Forgotten Medieval Miracles of the Augustinians Revealed in New Study
New research reveals how Augustinian friars shaped medieval rural life through overlooked miracles—from healing livestock to restoring barren land—challenging long-held assumptions about the order’s history.
Medieval Farmers Created a Biodiversity Boom, Study Finds
A new study reveals that medieval communities around Lake Constance created a biodiversity peak through innovative farming, trade, and land management, offering insights for modern conservation.
Medieval Sugar Mill Complex Discovered in Israel
Archaeologists in northern Israel have uncovered Mamluk-era tunnels beneath Gan Ha-Shelosha National Park, revealing a 15th–16th-century sugar mill complex powered by brackish spring water.
How the Reconquista Changed Rural Life in Medieval Spain
Archaeological evidence from Valencia and Granada reveals how the Reconquista transformed medieval Spain’s countryside—reshaping irrigation, farming, and village life as Islamic and Christian cultures met and merged.
Why Did the Medieval Irish Bury Butter?
Why did the medieval Irish bury butter in peat bogs? Discover the surprising reasons behind bog butter, from preservation and protection to ritual offerings and curious modern finds.
Trees in the Middle Ages: The Good and The Bad
Explore the symbolic world of medieval trees—sacred lindens, deadly yews, and feared walnuts—in faith, folklore, and daily life
The Bees of Byzantium: A 10th-Century Guide to Medieval Beekeeping
Discover how medieval Byzantines kept bees with practical advice from the 10th-century Geoponika, a rare farming manual that covers hives, honey, and the remarkable nature of bees.
What Summer Was Like in the Middle Ages
Discover how people in the Middle Ages endured the heat, managed harvests, treated sunburns, and found ways to keep cool during the summer months.
New Medieval Books: Shortage and Famine in the Late Medieval Crown of Aragon
Food security was a major concern for any medieval society. This book examines how individuals and communities responded to this challenge, particularly during periods of famine.
How to Grow Organic Food like Medieval Farmers
Discover how medieval farmers protected their crops using natural pesticides, prayers, and even insect excommunications—early organic farming at its finest.
Vegetables in the Middle Ages: From Cabbages to Cardoons
Discover the surprising history of medieval vegetables—from carrots and peas to artichokes and cabbages—and how they were grown, eaten, and understood in the Middle Ages.
Rethinking Rye: Study Reveals Medieval Cultivation Was Intensive and Strategic
New research reveals that rye in the Middle Ages was not a humble crop of poor soils but part of a labour-intensive farming system that reinforced social hierarchies.
The Historiography of a Construct: “Feudalism” and the Medieval Historian
Was medieval Europe truly a “feudal” society, or is feudalism a modern construct imposed on the past? This article explores how historians have debated, redefined, and even rejected the term, shaping our understanding of medieval governance and society.
Medieval Farmers Showed Remarkable Efficiency in Land Use, New Study Reveals
Beneath the temperate forests of western Czechia lies evidence of medieval agricultural ingenuity, revealing how farmers prioritised cereal crops, practised fertilisation, and carefully organised their land. A new study has uncovered these insights through soil analysis, offering a unique glimpse into the economic and ecological practices of the Middle Ages.
Urban Gardening in Early Medieval Italy
This paper charts changing attitudes to urban agriculture between the late Roman and early medieval periods, with attention to how Christianity changed people’s views on flowers, how new regional economies affected what people ate, and how people in medieval Italy viewed gardens and gardening.
Polynesian Colonisation Fueled by Sweet Potato: New Archaeological Evidence
Archaeologists have discovered American sweet potato starch granules in early site deposits of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s South Island (Te Waipounamu), revealing how the tuberous root was instrumental to Polynesian colonisation of cooler climate South Pacific islands.
New Medieval Books: The Medieval Pig
Everything you want to know about pigs in medieval Europe. It ranges from how they were farmed in the countryside and city to how they were depicted in literature and art – and of course, how they ended up on people’s dinner plates.
Research on Medieval ‘Green Revolution’ wins award
Four medieval researchers have been awarded the 2024 Antiquity Prize for their article, “Re-thinking the ‘Green Revolution’ in the Mediterranean world.”
The Organization of a Medieval Manor
Medieval manors could be large farms with hundreds of people working there. They had to be managed, and a thirteenth-century treatise known as the Seneschaucy offers a guide to the duties of some of the officials on the manor.
Site of medieval windmill discovered in England
All along the National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvement scheme in central England, we have uncovered ancient ways of life, work, and even play. One outstanding recent discovery with an incredible wealth of finds is the remains of a medieval windmill.
Medieval Fish with Richard Hoffmann
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Richard Hoffmann about what people were eating, how they caught it, and how fish farming evolved over time.
How to be a Shepherd in the Middle Ages
What was it like to work on a farm in the Middle Ages? A fourteenth-century shepherd named Jean de Brie offers some insights into his daily life and tips to help you do a good job.
Monthly Tasks on Medieval Farms
What did medieval farmers need to do each year? A fourteenth-century guide breaks down their tasks month by month.
The secrets of defrauding your medieval lord
Imagine yourself working for a medieval lord, running his farm and taking care of his business. Would you be tempted to skim off some of his profits?
