10 Medieval Jobs That No Longer Exist
Ten medieval jobs that have been made redundant, mostly because of changing technology.
Latest Posts
10 Medieval Jobs That No Longer Exist
Ten medieval jobs that have been made redundant, mostly because of changing technology.
Milk: Does a Viking Good?
For more adventures in weird “Viking” food, this month we’re delving deeper into the history of Viking Age and medieval Scandinavia and their culture of milk-drinking.
Medieval Geopolitics: Could King Richard have captured Jerusalem during the Third Crusade?
What if Richard had pressed his attack in December 1191? Would the city have fallen to the crusaders? Or would the Christian host have smashed itself to pieces on the walls of the Holy City?
How the borders of Venice changed in the Middle Ages
A video showing how the borders of the Venetian Republic changed between the years 697 and 1797 AD.
Medieval whisky still discovered in Scotland
A medieval structure, believed to be the remains of one of the oldest whisky stills ever discovered, has been unearthed at Lindores Abbey.…
Celebrating Hanukkah in the Middle Ages
While Purim and Hanukkah in the Middle Ages already focused attention on two stellar women of Jewish history, Esther and Judith, the mode of celebration centered on the efforts of contemporary Jewish women as well!
900-year-old treasure hoard discovered in Caesarea
The Israeli Antiquities Authority has announced the discovery of a medieval treasure hoard, consisting of a small bronze pot holding 24 gold coins and a gold earring.
The nature of war and its impact on society during the Barons’ War, 1264-67
This thesis examines the nature of war and its impact on society in the English civil war, known as the Barons’ War, which was waged from 1264-67 between King Henry III and a baronial opposition led by Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester.
Drinking Sorrow and Bathing in Bliss: Liquid Emotions in Chaucer
This paper explores the different uses of liquidity to represent emotions in Chaucer’s writing, and especially in Troilus and Criseyde
Familia inquisitionis: a study on the inquisitors’ entourage (XIII-XIV centuries)
It is inquisitors that sell, these days: marketing builds upon visual imagination and curiosity, but is also driven by some sort of fascination with these controversial and ultimately incomprehensible individuals who pursued religious non-conformity as a crime.
How the borders of Wessex changed in the Anglo-Saxon Era
Tracking the development of the Kingdom of Wessex between the years 495 and 927.
Watch a medieval scholar work: Florus of Lyon reads Augustine
Only every once in a while, does enough material remain to truly bring to life a person who is long gone. This is the real deal, and when it comes along, historians, paleographers, and editors alike rejoice.
After 65 years, report on Scottish castle excavation published
65 years ago Brian Hope-Taylor led an archaeological excavation of a motte-and-bailey castle in southwestern Scotland. The report on that research has just been published.
London archaeologists discover medieval skeleton with his boots still on
Archaeologists working along the River Thames in London have discovered the remains of a late-medieval man, still wearing thigh-high leather boots.
Fur trade may have spread the Black Death through Europe, study finds
Commercial trade routes, including the fur trade routes, would have contributed to the rapid spread of the Black Death and other epidemics throughout Europe.
What does ice from the Alps tell us about coins in the 7th century?
A new study has found ground-breaking evidence from an ice core in the Swiss-Italian Alps that proves the 7th century switch from gold to silver currencies in western Europe actually occurred a quarter of a century earlier than previously thought.
5 Things to Know about the Richest Person in History
Here are five things to know about Jakob Fugger, the richest person in history, who had a networth of $400 billion.
Wartime Corruption and Complaints of the English Peasantry
The late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries witnessed a great military transformation, one that heavily affected the peasantry in ways it had not before.
The ritual recycling of Roman building material in late 4th- and early 5th-century Britain
This article examines the widespread late- and post-Roman practice in Britain of including recycled Roman building material in ritual activities, especially in closure deposits made in wells.
The Official Capital Ship of Yuan Dynasty and Yang Shu: Chinese Navigation in the Indian Ocean before Zheng He
In short, the Official Capital Ship policy is implemented from 1284‐1285 (6 months), 1298‐1303 (6 years),
and 1314‐1320 (7 years). It lasted 14 years in total over three periods with intervals in between.
The Celestial Element; Light As The Integral Component In Circassian Mamluk Religions Architecture
My research was actually to do with the study of interior lighting in Circassian Mamluk religious architecture.
Restoring Lost Songs from Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy
Four videos from the project Restoring Lost Songs: Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, which attempts to reconstruct the medieval songs included in Boethius’ De consolatione philosophiae.
Ahead of His Time: Mansa Mūsā and the Poli-Poetics of Dynastic Memory
The actual history of West Africa however could not be more divergent from occidental myths in fact West Africa was a region in motion politically, socially, culturally and perpetually so during the Common Era, if not before.
How the borders of Iberia changed in the Middle Ages
Three videos that detail the changing borders in Iberia during the medieval period.
BooksAll posts
New Medieval Books: Cyber Monday Edition
Looking for the perfect medieval book? Here are five offerings for you to consider.
New Medieval Books: From the 8th to the 21st century
New Medieval Books: From Ireland to China
New Medieval Books: From Jousting to Mathematics
Y Gododdin, the Votadini and Arthurian Legend
Which translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms should I read?
New Medieval Books: Word on the Street Edition
Working in the Middle Ages: The Medieval Clothier
Book Reviews: Medieval Studies and the Ghost Stories of M. R. James / Four Ghost Stories
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. This important Roman city was adopted in the…
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.
