The Use of Mercury against Pediculosis in the Renaissance: The Case of Ferdinand II of Aragon, King of Naples, 1467–96
The hair samples of Ferdinand II of Aragon (1467–1496), King of Naples, whose mummy is preserved in the Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples, showed a high content of mercury, with a value of 827ppm.
The Liturgies of Cistercian Nuns in Medieval England
This paper was the second in a series of papers on English Cistercians at Kalamazoo. It focused on the lack of liturgical evidence in Cistercian nunneries.
The World West of Iceland in Medieval Icelandic Oral Tradition
The Greenland of the sagas was a unique and at times strange place, lying somewhere on the boundary between the known, familiar Norse world, and an unfamiliar, exotic sphere beyond.
The hanging of William Cragh: anatomy of a miracle
On Monday 12 November 1291, Welsh rebels, William Cragh and Traharn ap Howel, were dragged from the dungeons of Swansea Castle and hanged on the nearby gallows. That, by all reason, should have been the end of the story – except that it was not.
How did medieval Europeans deal with Greek debt? They sacked their capital city
The real reason for the diversion to Constantinople in 1203 by the Venetians and the crusaders, and for their subsequent attack on the imperial capital in 1204, was a simpler and, in their minds, increasingly pressing concern: the payment of outstanding debts
Aereld of Rievaulx and the Creation of An Anglo Saxon Past
This paper summary is part of a session on English Cistercians and focused on Aelred of Rievaulx and the abbey of Hexum.
Fuck This: On Finally Letting Go (A Roundtable)
A summary of the controversial “Fuck This” session at Kalamazoo.
“A Fragment Detached”: The Hobbit and The Silmarillion
This summary is a brief explanation of a paper that focused on the influences of The Hobbit, and The Hobbit in contrast with The Silmarillion.
Religious and Scientific Duality of Thought: How Ibn Rushd and al-Ghazili Set the Agenda for Medieval Scholastic Debates
Ibn Rushd’s response to al-Ghazili ’s rather specious use of logic introduces the differentiation of religious and “scientific” or philosophical truths: an important, necessary, and previously unarticulated distinction which reverberated in the cathedrals and universities of Europe and which remains relevant for contemporary thinkers faced with similar dilemmas.
Azodi Hospital and University in Shiraz (10th – 14th Century AD)
Hospitals have a long history throughout the history of medicine. First hospitals are originated from Persia in ancient times in the Sassanid Dynasty (2nd to 6th century AD).
Mythic Transformations: Tree Symbolism in the Norse Plantation
This thesis explores tree symbolism as interpreted from a selection of Old Norse poetic and prose mythological sources.
Full Metal Jousting – Review of SE01 EP07 – “A Killing Machine”
The seventh exciting episode of Full Metal Jousting!
Archaeologists to examine underground chamber in medieval church
A mysterious chamber buried beneath the central part of St Winwaloe’s Church at East Portlemouth in southwest England will be examined by archaeologists thanks to a grant of £12,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fun
The Mythology of Magic in The Hobbit: Tolkien and Andrew Lang’s Red Fairy Book “Story of Sigurd”
This paper was part of the Tolkien at Kalamazoo sessions.
The Lexis of Building in Wood in Bilingual Medieval England
The medieval literatures of England, in English, Anglo-Norman French, and Latin, make frequent references to the necessities of life such as shelter, food and clothing, but always in passing.
Prayer in Peasant Communities: Ideals and Practices of Prayer in the Late Medieval Ecclesiastical Province of Uppsala, Sweden
The most ordinary way to act during prayer was to stand with hands together, palm against palm, and to pray in the vernacular often using mental themes to enhance the devotion.
The introduction and use of the pavise in the Hundred Years War
When the Genoese had all been brought together and put in order, and after they had begun to approach their enemy, they started to shout as loud as they could to frighten the English.
Total St Gall: Medieval Monastery as a Disciplinary Institution
How much was a medieval monastery reminiscent of a modern prison? Or insane asylum?
Iron and sulphur compounds threaten old shipwrecks
Sulphur and iron compounds have now been found in shipwrecks both in the Baltic and off the west coast of Sweden.
What Can Historians Do with Clerical Masculinity? Lessons from Medieval Europe
Clerical masculinity, the subject of this volume, has the power to revitalize connections between modern and premodern histories.
The Prince, the Park, and the Prey: Hunting in and around Milan in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries
Cristina Arrigoni-Martelli of York University examines the efforts made by the Dukes of Milan during the later Middle Ages to take part in one of the most popular activities of European aristocrats – hunting.
Ten Fascinating Facts About Hildegard Von Bingen
In 2012 Pope Benedict XVI made it official: An 11th century Benedictine nun named Hildegard Von Bingen—mystic, writer, musician, philosopher and naturalist—was proclaimed a saint.
Thousands of Irish Medieval Documents now available online
Trinity College Dublin historians have reconstructed invaluable medieval documents destroyed during the bombardment of the Four Courts in 1922.
Reasons for hiding Viking Age hack silver hoards
The Viking Age was the period of extremely intensive deposition of metals in the history of Europe. The hoards deposited at that time contain in most cases hacked silver scraps.
The Borgias – Review of SE02 EP06 “Day of Ashes”
‘Trust me, my name is Borgia’ ~ Cesare Borgia