Epidemics Past and Present: What Historic Diseases Tell Us About Future Threats
Dr. DeWitte will discuss how bioarchaeological research on past epidemics such as the Black Death can improve our understanding of emerging diseases and human-pathogen coevolution in general, and the potential it has to provide tools for dealing with disease in living populations.
Hildegard of Bingen: Authorship and Stylometry
A documentary based on the article ‘Collaborative Authorship in the Twelfth Century. A Stylometric Study of Hildegard of Bingen and Guibert of Gembloux’
‘There is nothing outside the box’: Considering the institutional narratives and object histories of the Franks Casket
The Franks Casket, a much studied, famously ambiguous 8th century Anglo-Saxon object, presented to the British Museum in 1867 after its rediscovery, was recently redisplayed alongside the re-design of the Sutton Hoo exhibit, in a manner that makes its object-status clear to those engaging with it.
The medieval roots of gender and sexuality in Spanish colonial law
Marie Kelleher will discuss the medieval roots of gender and sexuality in Spanish colonial law, beginning with the written law (both secular and ecclesiastical) and how it defines the parameters of respectable female behavior.
The Age of the Vikings
The Vikings maintain their grip on our imagination, but their image is too often distorted by medieval and modern myth. It is true that they pillaged, looted, and enslaved. But they also settled peacefully and developed a vast trading network. They traveled far from their homelands in swift and sturdy ships, not only to raid but also to explore.
Amazing archery shots based on historical research
By making use of ancient and medieval sources, Lars Andersen is revealing techniques lost for centuries and showing off some incredible archery shots.
Ten Short Videos about the Magna Carta
Here are ten short videos that talk about the Magna Carta, including its history, impact, and 800th anniversary.
Magna Carta: Why celebrate?
Professor Saul discusses the modern relevance of Magna Carta – the product of a feuding Medieval Society which has since shaped the way we think about liberty and the Rule of Law.
The City of London and the Magna Carta
A brief, but enlightening, discussion of the intermingled histories of the City of London and Magna Carta.
Magna Carta: The Medieval Context and the Part Played by William Marshal
Lord Judge highlights the real hero of 1215, William Marshal, who’s tireless campaigning and statecraft lead to the adoption of Magna Carta, ejected the French from British soil and secured the Plantaganet dynasty’s hold on the throne.
Repair? Restore? Re-Design?: The North Porch of Durham Cathedral
The North Porch of Durham Cathedral was conceived as part of the great Norman building campaign of Durham Cathedral, complete by 1133.
Leonardo da Vinci’s Study of Light and Optics: A Synthesis of Fields in The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci’s preoccupation with the natural world led him to the fields of optics and astronomy.
Laughing at the Middle Ages
This paper asks: how and why has modernity laughed at the Middle Ages, and what are the ethical stakes of this laughter?
‘Pilgrimage’, pilgrimage, and writing historical fiction
Dr. Pick discusses how she wrote and published a historical novel and the connection between academic writing and writing for a broader audience.
Chaucer in Iceland
My project is called Chaucer in Iceland and its main aim was to take the congress in Iceland as a case study for looking at the impact of Scandinavia identity on contemporary medieval studies.
London in the Not-So-Dark Ages
An overview of the results of over 40 years of archaeological research into the origins, development and decline of the Middle Saxon trading settlement of Lundenwic, London.
‘Archaic Mark’: A Remarkable Manuscript Treasure or a Modern-Day Counterfeit?
Is this miniature codex is a valuable fourteenth-century manuscript of the Gospel According to Mark—or a clever modern counterfeit?
Circa 1000
Three Yale University faculty members discussing ‘Circa 1000,’ a graduate course that looks at happenings worldwide at the turn of the 10th century.
Connecting Roman and Medieval Climate and Historical Change: Five Challenges for the 21st Century
Michael McCormick discusses use of latest tools of climate science, human genetics and computer science to better understand the history of Medieval Europe and Rome,
Medievalism on the Move: Open Access in the Academy
Panel discussion held at the 29th International Conference on Medievalism, on October 24, 2014
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Reflections on the Renaissance Papacy
In popular culture, the Renaissance papacy (c. 1417-1534) seems an intriguing mixture of highs and lows.
How to Read J.R.R. Tolkien
Michael Drout, a professor of English and director of the Center for the Study of the Medieval at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts believes that Tolkien’s immense and lasting popularity can be explained by a ‘perfect storm hypothesis.’
Leonardo da Vinci: A Restless Life
George Bent has written about artistic production, the function of liturgical images, and institutional patronage in early Renaissance Florence
The conversion of Constantine and the Christianisation of Europe
Historians have argued for centuries – in the face of contradictory primary sources – both about when and how the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, and the nature and extent of his faith.
Bárðar saga as a source for reconstruction of pre-Christian religion?
Paper by Eldar Heide given at the second meeting of the Old Norse Folklorist Network