New issue of Medieval World focuses on Women in Charge
Issue 3 of Medieval World: Culture & Conflict looks at the roles of women in the Middle Ages!
What Did Medieval Slavery Look Like? New research reveals how art was not imitating reality
Why were artists in later medieval Iberia consistently depicting enslaved people as having dark skin and coming from sub-Saharan Africa during a time when Black slaves were a small minority in this society?
Call for Papers: Easter in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages
We at Medievalists.net are teaming up with the journal After Constantine and the Orthodox Academy of Crete to host a one-day conference on Easter in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Medieval cog discovered off the coast of Sweden
A previously undiscovered shipwreck has been found off the west coast of Sweden. Dating back to the 13th century, it is one of the oldest cogs to be found in Europe.
Edinburgh Castle to become a ‘Castle of Light’
Edinburgh Castle will transform into a ‘Kingdom of Colours’ in November and December as the Scottish capital’s most iconic landmark is illuminated with state-of-the-art projections to highlight stories from Scotland’s history.
‘Forgotten archive’ of medieval books and manuscripts discovered in Romanian church
A team of researchers in Romania has discovered over 200 books and manuscripts in a church in Mediaș. It includes dozens of early printed works and manuscript fragments dating back to as early as the 9th century.
Hilary Mantel, award-winning novelist, passes away
Hilary Mantel, the author of the 2009 novel Wolf Hall and other works of historical fiction, has passed away at the age of 70. She is being widely praised as one of the best British novelists of her time.
Astronomers use Byzantine chronicles to learn about the Earth’s rotation
Japanese researchers investigated Byzantine texts from the 4th to 7th centuries to identify five total solar eclipses near the Eastern Mediterranean and improve the model of the Earth’s rotation over time.
Massive migration came to Early Medieval England, study finds
More than 3/4 of the population in Eastern and Southern England during the early Middle Ages had ancestors who came from the European continent, according to a new study published in Nature. It reveals the huge extent of the Anglo-Saxon migrations.
New Richard III exhibition at The Wallace Collection
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the discovery of the remains of Richard III in Leicester. To commemorate this event, The Wallace Collection is hosting an exhibition devoted to one of British history’s most controversial sovereigns.
Canadian library acquires rare medieval Scandinavian book
A rare first edition of Ole Worm’s Runir, seu, Danica literatura antiqvissima (Runes, or, the ancient literature of the Norse people) has come to the University of Manitoba.
Tunnel discovered during community dig at medieval abbey
Archaeologists in England believe they have located a tunnel that was once part of Hyde Abbey, a monastery located in Winchester which is the burial place of Alfred the Great.
Medieval kitchen discovered in Czech Republic
Archaeologists working in the Czech Republic have discovered the remains of a kitchen dating back to the 15th century. Many items have been found in remarkable condition, including pots with their lids intact and kitchen utensils.
Call for Papers: 3rd International Conference on the Military History of the Mediterranean Sea
Conference taking place from 26-28 June 2023 in Istanbul
8,000 medieval medical recipes being digitised by Cambridge University Library
How did our medieval ancestors use dove faeces, fox lungs, salted owl, and eel grease in medical treatments? A major project at Cambridge University Library is finding out.
Research from Viking latrines helps reveal the long history of a parasite
Using stool samples from Viking latrines, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have genetically mapped one of the oldest human parasites – the whipworm.
Jewish mass burial was likely from antisemitic violence in 1190, study reveals
In 2004, construction workers in the English town of Norwich unearthed human skeletal remains that led to a historical mystery—at least 17 bodies at the bottom of a medieval well. Using archeological records, historical documents, and ancient DNA, researchers have now identified the individuals to be a group of Ashkenazi Jews who may have fallen victim to antisemitic violence which took place in the year 1190.
“Once-in-a-generation discovery”: Early Medieval Monastery found in England
An 8th-century monastery in southern England could have enjoyed similarly important status as a trade and production centre to larger towns like London and Southampton, a new excavation has revealed.
Rarely seen medieval manuscripts to be displayed at Korean art fair
The Frieze Seoul, a new international art fair, will be showcasing two privately held medieval manuscripts. Les Enluminures, a leading dealer in manuscripts, will be showing the items that are both privately held.
Thousands of medieval images available for free, thanks to Albertina Museum
A museum in Austria has made available over 150,000 images into the public domain, including many from the Middle Ages. Fans of Albrecht Dürer will be particularly delighted, as more than 2100 of his works are now available.
1,200-year-old luxurious estate discovered in Israel
Archaeologists in Israel have discovered a 1,200-year-old luxurious estate in the Negev Desert. The site includes a unique vaulted complex overlying a three-meter-deep rock-hewn water cistern.
J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript – exhibition underway at Marquette University
Fans of the work of J.R.R. Tolkien can check out a new exhibition about his manuscripts, and you can see some of the highlights here.
13th-century undercroft to be restored
Restoration work to the medieval undercroft at Dunstable’s Priory House, to repair and protect this important historic structure, will begin next month.
Gough Map may have revealed location of long lost kingdom, researchers find
Stories of a lost kingdom off the coast of Wales date back to the Middle Ages. Now, new research suggests an area where the Kingdom of Cantre’r Gwaelod would have existed, and that the famous Gough Map has helped reveal it.