Alcohol and its Consumption in Medieval Cairo: The Story of a Habit
Through the ages of Cairene history the alcoholic beverages, entangled in political and religious developments, depended more on prevailing doctrinal currents than on people’s habitual or taste inclinations. Therefore, the story of these beverages’ consumption is – not surprisingly – a turbulent one.
‘God helped thee; The eagle got food afresh’: Norse Crusaders and the Pleasure of Killing
The men of the north are often depicted in the Norse sagas as taking great pleasure in killing, even doing it for no good reason
Image and Meaning in the Floral Borders of the Hours of Catherine of Cleves
The Book of Hours of Catherine of Cleves, produced in the Netherlands in the early 15th century, is one of the most beautiful and complex manuscripts of the late Middle Ages.
Reflections on Our Fascination with Vikings and What It Tells Us about How We Engage with the Past
What drives our fascination with these people who lived so long ago, about whom we know relatively little and yet who my students see very clearly and definitively?
Which of these Historical Events Never Happened?
Think you know your history? Find out which events really happened here!
How did medieval seafarers turn trees into boat parts?
In this video, Professor Jon Adams of the University of Southampton explains the techniques by which shipwrights have converted the trees of the forest into the components of the boats in which people eventually sailed around the world.
Ten Castles that Made Medieval Britain: Dover Castle
Resolute and vigilant, Dover Castle yet stands guard above its ancient charge, the port of Dover. Of all the facets and functions that the castle performed in medieval society, Dover personifies its most commonly remembered and perhaps fundamental aspect, as a stronghold and place of security.
Get Your Next Tote Bag from Medievalists.net!
Buy a Medievalists.net Tote Bag from Cafe Press for $12.99
Investigating a Murder: The Case of the Justinianic Plague in Scythia Minor
The study beforehand applies a logical scheme of analysis over a possible presence of the Justinianic plague in the province of Scythia Minor.
King Sverre on Drunkenness
Sverre Sigurdsson, a medieval King of Norway, tells his followers about the dangers of overdrinking.
BOOK REVIEW: Genoa ‘La Superba’: The Rise and Fall of a Merchant Pirate Superpower by Nicholas Walton
While most books about Italy have been dedicated to tourist hubs like Milan, Florence, Rome, Sicily and Venice, Genoa with its rich history, rugged landscape, and tenacious residents, has been given only a passing mention.
Liber Monstrorum: The Book of Monsters
If there’s anything we have in common with our medieval ancestors, it’s our love of monsters.
Fourteenth-Century Weaponry, Armour and Warfare in Chaucer and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
This essay attempts to re-appraise selected passages of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from a wider military historical and archaeological perspective.
Twelve Thousand Cooks and a Muhtasib: Some Remarks on Food Business in Medieval Cairo
The meals offered by street cooks were probably lacking in subtleness and elegancy if compared to the specialties served by the “caliphs’ kitchen” or by the Arabic-Islamic haute cuisine whose recipes were written down in the cookbooks for the elites
Miyazaki’s Medieval World: Japanese Medievalism and the Rise of Anime
Hayao Miyazaki’s films always present vibrant worlds full of lush, colorful landscapes, characters, and fantastic, even mythic adventures.
Cat Pics from the Middle Ages
Cat pics existed in the Middle Ages as well.
Which Ancient Warrior Are You?
Ever wondered what kind of warrior you’d have been in the past? A stoic Samurai? A ferocious Viking? Find out!
Portable Christianity: Relics in the Medieval West (c.700–1200)
Relics thus typify the characteristic dynamic of medieval Christianity—a repeated refreshing and renewing of an ancient tradition that was endlessly culturally creative.
Mosaics discovered at Byzantine-era Synagogue in Israel
Excavations of a medieval synagogue in Israel dating to the Byzantine period (4th—7th c. CE) have uncovered a partially-preserved colorful mosaic floor.
Fear – Elements of Slavic ‘Psychological Warfare’ in the context of selected Late Roman Sources
The study covered 6th century historical sources depicting the fighting methods of the Slavs. A more in-depth analysis focused on the issue of fear in relation to group conformism, described in detail in Strategikon
Against the Currents of His Day: Brittany, Louis the Pious, and Elite Insurrection
During Louis the Pious’s 36-year reign, he spent much of his time convening assemblies, securing his borders, and trying to govern his empire, rather than conquering and expanding aggressively as his father and grandfather, Charlemagne and Pepin, had done.
Horn Iconography as Found in the Grand Medieval Bestiary
Given at the 47th International Horn Symposium, on August 4, 2015
The Diverse Pedagogies of Medievalism
This roundtable explored some of the many pedagogies of medievalism in the modern academy. To what purposes is medievalism taught, and how? Using what texts and in what contexts?
How Well Do You Know the 10th Century?
From Vikings to churchmen (and women) – Here are ten questions to challenge your knowledge of the 10th century.
Ten Castles that Made Medieval Britain: Pembroke Castle
While Caernarvon was the ultimate manifestation of Anglo-Norman occupied Wales wrought into stone and mortar, Pembroke was its beating heart. Today ensconced upon a spur of rock, the Cleddau estuary flowing gently by, Pembroke Castle stands still, its long shadow silent and serene.