Why Is Saint Maurice Depicted as African? Seven Medieval Theories
Why does a 13th-century German statue depict Saint Maurice with African features? This article explores seven medieval theories, from linguistic associations to imperial propaganda, that shaped his striking portrayal in medieval art.
Medieval African Fashion to be Showcased at Berlin’s Bode-Museum
Starting February 6th, Berlin’s Bode-Museum will host Dress to Impress: Reconstructions of Medieval Robes from Nubia, an exhibition highlighting the artistry and elegance of medieval African fashion.
Medieval Nubian Fashion Brought to Life
Recreating history through fashion, researchers have revived the majestic attire of medieval Nubian royalty and clergy, showcased for the first time at the Louvre in Paris.
The Rise and Expansion of Islam in Somalia
Mohamed Haji Mukhtar of Savannah State University takes visitors on a journey into a lesser-known chapter in the spread of Islam — its diffusion through the nomadic Somali-speaking clans of the Horn of Africa.
“A Wonderful Country Inhabited by Blacks”: Ahmad al-Mansur and “His” Conquest of the Bilad al-Sudan
Today we are going to deal with a very famous actually episode in the history of African history that is the so-called Moroccan conquest of this late medieval, early modern polity of West Africa that is the so-called Songhay Empire.
How the Borders within Africa changed during the Middle Ages
Delve into history by exploring the significant shifts in the world’s borders throughout time. These videos offer a reconstruction that vividly illustrates the…
New Medieval Books: Across the Green Sea
Examines the connections – commercial and cultural – between various communities and peoples around the western half of the Indian Ocean. There would be much competition in this maritime world, from local players as well as from European and Ottoman powers.
New book about medieval Ethiopia can be downloaded for free
The just-released book ‘Ethiopia’ and the World, 330–1500 CE, by Yonatan Binyam and Verena Krebs is available for free download until May 28th.
Africa and Byzantium, with Andrea Myers Achi
A conversation with Andrea Myers Achi (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) about the enduring connections between Byzantium and a number of African cultures, beginning in late antiquity (e.g., Aksum) and continuing into medieval and modern times (e.g., Nubia and Ethiopia).
New Medieval Books: Africanism
A groundbreaking book that examines the history between Arab and African peoples in the Middle Ages, focusing on Arab depictions of Black people in literature.
New Medieval Books: The Cosmography and Geography of Africa
This new addition to Penguin Classics is a translation of an early 16th-century account of Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the most important text we have about the continent to cover its medieval history.
Major exhibition on Africa & Byzantium set to begin at The Met
This weekend marks the beginning of a major new exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Africa & Byzantium will present nearly 200 artworks, including many that have never before been exhibited in the United States.
Maps: Africa in the 14th century
A great digital map of the medieval world – Africa in the 14th century.
A rare medieval tattoo from Africa
A Polish-Sudanese team of researchers investigating a medieval African monastery has made another interesting discovery: a religious tattoo on an individual who lived 1300 years ago.
‘Africa & Byzantium’ exhibition coming to The Met this fall
The Metropolitan Museum of Art will be the first museum to host the upcoming exhibition ‘Africa & Byzantium’, which will showcase nearly 200 works of art.
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.