Black Death DNA found in teeth
Remnants of the genetic makeup of plague bacteria have been found in thousands of victims of the Black Death and the major plague epidemics at the end of the Iron Age. The DNA analyses may predict the next plague outbreak.
The ‘Madness’ of King John
As we approach the eight hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, Euryn Roberts asks whether king John really was a ‘devil incarnate’, or just an energetic, ambitious monarch who was prepared to go to extremes to secure his rights?
This Week in Medieval Manuscript Images
From Magna Carta to #LeftShark – 44 images from the Middle Ages found on Twitter this week.
Roman identity in Byzantium: a critical approach
The main lines of thinking in the research on medieval Eastern Roman identity could be roughly summarized as follows: The first, extensively influenced by the retrospective Modern Greek national discourse, approaches this identity as the medieval form of the perennial Greek national identity.
Medieval Manuscripts: The Universal Atlas of Fernão Vaz Dourado
Vaz Dourado authored at least four different nautical atlases, each of them including 20 maps, painted between 1568 and 1580, which is to say at the pinnacle of Portuguese cartography.
The Medievalverse, Issue 2
Our second issue of The Medievalverse Digital Magazine
715 year old copy of Magna Carta discovered
The document, which is heavily damaged, could still be worth as much as £10 million.
Medieval Maps of Britain
How did people depict England, Scotland and Wales in the Middle Ages? Here are 15 images of maps created between the 11th and 16th centuries, which shows how maps developed over history.
The Great Wind of 1362
Some of the most vivid accounts we have from the Middle Ages are those that detail calamities and natural disasters. Such was the case when a massive winter storm struck northwestern Europe on January 15, 1362. In England this event would be called ‘The Great Wind’.
The Role of the Dead in Medieval Iceland: A Case Study of Eyrbyggja Saga
In this article I intend to discuss the role of the malevolent restless dead in medieval Iceland by making a case study of the so-called wonders of Fróðá, the Fróðárundr episode in Eyrbyggja saga.
Beyond the Walls: Walled Cities of Medieval France
This project began with the intention of understanding the modern significance of medieval walled cities in France; some were torn down, some remain in pieces, and some were perfectly restored.
The Auchinleck Manuscript: A Study in Manuscript Production, Scribal Innovation, and Literary Value in the Early 14th Century
The Auchinleck Manuscript (National Library of Scotland Advocates MS. 19.2.1) has presented tantalizing mysteries for scholars for several centuries because the 334 extant folios of the Auchinleck Manuscript have not left solid evidence as to its provenance, date, scribes, master artist, or patron.
Grendel and Cain’s Descendants
The figure of Cain, the first rebel against the Lord and murderer of kin, acted as a particularly significant link in identifying ancient belief with the new faith through his descendant Grendel
Mothers of the Empire: Empresses Zoe and Theodora on a Byzantine Medallion Cycle
This study examines Byzantine enamel medallions of the 11th century that represent empresses in encounters with holy figures.
New Movie: Outcast
Being released today in theatres in North America, as well as on Video-on-Demand, Outcast is set in medieval China and stars Nicholas Cage and Hayden Christensen.
A Hagiographical Reading of Egils saga
When the literary presentation of the character of Egill is examined carefully with an eye toward the hagiographical paradigm, one can see that it matches the presentation of a bishop’s life and character…
Canterbury Cathedral by the Numbers
From 1 to 1,001,266, the story of the Canterbury Cathedral.
The Troubadours, Part II: Ladies in Love
Like many people – if not most – I had heard about the troubadours, but I had no idea that the tradition included women.
10 Cool Medieval Things to See at the Musée de Cluny
I just visited Muée de Cluny this week while in Paris and picked out a few fabulous items you might want to check out on your next visit to this amazing medieval museum!
The pre-Conquest charters of Christ Church, Canterbury
This thesis comprises a study of all the records of the archbishop and chapter of Canterbury that purport to belong to the period before the Norman Conquest.
Original Magna Carta copy belonged to Canterbury Cathedral, historian finds
There are only four surviving copies of the original Magna Carta from 1215. One these originals has now been identified as first belonging to Canterbury Cathedral.
Call for Papers: Power of the Bishop in Western Europe 1000-1300: Episcopal Personalities
Cardiff University is pleased to announce the up-coming symposium on the episcopal office in the Middle Ages, to be held 10-12 June 2015.
Saltpetre in medieval gunpowder: Calcium or Potassium Nitrate?
Until recently, it has been accepted that the formulation of gunpowder has always been based on variable mixtures of charcoal, sulphur and potassium nitrate. This has recently been challenged.
This Game We Play – capturing the SCA over three years
Photographer Euan Forrester spent three years following the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) to better understand about the organization and the people who…
Popular Vikings: constructions of Viking identity in twentieth century Britain
Although the Viking Age ended nearly a millennium ago, today Viking images are everywhere, functioning as tourist attractions, marketing devices, role models, and sources of regional/national pride and identity.