New Medieval Books: American Vikings
The first part of this details the Norse arrival in North America, incorporating the latest research on the topic. The second part examines how Americans have been fascinated by the Viking mythos and its effects on culture and politics in the United States.
American Vikings?
In my book American Vikings: How the Norse Sailed into the Lands and Imaginations of America, I explore the evidence for this in the literary sources and archaeology; and, also, in the way this idea has fed into the cultural DNA of North America and especially the USA.
American Vikings with Martyn Whittock
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Martyn Whittock about Vikings and their influence on American culture.
Medieval Gold Coin discovered in Canada
A gold coin dating back to the 15th century has been discovered on Newfoundland’s south coast. It is the oldest-known English coin found in an archaeological context in Canada.
The Black Middle Ages with Matthew Vernon
Ever since the medieval period ended, people have been looking to the Middle Ages to find inspiration and a sense of cultural roots. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Matthew Vernon about the commonalities and kinship felt by African-American writers as they look back to the medieval past.
Laments for the Fall: Constantinople and Tenochtitlan in counterpoint, with Eleni Kefala
A conversation with Eleni Kefala on the fall of two empires, the Byzantine and the Aztec. What role did these momentous events play in the emerging identity of western Europe? And how were they experienced by the Romaioi and the native Mexica, especially through the laments that they wrote and sang about these events?
Medieval Holy Wars
Holy wars have come in all sizes and shapes, but overall they have fallen into four categories: ritual holy wars; holy wars of conquest and conversion; defensive holy wars; and millenarian holy wars.
Medieval coin discovered in Canada
Archaeologists in the Canadian province of Newfoundland have come across a medieval coin, discovered on the site of England’s first attempt at the colony in present-day Canada.
The Norse were definitely at L’Anse aux Meadows in 1021, study finds
The Norse presence in North America has been attested to by written accounts and archaeological evidence. Now, an international team of scientists have…
Italians knew about North America in the 14th century, historian finds
Around the mid-fourteenth century there were reports of a place called ‘Marckalada’ circulating in Italy. New research suggests this was a reference to northeastern section of North America.
The Fountain of Youth in the movies
The legends led to expeditions in the 16th century to find the fabled fountain and their adventures, in turn, have inspired filmmakers to portray them.
El Dorado in the Movies
There are more movies that explore these myths than those which deal with the more mundane history of the conquest itself.
Conquistador II: Francisco Pizarro in the movies
The main account of Francisco Pizarro on film is actually the movie version of Peter Shaffer’s 1964 play The Royal Hunt of the Sun which explored the clash of cultures between its main characters: the last Inca Emperor, Atahualpa, and Pizarro.
Conquistador! Hernán Cortés in the movies
A look at how the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is portrayed in movies and television series.
Christopher Columbus in the Movies
When looking for movies about Christopher Columbus we discover something surprising – there are actually very few such films.
Medieval movies set in North America
We have movies of the Vikings in North America, films of Hiawatha, and a remarkable film of Inuit culture.
Kings of the Sun: Indigenous Medieval Culture in the Movies
Kings of the Sun is a fascinating, if ultimately flawed, film. It is almost unique in Hollywood history because it tells an entirely indigenous, medieval American tale without contact with Europeans.
Wara Wara and Apocalypto: Films set in Medieval Central and South America
Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is a fascinating, if controversial and flawed, film depicting the indigenous peoples of South America just prior to their contact with European conquerors.
The Other Conquest: Films set in the Medieval Americas
In this article we will turn our attention to those films which have made the indigenous peoples of medieval America their main subject. As we shall see, this actually uncovers a remarkable set of movies.
New archaeological information uncovered at Viking site in Newfoundland
More human activity has been found at L’Anse aux Meadows, the only confirmed site in North America where the Vikings had a settlement.
Historian discovers earliest evidence of a Scottish ship sailing to North America
An entry in a late sixteenth-century register has revealed that a ship known as “William” of Aberdeen made a voyage to “the new fund land” (Newfoundland) in 1596
Dorset, Norse, or Thule? Technological transfers, marine mammal contamination, and AMS dating of spun yarn and textiles from the Eastern Canadian Arctic
Norse woven textiles definitely were acquired by Thule people much farther to the north and during the late 13th century. The AMS date received from Skraeling Island helps to narrow the age of the woven woolen cloth recovered there, and implies that interactions between the Norse and Thule Inuit may have begun almost as soon as these Arctic pioneers arrived from Alaska
The Norse Penny Reconsidered: The Goddard Coin—Hoax or Genuine?
This article considers the penny’s numismatic and archaeological context, and engages with the debate from a Norwegian perspective.
The gargoyles of San Francisco : medievalist architecture in Northern California 1900-1940
This thesis examines the development from the novel perspective of medievalism—the study of the Middle Ages as an imaginative construct in western society after their actual demise.