A Climate for Crusades? Weather, climate and armed pilgrimage to the Holy Land (11th–14th Century)
The crusaders found themselves confronted not only with foreign cultures and violent armed resistance, but also with an alien natural environment and climatic conditions that could prove to be sometimes just as fatal as the arrows of the enemy.
Book Review: Dangerous Women, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
The twenty-one story anthology features a wide array of modern and historical fiction, sci-fi and fantasy.
Did Orderic Vitalis Have a Concept of Violence?
When Orderic writes that something happened violently, it was because he was expressing a judgment on whether or not this was a legitimate use of force.
Crisis of Legitimacy: Honorius, Galla Placidia, and the Struggles for Control of the Western Roman Empire, 405-425 C.E.
This dissertation offers a new analytical narrative of the years from 405 to 425 C.E., a period which extends from the final phase of the general Stilicho’s control over the administration of the emperor Honorius
Viking slaves were beheaded and buried as grave gifts, archaeological find suggests
An archaeological research project on the northern Norwegian island of Flakstad has revealed new details about the lives and deaths of people who live during the Viking era
Book Review: The Donation Of Constantine: A Novel, by Simon LeVay
Love conquers all. Even the Donation of Constantine.
Saint Lucy’s Day: A Light in a Dark Time
Scandinavian and Sicilian girls eagerly await the arrival of Saint Lucy on 13 December.
Janos Hunyadi: Preventing the Ottomans from Conquering Western Europe in the Fifteenth Century
By using his experiences gained in the condottiere wars in Italy and in the Hussite Wars in Bohemia, he was able to defend the Hungarian borders, and successfully attacked the Turks on their territory
Fantasy Books for Christmas!
For those of you who want something a little more magical under the tree this Christmas – here are a few new 2013 fantasy releases!
Can medieval drugs help modern patients?
Were medieval drugs effective at helping patients? Can modern pharmaceuticals make use of their knowledge?
Antimicrobial assays of three native British plants used in Anglo-Saxon medicine for wound healing formulations in 10th century England
Three important Anglo-Saxon medical texts from the 10th century contain herbal formulations for over 250 plant species, many of which have yet to be evaluated for their phytochemical and/or pharmacological properties.
The Zaccaria Deal: Contracts and options to fund a Genoese shipment of alum to Bruges in 1298
This paper analyses one of the most fascinating late medieval commercial contracts. Some have advanced that it is was the first ever written maritime insurance.
Call for Papers: Making Knowledge in Medieval and Early Modern Culture
Conference to be held at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill from April 4th-5th, 2014.
Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
While the first film was mostly criticized for its divergences from the novel, in this second instalment they usually prove to be an improvement.
Art on the edge: hair and hands in Renaissance Italy
This paper argues that items designed for the bodily extremities such as hair-coverings, hats, fans and other accessories were valued for the ease with which they could be changed and adapted to express a range of different meanings: political, social and individual.
Imagination For Better Not Worse: The Hobbit in the primary classroom
The story of The Hobbit can be utilised to develop the concept of the Hero’s Journey, a persistent trope in oral and recorded literature and an archetype for virtually all human experience.
Medieval Myth-Busting at the Movies
The five of the most common myths about the Middle Ages from the movies, busted.
The Story of James V, King of Scotland
James’ rule was to be dominated in foreign policy by shifting alliances between Scotland and France, England, the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy. At home, his kingdom was fractured.
Book of Aneirin put online by National Library of Wales
The Book of Aneirin, one of the most important literary works from medieval Wales, can now be freely viewed online.
Eleventh-century villa discovered in Israel
Archaeologists working near the central-Israeli city of Ramla have discovered the remains of an eleventh-century villa that had its own garden fountain.
Early Medieval collection at British Museum to get upgrade
After nearly 30 years, the room showcasing the early medieval collection at the British Museum will be getting a renovation.
Tolkien’s The Hobbit: Bilbo’s Quest for Identity and Maturity
Notwithstanding the fact that The Hobbit was generally relegated to children literature, its individual layers should be scrutinised more profoundly because it may help the understanding of the human psyche.
A Medieval Christmas: Such Splendid Sight Was Never Seen
Take in this medieval play in Toronto on Friday December 13th and Saturday, December 14th
Medieval England map on Google Maps
Google and National Geographic are teaming up to share over 500 of the maps created by National Geographic Magazine.
Depicting the Medieval Alchemical Cosmos: George Ripley’s Wheel of Inferior Astronomy
Alchemical writing often develops the idea of a physical or analogical correspondence between heaven and earth: a relationship most fre- quently and conveniently expressed by the use of the seven planetary symbols (Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) to denote the seven metals (usually gold, silver, quicksilver, copper, iron, tin and lead respectively).