Ancestry of medieval Swahili people revealed in genetic study
Medieval people living on the ‘Swahili coast’ – the Indian Ocean coast of eastern Africa – have African and Asian ancestry according to new research on ancient DNA.
Balthazar with Bryan Keene
During the Middle Ages, one figure began to consistently symbolize the renowned wealth and wisdom of African kingdoms in European art: Balthazar. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Bryan Keene about this wise king, his evolution in medieval art, and his continuing impact in modern culture.
New Medieval Books: Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art
Based on an exhibition held at the Getty Museum, it looks at medieval depictions of the Black magus and what it tells us about depictions of Black people in the pre-modern era.
Southern Africa’s largest medieval city had an extensive water management system, researchers find
Great Zimbabwe, the largest city in southern Africa during the Middle Ages, made use of dozens of large pits to store water. A new study reveals how this system allowed the community to manage a stable water supply in a region prone to drought.
Two early medieval churches discovered in northeastern Africa
Archaeologists working in Eritrea have identified the remains of two Christian churches that were once part of the medieval Kingdom of Aksum. Construction on these churches may date as far back as the fifth century AD.
Madagascar’s human expansion 1,000 years ago linked to loss of large animals
A human genetic study links the first major expansion of humans on the island with the loss of large vertebrates.
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?
Beta Samati and the Aksumite Empire of East Africa: From the Red Sea to the Ancient Mediterranean
This was the mighty Empire of Aksum, an ancient east African kingdom that thrived at the same time as the Roman and Byzantine empires.
Medieval Zanzibar’s environment damaged by urban growth, study finds
Humanity’s impact on the environment is often framed in the context of the post-industrial era but new archaeological research reveals how intensive land use by a medieval East African population altered their natural habitat forever.
The African Warrior Women of the 11th century
In the Marvel Universe, one of the most skillful groups of warriors is the Dora Milaje – an all-female unit of special forces from the African-kingdom of Wakanda. While these elite warriors are fictional, there is some evidence of a force of African female archers who existed in the Middle Ages and even fought a battle in Spain.
Ethiopian Medieval History: Between Connection and Isolation
It is therefore necessary to look at the history of Ethiopia for from the point of view of the medievalist today in the work on Ethiopia the richest results come from those who open up the approaches based on a global history which considers for example the Christianization and Islamization of Ethiopia in equal parts and who envision this phenomenon not as a competitors, but as co-existing phenomena.
Ivory, Copper, and the Island of Gold: Medieval trade between France and West Africa
Discussing the development of trade networks linking medieval Europe and western Africa, exploring the important role played by Africa in the medieval world system of Europe.
Did an epidemic cause a population collapse in Central Africa in the Early Middle Ages?
A new study published in the journal Science Advances shows that Bantu-speaking communities in the Congo rainforest underwent a major population collapse during the 5th and 6th centuries CE, probably due to a prolonged disease epidemic, and that significant resettlement did not restart until around 1000 years ago.
Study tracks elephant tusks from 16th century shipwreck
The team extracted DNA from 44 tusks. By analyzing genetic sequences known to differ between African forest and savanna elephants, the scientists determined that all of the tusks they analyzed belonged to forest elephants.
Medieval beads reveal trade routes to West Africa
New research on beads discovered in Western Africa has revealed their origins came from thousands of kilometres away, and helps to show what goods were moving along medieval trade routes.
Online course on Medieval Africa to begin next year
It will run from January 11 to February 26, 2021, and is aimed at K-12 educators.
Medieval African monastery reconstructed virtually
How did medieval monasteries in Africa look? A new project from the University of Warsaw has been able to digitally reconstruct a monastery from Nubia.
Trade Networks and Empires: African Art’s Many Golden Ages
We know we know about Nubia. We know about Egypt. We know about Carthage in the classical era. But the Berber, the Almohads, the Almoravids, and the kingdoms of Ghana and Songhai, and the great many other cultures that rose up and thrived on the western edges of the Sahara in the period of the medieval
‘Caravans of Gold’ app allows global audience to learn about medieval Africa
The groundbreaking touring exhibition “Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time” can now be accessed through a new free app.
The Gold Route to Timbuktu: Tracing Medieval Camel Caravan Networks from Morocco to Mali
Sam Nixon explores the development of the medieval-era camel caravan trade across the Sahara which gave rise to Timbuktu
Research reveals diverse diet in medieval Ethiopian communities
Early Muslim communities in Africa ate a cosmopolitan diet as the region became a trading centre for luxury goods, the discovery of thousands of medieval animal bones has shown.
The Berber Queen who defied the Caliphate: Al-Kahina and the Islamic Conquest of North Africa
Seventh-century North Africa would see the rise of a warrior queen named al-Kahina. Who was she and how was she able to wage a war against the Umayyad Caliphate?
The Ethiopian Age of Exploration: Prester John’s Discovery of Europe, 1306-1458
This article examines the dynamics of interaction between Italian elites and Ethiopian travelers throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries
A Coptic Center in Medieval West Africa: Reframing Prester John and Early Global Trade
This paper explores the importance of new technologies in the art historical study of Medieval West Africa and how related methodologies both help us understand the important art and architectural landscape here in this period, and how Africa and the eastern Coptic Christian world helped to reshape Africa in this era.