The Vikings and Genetics
What can DNA tells us about the Vikings?
2015 Medieval Art Calendar for Sale
Stefan Sauer is selling a calendar based on initials on Codex Gottwicensis 235, a 15th-century illustrated manuscript created by an anonymous monk from Stift Göttweig, Austria.
Gift Giving in the Middle Ages – new exhibition at The Getty
Just in time for the holidays, Give and Ye Shall Receive: Gift Giving in the Middle Ages, is now on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
What’s the forecast for 2015? A Medieval Twelve Days of Christmas forecast reveals all
Is a BBQ summer on the cards in 2015? Will farmers make hay next year? And is there a political scandal on the election horizon? Well take a peek out of the window with the University of Reading’s Medieval Weather Forecast guide on the 12 days of Christmas and you’ll find out!
Egyptian cemetery may contain one million graves from Roman and Byzantine eras
The announcement of a potentially huge gravesite in Egypt has led the world’s media to make claims that a million mummies have been discovered. Now, the entire archaeological project might be in jeopardy.
Beowulf mini-series being created for television
A thirteen episode mini-series of Beowulf is being created by the the British broadcaster ITV.
Spanish Vikings: Searching for the Norse presence in Iberia
The fearsome reputation of the Vikings has made them the subject of countless exhibitions, books and films – however, surprisingly little is known about their more southerly exploits in Spain.
Angels on Christmas trees and medieval ideas of hierarchy
In the fifth century, the medieval theologian Pseudo-Dionysius wrote the definitive work on angelic hierarchies, during which he asserted that there were nine orders of hierarchy, ranging from the most humble messenger angels to the most elevated archangels.
Medieval Gothic Cathedrals were built from iron and stone, researchers find
Using radiocarbon dating on metal found in Gothic cathedrals, an interdisciplinary team has shown, for the first time through absolute dating, that iron was used to reinforce stone from the construction phase.
Earliest known piece of polyphonic music discovered
New research has uncovered the earliest known practical piece of polyphonic music, an example of the principles that laid the foundations of European musical tradition.
King John gets his own App!
Anthem Press has just released an app for iPhones and iPads that looks at the reign of King John of England. Produced in in collaboration with Graham Seel, who wrote the book, King John: An Underrated King, it is free to download.
Cheers! New medieval finds at Radcliffe Tower
A new report has confirmed the finding of previously unknown medieval remains next to Radcliffe Tower, located near the English city of Manchester.
The oldest Onion in Denmark
A 1300-year-old onion has been discovered as part of a woman’s grave in Denmark.
The Medieval Globe launches with special issue on the Black Death
Pandemic Disease in the Medieval World: Rethinking the Black Death is the theme for the inaugural issue of The Medieval Globe.
Viking Hall discovered in Sweden
A Viking feasting hall measuring about 47.5 metres in length has been identified near Vadstena in central Sweden.
Thousand-year-old crucible provides more evidence of the Vikings in Canada’s Arctic
Although it was found about fifty years ago, archaeologists have just determined that a small stone container discovered on Baffin Island in Canada’s Arctic region was actually part of metallurgical equipment used by the Vikings around the year 1000 A.D.
Layout of medieval city at Old Sarum revealed
Archaeologists from the University of Southampton have revealed for the first time the plan of a network of buildings in a once thriving medieval city at the historic site of Old Sarum, near Salisbury.
It is 99.999% likely that it is Richard III
There is ‘overwhelming evidence’ that a skeleton discovered in the city of Leicester in 2012 is that of Richard III. The research also raises questions about the nobility of some of his successors to the English throne.
Edinburgh Castle named the UK’s Best Heritage Attraction for 4th year in a row
Edinburgh Castle has been named the UK’s Best Heritage Attraction for a record fourth year running at the 2014 British Travel Awards (BTAs).
How England’s 1% remained the same since 1066
If your surname reveals that you descended from the ‘in’ crowd in the England of 1066—the Norman Conquerors—then even now you are more likely than the average Brit to be upper class.
Early Medieval Tunic recreated in Norway
A few years ago, the oldest known piece of clothing ever discovered in Norway, a tunic dating from the Iron Age, was found on a glacier in Breheimen. Now about to be reconstructed using Iron Age textile techniques, it is hoped the tunic will inspire Norwegian fashion designers.
What can fourteenth century Venice teach us about Ebola?
Venice’s response to the plague an “example of resilience management,’ say experts
Early copy of the Qur’an discovered
Researchers in Germany have discovered that a manuscript of Qur’an written between 20 and 40 years after the Prophet Muhammad’s death, making it one of the earliest copies of the Islamic holy book known to be in existence.
Recovering the lost details of a medieval map
Researchers at Yale University have started a project to recover details from a 15th-century world map which had been obscured after centuries of fading.