The English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381
Life for the revolutionary peasants was structured by feudal ties and obligations. The villein was tied to the soil until he could buy his freedom. He lived in a wattle and daub hut with his family and animals on a floor of mud. Work began at dawn on his few (often separated) strips of land; he was obligated to work on his lord’s land three days a week, tend and shear his sheep, feed his swine, and sow and reap his crops.
More than Marginal: Insects in the Hours of Mary of Burgundy
In the late fifteenth-century Hours of Mary of Burgundy, also known as the Vienna Hours, every folio is richly decorated with window scenes of religious subjects surrounded by extravagant foliage.
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.
Why did Vinland fail?
Brigitta Wallace, one of the leading scholars on the Vikings in North America, examines why their settlements failed.
Medieval Books: Great Reads of 2013
Here are a few great medieval books that were released in 2013!
Hunting in Medieval literature: Satisfaction of Conquest or Thrill of Pursuit?
In this study, I propose that just as hunting moved away from its utilitarian function and became a method of self-expression, so too the hunt for erotic love became, in the medieval period, less about gaining a marriage partner and more about satisfying forbidden passions.
The Medieval Walking Dead
On January 1, 1091, an army of the dead came to Normandy. For one priest, it would be a night that he would never forget.
Top Ten Monsters of the Middle Ages
People in the Middle Ages, just like today, could imagine a very strange monster!
Why Cats were hated in Medieval Europe
Cats in medieval Europe mostly had a bad reputation – they were associated with witches and heretics, and it was believed that the devil could transform himself into a black cat.
Viking Age Queens: The example of Oseberg
The Oseberg ship burial is a Viking Age burial mound containing a double female inhumation, which is located in the Oslofjord area in Norway.
Poultry and Predators in Two Poems From the Reign of Charlemagne
Poultry and Predators in Two Poems From the Reign of Charlemagne By Jan Ziolkowski Denver Quarterly Volume 24, no. 3 (1990) Introduction: Were…
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.
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.
Medieval Animal Trials
Why were animals put on trial – for murder or for eating crops – in the Middle Ages?
A Medieval How-to Book for Shepherds
A recently published book is offering insights into fourteenth-century farming practices and the life of a shepherd named Jean de Brie.
Medieval Advice on How to Take Care of Your Pet
Medieval people did have pet dogs, cats and other animals. Here is some of the advice they gave about taking proper care of these animals.
Crusader hospital discovered in Jerusalem
The remains of a large hospital from the Crusader period have been discovered in the heart of Old Jerusalem, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. Later this year the public will be to visit part of the structure when the site is turned into a restaurant.
Medieval Medical Experiments
No, this is not the next horror movie – we look at medical experiments done in the Middle Ages and find that medieval physicians did try to learn from experience.
That Melodious Linguist: Eloquence and Piety in Christian and Islamic Songbirds
That Melodious Linguist: Eloquence and Piety in Christian and Islamic Songbirds Cam Lindley Cross University of Chicago, December 8 (2010) Abstract “Birds,” writes Albertus…
Ten Beautiful Medieval Maps
Our list of the best medieval maps – ten maps created between the sixth and sixteenth centuries, which offer unique views into how medieval people saw their world.
The Moon in the Middle Ages
People in the Middle Ages asked what was the moon made of? How far away was it? Could it make my child vindictive? Here is what they found out.
Voices on the Medieval Page, Part 1: The Reader
Considering how special it was to own a manuscript, it may seem remarkable that medieval readers wrote in their books.
Bread in the Middle Ages
Bread was the staple of life in the Middle Ages. You could also be called a heretic or go insane if you ate the wrong one. Includes medieval bread recipes.
A Feast for Aesculapius: Historical Diets for Asthma and Sexual Pleasure
Throughout Western history, people of all social classes have insisted that particular foods and drinks affected their bodies-purifying or contaminating them, and stimulating or tranquilizing their sensual spirits.