Medieval Fish with Richard Hoffmann
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Richard Hoffmann about what people were eating, how they caught it, and how fish farming evolved over time.
Latest Posts
What are volcanoes? A medieval answer
An explanation of volcanoes and why they erupt from a medieval scientist.
A Medieval Miracle: The Beer Did Not Spill
Was preventing beer spillage significant enough to be deemed a miracle? Surprisingly, for one seventh-century writer, it was!
Byzantium and the early Rus’, with Monica White
A conversation with Monica White about the earliest contacts between Constantinople and the first Rus’-Varangian raiders, traders, and mercenaries to cross the Black Sea. Who were these people, what did they want, and how did contact with East Roman culture change them?
The Battle of Halidon Hill (1333)
Scotland and England are at war again, with the important border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed under siege. In this episode of Bow & Blade, Michael and Kelly discuss how the English were able to inflict a quick and devastating defeat on the Scots.
New Medieval Books: The Standard Language Ideology of the Hebrew and Arabic Grammarians of the ‘Abbasid Period
This open-access book examines the connections between Hebrew and Arabic in the Middle Ages when it comes to language. it offers a look at how people learned from each other even though they came from different backgrounds and religions.
Tips for Travelling to Medieval Jerusalem
During medieval times, Christian pilgrims embarked on journeys across Europe and the Middle East to visit churches, holy sites, and shrines. The pinnacle of these pilgrimages was a visit to Jerusalem, necessitating thorough preparation. Hopefully, pilgrims could benefit from the travel advice provided by William Wey, a writer from the 15th century.
Mary of Egypt with Sonia Velazquez
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Sonia Velázquez about St. Mary of Egypt, why she caught the medieval imagination, and how her beauty, age, and holiness spoke to generations of artists and the faithful.
Life in a Medieval Town
What was life like in a medieval town? Read some stories of daily life from a fourteenth-century chronicler in Germany.
The Holy Foreskin: The Story of Christianity’s Strangest Relic
When I first heard about the Sanctum Praeputium I thought it was a joke thought up by some medievalist. However, in the Middle Ages there was much debate if a little piece of Jesus Christ remained on Earth.
The Viking Age online course starts tomorrow
An introduction to Viking History. Each week historian Terri Barnes takes you through a different aspect of the lives of Nordic peoples who lived during the Viking Age from roughly AD 750 to 1100.
New Medieval Books: The Deorhord
This book reveals what Old English sources had to say about animals, both real and imaginary. If there was a bestiary written in early medieval England it would look something like this.
The Greatest Practical Joke Ever Done
Did you ever believe that you were someone else? There is a story from medieval Florence about a practical joke that must be too crazy to be true.
Medievalists.net’s Featured Book: The Tale of Thorstein Staff Struck
The Medievalists.net Monthly Book Selection for April is The Tale of Thorstein Staff Struck, edited and translated by Jesse Byock and Randall Gordon.
The 50 Most Important Events of the Middle Ages
Our list of the most important events in the medieval world, between the years 500 and 1500 AD. This includes political and military events, as well as the dates of inventions, new writings and religious matters in Africa, Asia and Europe.
Face of Medieval Chinese emperor revealed through his DNA
What did a medieval Chinese emperor from 1,500 years ago look like? A team of researchers reconstructed the face of Chinese Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou using DNA extracted from his remains.
The Crusaders and Gaza
Almost eight hundred years ago, Gaza would be on the frontlines of another war, this one pitting the Crusaders against Fatimid Egypt.
Ten More Phrases that Originated in the Middle Ages
There are many phrases that we use in everyday life. Some of these were first spoken back in the Middle Ages.
Medieval Battle Injuries: What Archaeology Can Tell Us
Archaeology is transforming the way we understand medieval warfare. One way it is doing this is by revealing what kinds of injuries and wounds warriors received on the battlefield. Here are details from five sites showing how horrific warfare was in the Middle Ages.
How to Focus Like a Monk with Jamie Kreiner
We live in a world full of constant notifications, interruptions, and complications. If only we could get away from it all, the peace and quiet would allow us to concentrate. Or would it? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Jamie Kreiner about some new old strategies for concentration, courtesy of ancient and medieval monks.
New Medieval Books: Rewriting the First Crusade
This book focuses on letters that were written before, during, and just after the First Crusade. The analysis includes understanding which letters were genuine and which were fictitious.
Medieval horse cemetery reveals international equine trade
Archaeological analysis of a near-unique animal cemetery discovered in London nearly 30 years ago has revealed the international scale of horse trading by the elites of late medieval and Tudor England.
The Legend of Zaida, Princess of Seville
Natalie Mallat tells the story of Zaida, an 11th-century princess.
Discovery sheds new light on lost medieval Bristol landmark
The exact location of a long-lost stone cross erected by the 14th century that acted as a boundary marker to define the then city limits of Bristol, and which was also the site of a gallows which stood for hundreds of years, has been discovered by a historian from the University of Bristol.
New Medieval Books: The Book of Icelanders
The Book of Icelanders (Íslendingabók) by Ari Thorligsson is a twelfth-century history of Iceland, including its settlement, Christianization and its first bishops. This book includes the Old Norse text and two kinds of translation: a literal one and a regular English translation.
BooksAll posts
New Medieval Books: Alexandria
A history of this Egyptian metropolis from its founding by Alexander the Great to our own day. Close to a hundred pages are devoted to the medieval era.
New Medieval Books: The Wars of the Roses: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner
New Medieval Books: The Mongol Storm
New Medieval Books: Becoming a Witch
New Medieval Books: Weird Medieval Guys
New Medieval Books: The Borgarthing Law and the Eidsivathing Law
New Medieval Books: The Standard Language Ideology of the Hebrew and Arabic Grammarians of the ‘Abbasid Period
New Medieval Books: The Deorhord
Medievalists.net’s Featured Book: The Tale of Thorstein Staff Struck
Places to SeeAll posts
Örebro Castle: History, Secrets, and Romance
For anyone who visits Örebro, it is hard to miss its castle – an ancient-looking fortress made of weathered grey stones that stands on an islet in the middle of the city centre.
The Vasa: Gustav II Adolf’s Glorious and Doomed Warship
On the 10th of August 1628, the Vasa sank in Stockholm harbour, thus ending the career of the most powerful warship that Sweden had ever seen.
Uppsala Slott: 5 Things You Ought to Know About One of Sweden’s Greatest Castles
This strategic location not only makes the castle a majestic sight, but also earns it the reputation as the most modern defence fortress in its time. But, as all ancient buildings, there is always more than meets the eye. Here are the five things that you may not know about Uppsala Castle.
Making Your Mark: Medieval Masons’ Marks at Tarascon
How do you operate a business when you can’t read and your knowledge of math is extremely limited? Making your mark on the…
The Weird, the Wonderful, and the Macabre in the Cathedral of Narbonne
Narbonne is one of those European cities with evidence of its past on every street.
Medieval English Embroidery on Display for the Last Time at the V&A’s Opus Anglicanum Exhibit
The V&A Museum opened its latest medieval exhibit exhibit on Saturday: Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery. I had the opportunity to see it opening day and it was spectacular.