President Obama to award National Humanities Medal to medievalist
UCLA’s Teofilo F. Ruiz, an internationally recognized historian whose work focuses on medieval Spain and Europe, will be awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama today.
Who gave King Arthur “a crippling blow”? It was St. George, argues scholar
One of the key figures associated with the Middle Ages in England has been King Arthur, the legendary ruler who was made popular in medieval romances and chronicles. But in a recent lecture, Professor Henrietta Leyser argues that the Arthurian legend declined sharply in the later Middle Ages, replaced by a new hero emerged for the English people – St.George the Dragonslayer.
New Website Showcases Suffolk’s Medieval Masterpieces
This month sees the launch of a new website designed to showcase one of the most important sets of medieval wall paintings to be found in East Anglia
U.S. National Archives releases videos on Magna Carta project
The National Archives in Washington D.C. has released a short documentary video, ‘The Encasement of Magna Carta.’ The video is part of the ongoing series Inside the Vaults.
Objects of Devotion: The Material Culture of Italian Renaissance Piety, 1400–1600
Why did Renaissance shoppers fill their baskets with rosaries, crucifixes, Christ-dolls and devotional paintings? A new study by historian Dr Mary Laven investigates the significance of Catholic clutter, as she explains.
See Castles in 3D!
Medieval history fans get an online treat from the makers of Battle Castle – dozens of photos and videos of castles in 3D!
Medieval Harmondsworth Barn to be preserved by English Heritage
English Heritage has purchased a medieval barn in west London, once described as the “Cathedral of Middlesex” for £20,000. Harmondsworth Barn is listed as a Grade I building, placing it alongside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace for its exceptional architectural and historic interest.
Public can now walk the York Jewish History Trail
The York Jewish History Trail was launched on Friday, giving the public the chance to explore hundreds of years of Jewish history in England.
Erotica and the Erotic in the Middle Ages and Renaissance – conference to be held in Arizona
The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies will be hosting its annual interdisciplinary conference next month, which will bring more than seventy scholars to talk about the sexy side of the Middle Ages.
Call for Papers: Medieval Space and Place
The next issue of Hortulus: The Online Graduate Journal of Medieval Studies will be published in May of 2012.
Viking mass grave linked to elite killers of the medieval world
A mass grave found in Dorset could belong to a crew of Viking mercenaries who terrorised Europe in the 11th century – according to a new documentary on National Geographic which pieces together the story behind the burial.
New book examines Vikings in the Outer Hebrides
Instead of supporting the view that the Scandinavian invaders killed men and enslaved their women and children, the archaeological evidence suggests a greater degree of intermixing and continuity than has previously been accepted.
Schedule for Forty-Seventh International Congress on Medieval Studies released
The schedule for the Forty-Seventh International Congress on Medieval Studies was released today, giving scholars a first look at what will be happening at the world’s largest gathering of medievalists
Byzantine Stamp with the Temple Menorah discovered in Israel
The tiny stamp was used to identify baked products and it probably belonged to a bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Acre in the Byzantine period.
BBC show on The Private Lives Of The Medieval Kings to begin airing next week
In Illuminations: The Private Lives of the Medieval Kings BBC Four will tell the story of the Medieval monarchy as preserved through stunning illuminated manuscripts from the British Library’s Royal Manuscripts collection which contains some of the most priceless documents in the country’s history.
Medieval Friary in Norwich becomes home for photography students
Norwich University College of the Arts has officially opened the East Garth Photography Building in the former medieval Friary close to St Andrew’s Hall.
The Inquisition featured on a special issue of Hispanic Research Journal
Hispanic Research Journal has released its February 2012 issue today, with a special issue entitled Negotiating Power in the Iberian Inquisitions: Courts, Crowns, and Creeds. Five articles dealing with the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions are published in the issue, which will be freely available until mid-February.
Scientists discover existence of brucellosis disease in the Middle Ages
The scientists are the first to confirm the existence of brucellosis, an infectious disease still prevalent today, in medieval skeletal remains.
Medieval Jewish manuscripts discovered in Afghanistan
Over 150 medieval Jewish documents have been discovered in Afghanistan. The works were found, purportedly by shepherds looking for sheep, in the mountains of Samangan province, which lies along the Silk Road trade route.
University of York hosts Working in Archaeology exhibition
The University of York’s historic King’s Manor is hosting a European photographic exhibition depicting the day-to-day work of archaeologists.
Top 10 Medieval News Stories of 2011
The year 2011 will be remembered by Medievalists as the year we literally saw the face of the Middle Ages.
Medieval Christmas Cookies Still In Fashion
So what does a Christmas cookie from centuries ago look like? This time of year, a bakery in Pennsylvania Dutch country is busy making cookies the same way they were made in medieval Germany, and their edible pieces of art history have attracted customers from all over the globe.
Belgrade fortress under attack – from flowers
Serbian and French researchers have reported that the Belgrade Fortress, which was first built in the early Middle Ages is under threat – not only by the effects of coal burning, as was assumed until now, but also by flower beds!
