How the Hashimite Revolution became the Abbasid Revolution
In 750 the Umayyad caliphal dynasty was overthrown by a popular revolution that had its origins in the eastern regions of the Muslim world, primarily in Khurasan.
Medieval wall paintings at risk, English Heritage says
England’s painted past is at risk, English Heritage warned last month, as the charity revealed the catalogue of threats causing the country’s precious wall paintings to deteriorate and decay.
New method for archaeologists to examine bones discovered
Archaeologists and those studying human remains from the Middle Ages and other periods may soon have a new method to examine bones, which will leave these remains undamaged.
New Medieval Books: Early Medieval Britain
Five new books that look at England, Scotland and Wales in the Early Middle Ages
Sports in Medieval London
Fitzstephen takes the time to show us medieval Londoners in all their human glory, enjoying themselves in the time they have off.
International Relation’s Medieval-Sovereignty Debate: Three Rival Approaches
When did a recognizably modern concept of sovereignty first emerge in Europe? Historically, can we point to a medieval idea of sovereignty? If so, how did this historically specific idea of sovereignty differ from its modern counterpart?
Wise Words from the 9th century
The Jewels of Speech and the Pearls of Wisdom has over two thousand pieces of wisdom. Here are our twenty favourites.
Medieval Manuscripts: Psalterium Sancti Ruperti
Imagine writing a readable text on the pages of a book the size of a matchbox. This is the task the bookmakers of the Psalterium Sancti Ruperti were entrusted with.
Medieval masterpiece by Cimabue discovered in France
A lost masterpiece by the medieval artist Cimabue has been discovered near Paris, France. It will be going up for auction next month and is expected to sell for up to €6 million.
New Light on the Battle of Stirling Bridge
The Battle of Stirling Bridge, in 1297, was the first major victory of the Scottish Wars of Independence. Did high tides help to defeat the English?
The First Christian Rus’ Generation: Contextualizing the Black Sea Events of 1016, 1024 and 1043
What caused the largely naval wars of 1016, 1024 and 1043 which involved commanders and rulers of Rus’ and Byzantium? Have modern interpretations of these events done justice to them?
Medieval Africa at the Aga Khan Museum
The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada has unveiled a new exhibition: Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange Across Medieval Saharan Africa. Danièle took in the exhibition and spoke with Michael Chagnon, the Curator of the museum. They talk about medieval Africa, its connections with the wider world, and what you can see at the Aga Khan Museum.
Few people from the British Isles participated in the First Crusade, historian finds
Chroniclers of the First Crusade often noted the diversity of the people who took part in the campaign to capture Jerusalem at the end of the eleventh-century. Among the long lists of groups they mentioned include the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. However, a new article shows that participation from the British Isles was very slim.
Do you want to help transcribe a medieval manuscript?
University of Birmingham researchers are calling for members of the public to help them transcribe one of the most important manuscripts of the Estoria de Espanna, a key medieval Spanish history.
Book of the Month Club: The Bayeux Tapestry: New Interpretations
Our next book in the Book of the Month Club will be The Bayeux Tapestry: New Interpretations, edited by Martin K. Foys, Karen Eileen Overbey and Dan Terkla.
New Medieval Books: Emperors, Philosophers, Mystics, Bandits and Guilds
Five new books about the medieval world, taking us from the Byzantine Empire to fields of Japan.
Early Medieval Art: A Short Guide
A guide to Anglo-Saxon, Byzantine, Carolingian, Chinese, Indian, Viking and Visigothic art from the Early Middle Ages.
O Fortuna: The story of the one the great poems (and songs) of the Middle Ages
What comes to mind when you think of medieval music?
Medieval Africa spotlighted in new exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum
An often unheralded part of the medieval world will be the focus of a new exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada. Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time opens on September 21st, and will showcase dozens of fascinating pieces highlighting the African continent during the Middle Ages.
Medieval Manuscripts: The Lorsch Gospels
This week, Facsimile Finder unveils one of the richest manuscripts of Carolingian art – the Lorsch Gospels – a volume that Charlemagne himself may have held in his hands.
Medieval Property Investors, ca. 1300–1500
The subject of this article is the role of freehold land and property in the developing commercial economy of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
The Forgotten Battle of Bevershoutsveld, May 3, 1382: Technological Innovation and Military Significance
It may have been at Bevershoutsveld where gunpowder weapons first decided the outcome of a battle.
A thirteenth-century theory of speech
Robert Grosseteste (c.1175–1253) was a celebrated medieval thinker, who, as well as writing on philosophy and theology, developed an impressive corpus of treatises on the natural world.
Around the Barbarian Sea: Settlements and Outcomes in the Early Medieval Baltic
The Viking towns of Birka, Kaupang, Hedeby and Ribe have captured the imagination of archaeologists and the public alike, presenting the lives of their enigmatic inhabitants.
