Fighting the plague in medieval towns
A new article is revealing how French towns coped with waves of plague outbreaks and other diseases in the late Middle Ages. It reveals that in these towns they made vigorous attempts to improve hygiene, employ doctors and isolate those infected so they would not spread the disease.
The Vatican and Oxford University team up to digitize 1.5 million pages of medieval manuscripts
The University of Oxford and the Vatican have jointly created a digital project that will put online over 1.5 million pages of medieval and biblical texts.
New underwater robot will allow archaeologists to examine ancient shipwrecks
Known as the U-CAT, it will allow archaeologists to go inside the remains of ancient and historical shipwrecks without damaging them.
Board games in Anglo-Saxon England? Rare 7th-century gaming piece discovered
Archaeologists in England have discovered an extremely rare Anglo-Saxon board gaming piece, which would have been used in a game similar to that of backgammon or draughts.
Medieval Mass Grave discovered in England
An archaeological dig near Durham Cathedral in England has uncovered at least 18 bodies ‘piled one top of another’ in what appears to be a mass grave dating back to the Middle Ages.
Call to end ‘unseemly squabbling’ over the burial of King Richard III
As a legal battle began yesterday to determine where the remains of Richard III should be buried, at least one group has appealed for an end to ‘unseemly squabbling’ and advocates the England’s current monarch should be given say on where the medieval king should be laid to rest.
Archaeological dig in Scotland reveals medieval building
Dig Dunfermline was a community project that included an archaeological team and 83 volunteers who spent several weeks examining an area where a museum and art gallery will be built next spring.
Wonders of the Medieval World exhibition comes to New York in early 2014
New York City will host an exhibition featuring the wide range of medieval art from Europe, including sculpture, paintings, stained glass, metalwork, and illuminated manuscripts.
Grave of 12th-century warrior discovered in Finland
Archaeologist in Finland have discovered the remains of a 12th-century warrior along with two swords, one that dates back to the Viking era.
Medieval Poison Ring discovered in Bulgaria
Bulgarian archaeologists have discovered a medieval ring that had a secret compartment which could have been used to conceal poison.
How much did medieval teachers beat their students?
Medieval writing suggests classroom punishments such as beating, flogging and whipping were carefully regimented – and were only meant to be used to aid learning.
Anglo-Saxon Sarcophagus Opened
‘The body appeared to be wearing leather boots or shoes, which was usual for this period. This would suggest that it was someone of importance.’
Fifth-century massacre discovered by Swedish archaeologists
Archaeologists in Sweden have uncovered the site where hundreds of people may have been killed in a brutal massacre.
Scientists reveal ancient texts in medieval manuscripts
Using cutting-edge technology, European scientists have uncovered new fragments by Euripides and an unknown ancient commentary on Aristotle.
Newest Irish coin features medieval landmark
The coin features the Rock of Cashel, the traditional seat of the kings of Munster.
New App allows users to explore the archaeology of Wales
The new Archwilio App will now allow smartphone and tablet users to digitally explore over 100,000 archaeological records in Wales for the first time.
Lincoln Cathedral donates medieval manuscript facsimile to University of Lincoln
The original Thornton Manuscript, housed in Lincoln Cathedral’s medieval collection, is a body of secular, religious and medicinal texts compiled by Robert Thornton, a Yorkshire landowner, between 1430 and 1450.
New book examines Medieval Muslim Motherhood
Modern discourse often casts science and religion as bitter enemies. But if you were to rewind roughly 12 centuries, you would find at least one worldview in which the two domains were considered symbiotic.
Take a (Virtual) Tour of St.Andrew’s Cathedral in the year 1318
An Open Virtual Worlds project is allowing people in 2013 to go back nearly seven hundred years to explore one of Scotland’s most important medieval cathedrals.
Major exhibit on the Vikings comes to the British Museum in 2014
In March 2014 the British Museum will be unveiling a new exhibition on The Vikings: Life and Legend.
Persian silk worn by Vikings, researcher finds
When the Oseberg Ship was discovered in Norway in 1904, more than one hundred silk fragments were found among its artefacts. New research has shown that these silks were probably purchased from Persia through a trade network.
How did Christians view the Rise of Islam?
When Muslim armies came out of Arabia in the 630s and 640s, Christian writers of the time saw it a sign that the Apocalypse had come.
Medieval Graffiti project wins national archaeology award
The Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Project, a volunteer led archaeology group that searches England’s medieval churches for early graffiti inscriptions, has been awarded the prestigious Marsh Community Archaeology Award.
Designer of the Bayeux Tapestry identified
The Bayeux Tapestry was designed by Scolland, Abbot of St.Augustine’s monastery in Canterbury, according to research by Howard Clarke of University College, Dublin.
Robin Fleming awarded MacArthur Fellowship
Robin Fleming, one of America’s leading early medieval historians, has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, the so-called ‘Genius Grant’.