Where the Middle Ages Begin
The Middle Ages was a time in which people were closely tied to plants and their environment, deeply aware of their potential as a source of food, healing and beauty. Islamic gardens were especially known for their creativity and innovation. This week, Danièle speaks with D. Fairchild Ruggles about their cultural significance and the ingenious ways they were cultivated.
Two medieval items coming up for auction will probably be bought for a similar price. Which would you choose to have?
An early medieval necklace made of gold, garnets and semi-precious stones has been found by archaeologists working in central England. Dubbed the ‘Harpole Treasure’, this is being called an internationally significant discovery.
Two men buried in a medieval graveyard in Ireland had a genetic condition called Multiple Osteochondromas, which causes benign bone tumours. One of the disease mutations is a new discovery, so this is the first time such information has been unlocked from ancient genomic data.
The Middle Ages was a time in which people were closely tied to plants and their environment, deeply aware of their potential as a source of food, healing and beauty. Islamic gardens were especially known for their creativity and innovation. This week, Danièle speaks with D. Fairchild Ruggles about their cultural significance and the ingenious ways they were cultivated.
Two medieval items coming up for auction will probably be bought for a similar price. Which would you choose to have?
An early medieval necklace made of gold, garnets and semi-precious stones has been found by archaeologists working in central England. Dubbed the ‘Harpole Treasure’, this is being called an internationally significant discovery.
Two men buried in a medieval graveyard in Ireland had a genetic condition called Multiple Osteochondromas, which causes benign bone tumours. One of the disease mutations is a new discovery, so this is the first time such information has been unlocked from ancient genomic data.
Since ancient times, civilizations have feared fire, but of all the early attempts to use it as a controllable and effective weapon, none is as intriguing as the mysterious substance that today we call ‘Greek fire’.
Science cannot be used to prove a work of art is genuine, but it is possible to establish that an object is likely a forgery if the materials from which it is made are inconsistent with the time period and geography of its purported origin.
Stefania Gerevini walks you through a journey in the “Dark Age”, showing examples of how, indeed, light permeated Middle Age artistic production, scientific studies, and metaphysical theories.
Democracy has many roots, some of which are medieval.
The remains of two medieval merchant vessels, known as cogs, were discovered over the summer in western Sweden during an archaeological excavation. New evidence reveals that the ships were built outside of Scandinavia in the mid-14th century.
Not surprisingly, the crusades were full of headstrong and heavily armed soldiers who were hard to police.
From magi to holly – a look at the magical aspects of Christmas celebrations.
A popular sport in the Viking Age, knattleikr could often be more than just a game.
Our Book of the Month for December is Then She Endures Like the Tree: Marie de France’s The Ash Tree (Le Fresne) and Honeysuckle (Chevrefoil), translated by Katharine Margot Toohey.
A conversation with Leslie Brubaker on the first period of Byzantine iconoclasm (ca. 730 to 787 AD). What was the problem with religious icons? What did the “Isaurian” emperors Leon III and Konstantinos V try to do about it, and why? A great deal of what we used to know, largely by following pro-icon sources, has come undone in the latest research.
A series of secret drawings and writings possibly added by a mysterious female scribe have been uncovered in a manuscript over 1,200 years old.
New evidence, helping to form a 15th-century reconstruction of part of Westminster Abbey, demonstrates how a section of the building was once the focus for the royal family’s devotion to the cult of a disemboweled saint and likely contained gruesome images of his martyrdom.
In the mid-1990s, a little movie called Braveheart introduced a whole new generation to Scotland’s fight for freedom in the Middle Ages. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Iain MacInnes about Scotland’s Wars of Independence, why a sovereign kingdom had to fight for independence in the first place, and why the story doesn’t end with the Battle of Bannockburn.
What happened to the Picts and why does is story of early medieval Scotland so difficult to tell? In this episode of Scotichronicast, Kate Buchanan is joined by Alex Woolf to talk studying Scottish history in the Early Middle Ages.
Although borderland spaces and cannibalistic monsters were a problem for Christian hegemonic discourse, ultimately, they were able to resolve this by asserting God’s omnipresence, discernible in these spaces, and the possibility of conversion to Christianity and whiteness.
During the Reformation, countless works of art within churches were destroyed or obscured. At St Albans Cathedral they use light projection to restore four medieval paintings.
“This is quite an exceptional find. Finding this big a treasure from the Viking Age hasn’t happened in Norway for a long time.”
Murder in a time of perpetual war seems faintly ridiculous.
An archaeological dig in northern England is uncovering a high-status medieval farm that had close links to the Cistercian monastery. The finds have included jet rosary beads, pottery and glazed tiles.
A look at the events and history of Iceland between the ninth and fifteenth centuries.
Our Book of the Month for December is Then She Endures Like the Tree: Marie de France’s The Ash Tree (Le Fresne) and Honeysuckle (Chevrefoil), translated by Katharine Margot Toohey.
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.
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.
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.
How do you operate a business when you can’t read and your knowledge of math is extremely limited? Making your mark on the…
Narbonne is one of those European cities with evidence of its past on every street.
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.