, 2017 by
The representative nonmonastic, or lay, community in Medieval London comprises samples from Guildhall Yard (1140–1350 CE), Spital Square (1200–1500 CE), St. Mary Graces (1350–1538 CE), and St. Benet Sherehog (1250–1666 CE).
Game on: medieval players and their texts
June 21, 2017 by
Medieval games, I argue, do not always fit neatly into traditional or modern theoretical game models, and modern blanket definitions of ‘game’—often stemming from the study of digital games—provide an anachronistic understanding of how medieval people imagined their games and game-worlds.
New Medieval Books: Historical Fiction
June 18, 2017 by
Escape this summer to the Middle Ages with these five historical fiction novels…
Tips on being a good CEO from a medieval abbot
June 18, 2017 by
In many ways, Abbot Samson would resemble the Chief Executive Officer of a company – indeed, he was actually running a corporation that would have been worth tens of millions of pounds in today’s money
Brewing Viking beer — with stones
June 15, 2017 by
There’s nothing archaeologists like better than piles of centuries-old rubbish. Ancient bones and stones from trash heaps can tell complex stories. And in central Norway, at least, the story seems to be that Vikings and their descendants brewed beer by tossing hot rocks into wooden kettles
Pillaging Public Perceptions: Finding Your Career as a Medievalist
June 13, 2017 by
The story of how I made the jump from trained academic to designing coloring books
Enviable Possessions: The Thirteenth-Century Gemellions of Limoges
June 13, 2017 by
One of the most common images of ritual hand-washing in the medieval period depicts the Gospel account of the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate washing his hands after condemning Jesus to death.
A Dynasty of Saints
June 13, 2017 by
By all accounts, St. Æthelthryth was married twice and remained a virgin. During her life she was a princess of East Anglia, queen of Northumbria, and finally abbess and founder of the monastery at Ely.
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