Medievalists.net » Material Culture http://www.medievalists.net Where the Middle Ages Begin Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:35:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.9 Book Talk: Ivory Vikings, by Nancy Marie Brown http://www.medievalists.net/2015/11/21/book-talk-ivory-vikings-by-nancy-marie-brown/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/11/21/book-talk-ivory-vikings-by-nancy-marie-brown/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:44:54 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=62681 Nancy Marie Brown speaking on her new book Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them, at Cornell University on October 15, 2015

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/11/21/book-talk-ivory-vikings-by-nancy-marie-brown/feed/ 0 Gargoyles: Mysterious Monsters of the Middle Ages http://www.medievalists.net/2015/10/31/gargoyles-mysterious-monsters-of-the-middle-ages/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/10/31/gargoyles-mysterious-monsters-of-the-middle-ages/#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2015 04:32:24 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=62181 I love gargoyles. While there are so many beautiful pieces of sculpture that have survived the Middle Ages, like so many people, I’m drawn to those strange and ugly funny faces, not least of all because I can’t figure out what they’re for.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/10/31/gargoyles-mysterious-monsters-of-the-middle-ages/feed/ 0 The Vikings and clothing accessories they brought home http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/29/the-vikings-and-clothing-accessories-they-brought-home/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/29/the-vikings-and-clothing-accessories-they-brought-home/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2015 19:22:24 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=61430 New study on the use of imported objects in Viking Age Scandinavia

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/29/the-vikings-and-clothing-accessories-they-brought-home/feed/ 0 Curse or Blessing: What’s in the Magic Bowl? http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/19/curse-or-blessing-whats-in-the-magic-bowl/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/19/curse-or-blessing-whats-in-the-magic-bowl/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2015 22:00:04 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=61152 I intend to look at magic bowls in order to see how and for what purpose they were used, and to get a glimpse at the way they worked and what hidden treasures can be found within them.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/19/curse-or-blessing-whats-in-the-magic-bowl/feed/ 0 Telling the Story of the Ivory Vikings http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/13/telling-the-story-of-the-ivory-vikings/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/13/telling-the-story-of-the-ivory-vikings/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2015 01:51:50 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=61047 One book leads to the next. It's a truism among writers, and particularly apt for explaining how my latest book, Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them, published by St Martin's Press in September, came to be.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/13/telling-the-story-of-the-ivory-vikings/feed/ 0 Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/08/ivory-vikings-the-mystery-of-the-most-famous-chessmen-in-the-world-and-the-woman-who-made-them/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/08/ivory-vikings-the-mystery-of-the-most-famous-chessmen-in-the-world-and-the-woman-who-made-them/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2015 18:31:34 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=60911 Read an excerpt from the latest book by Nancy Marie Brown

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/09/08/ivory-vikings-the-mystery-of-the-most-famous-chessmen-in-the-world-and-the-woman-who-made-them/feed/ 0 How a Medieval Bed Should Look Like http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/23/how-a-medieval-bed-should-look-like/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/23/how-a-medieval-bed-should-look-like/#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2015 18:09:10 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=60549 One of the most important pieces of a furniture in the medieval home was the bed - it would not only be the place to sleep and have sex, but also where one would give birth and often where people would have their last moments.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/23/how-a-medieval-bed-should-look-like/feed/ 0 Broaching the subject: the geometry of Anglo-Saxon composite brooches http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/14/broaching-the-subject-the-geometry-of-anglo-saxon-composite-brooches/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/14/broaching-the-subject-the-geometry-of-anglo-saxon-composite-brooches/#comments Sat, 15 Aug 2015 04:41:27 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=60394 The glittering and gleaming artifacts that can be found in Anglo-Saxon archaeological sites capture the imagination, conjuring up images of a warrior culture that displayed its wealth through wearable objects.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/14/broaching-the-subject-the-geometry-of-anglo-saxon-composite-brooches/feed/ 0 Portable Christianity: Relics in the Medieval West (c.700–1200) http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/07/portable-christianity-relics-in-the-medieval-west-c-700-1200/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/07/portable-christianity-relics-in-the-medieval-west-c-700-1200/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2015 05:28:56 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=60225 Relics thus typify the characteristic dynamic of medieval Christianity—a repeated refreshing and renewing of an ancient tradition that was endlessly culturally creative.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/07/portable-christianity-relics-in-the-medieval-west-c-700-1200/feed/ 0 Sewing as Authority in the Middle Ages http://www.medievalists.net/2015/04/19/sewing-as-authority-in-the-middle-ages/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/04/19/sewing-as-authority-in-the-middle-ages/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2015 05:52:17 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=57693 Analysing manuscripts, relics, indulgences, and even a bishop’s mitre, the article argues that stitching was a way to enact, or intensify, the ritual purpose of objects, whether that was ceremonial, devotional, or authoritative.

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