Thus neither The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok nor ‘Vikings’ are immediately recognisable as straight works of history, although they both have certain strongly historical elements to their content.
The Making of a Legend: The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok and the TV series ‘Vikings’
November 14, 2015 By
Medical Lore in the Bestiaries
November 14, 2015 By
Some time in the first part of the Christian era, perhaps as early as the second century, there emerged a curious collection of zoological fables and religious moralizations called Physiologus.
Recycling in Britain after the Fall of Rome’s Metal Economy
November 12, 2015 By
In actual fact, the bulk of contemporary evidence — which happens to be material rather than textual — clearly argues that the people of fifth- and early sixth-century eastern Britain were much more involved in subsistence agriculture than warfare, and that most people during much of this period lived in highly circumscribed worlds in a ranked, rather than a steeply hierarchical, society
Scribal Practice in the Beowulf Manuscript
November 12, 2015 By
There was a time, not too long ago, when we thought we knew a great deal more about Beowulf than we do now.
Hidden Complexities of the Frankish Castle
November 11, 2015 By
This thesis is devoted to crusader castles and has a geographical focus on the Near Eastern regions.
Shrews, Rats, and a Polecat in the ‘Pardoner’s Tale’
November 11, 2015 By
The animals of particular interest to us are creatures that function in two distinct ways: as familiar dead metaphors and as familiar live animals.
Crucifix, calvary, and cross: materiality and spirituality in Great War landscapes
November 11, 2015 By
First World War landscapes are a complex layering of commemorative materialities and spirituality, in which the past is recycled and memory perpetuated in the present.
Old Companions, Noble Steeds: Why dogs and horses were buried at an Early Medieval settlement along the Old Rhine
November 10, 2015 By
Excavations at the Early Medieval site of Oegstgeest, located in the Dutch Rhine estuary, have yielded the burials of three horses and three dogs
Masculinity and Crusade: the influence of martial activity in the Latin East on Norman and Frankish warrior identity, the material culture, c. 1095-1300
November 7, 2015 By
This dissertation argues that masculine identity in the era of the Crusades developed with Christological and martial focus.
The medical licensing examination and the world of the physician officers in Korea’s Joseon Dynasty
November 7, 2015 By
This article aims to describe the world of physician officers during the Joseon Dynasty.
Skriðuklaustur monastery: Medical Centre of Medieval East Iceland?
November 5, 2015 By
Skriðuklaustur monastery was the youngest of nine cloisters operated in Iceland during the Catholic period of the Middle Ages.
Science and Religion in the Middle Ages
November 5, 2015 By
Why did science and natural philosophy suffer such disparate fates in the two great civilizations of Christendom and Islam?
The first case of pagophagia: the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus
November 5, 2015 By
This paper describes a unique case of snow consumption by the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus (829-842 AD), who according to the narrations of the historians and chroniclers of those times was an ice eater, developing a pathologic craving for iced water and snow.
The ‘Miracle of Childbirth’: The Portrayal of Parturient Women in Medieval Miracle Narratives
November 4, 2015 By
This paper explores how tales of difficult births found in medieval miracle narratives can contribute to our understanding of the experience of pregnancy and childbirth in twelfth-century England.
Expert examinations of wounds in the criminal court or justice in Cocentaina (Kingdom of Valencia) during the Late Middle Ages
November 4, 2015 By
Among the activities of doctors in the courts, one in particular stood out: the examination of wounds.
Nursing and Caring: An Historical Overview from Ancient Greek Tradition to Modern Times
November 4, 2015 By
Just like modern medicine, nursing also uses the Hippocratic Medical heritage as its base and therefore Hippocrates could be seen as a ‘ shared forefather’ for health care professionals.
Technological Determinisms of Victory at the Battle of Agincourt
November 3, 2015 By
This article takes issue with the deterministic conclusions of a recent study by three scientists who investigated the effects of wearing armour on soldier exhaustion during the battle of Agincourt.
Celtic Mythology in the Arthurian Legend
October 31, 2015 By
The aim of this thesis is to find out whether there are some aspects, themes or symbols of the pagan Celtic mythology that appear in the Arthurian legend and if so, what role they play there and to what extent they influence the legend.
Sacrificial Magic and the Twofold Division of the Irish Ritual Year
October 31, 2015 By
The historical development of St. Martin’s Day in Ireland, and its relationship with the more ancient festival of Samhain is examined, revealing circumstances that saw much of the ritual nature of Samhain being adopted within a Christian context in the medieval period.
Medieval Monsters and the Anxiety towards the Alien
October 31, 2015 By
Similar to many monsters or aliens in our current science fiction culture, some medieval monsters could be dangerous and life threatening.
The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture
October 30, 2015 By
Though the ghoul has origins as old as the Mesopotamian civilization, Arabs were largely responsible for popularizing it. Because Islam incorporated this being in its doctrine, the ghoul remained a source of fear and mystery in the Arab culture.
The End of the Ancient Other World: Death and Afterlife between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages
October 29, 2015 By
Peter Brown gives lectures on ‘Gloriosus Obitus: Death and Afterlife 400-700 AD’ and ‘The Decline of the Empire of God: From Amnesty to Purgatory’
Necromancy from Antiquity to Medieval and Modern Times
October 28, 2015 By
In the Old Norse saga there is peculiar technique of divination called utiseta that is practised on burial mounds.
Knights, Rulers, Pilgrims and Writers: Female Characters in Medieval Children’s Books
October 28, 2015 By
Female characters in modern children’s literature have been shown to be represented in a stereotypical manner, but gender in historical fiction for children has received little scholarly attention.
Monsters and the Exotic in Early Medieval England
October 28, 2015 By
The dominant literate culture of early medieval England – male, European, and Christian – often represented itself through comparison to exotic beings and monsters, in traditions developed from native mythologies, and Classical and Biblical sources.
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