The power and journeys of the True Cross and other holy relics, with Lynn Jones
A conversation with Lynn Jones on how fragments of the True Cross were requested, gifted, traveled, repatriated, abducted, and returned in the early Byzantine period; how they were used to validate rival claims to power; and the anxiety caused by doubts over their authenticity.
Why were people in the Early Middle Ages reopening graves?
In early medieval Europe, the dead and their possessions did not stop being important after the burial – researchers have discovered a widespread tradition of reopening graves.
The watery miracles of Italian saints
A new study examines the cultural impacts of climate change in Italy during the Early Middle Ages.
Ravenna, capital of empire between east and west, with Judith Herrin
A conversation with Judith Herrin about the fascinating history of Ravenna between 400 and 800 AD.
New book examines early medieval hunting
In the Manner of the Franks: Hunting, Kingship, and Masculinity in Early Medieval Europe, by Eric Goldberg examines the history of hunting in Europe from the years 300 to 1000.
How to Rebel via Jokes and Laughter: Two Examples of Rebellious Emotions in the Early Middle Ages
Two very different examples of public emotions have been presented. On the one hand Sichar failed to fulfill his ritual obligation by using a too rude joke. His attempt to rebel against his conqueror backfired and led – without any laughter at his bad joke – to his own death.
Surviving climate change in 6th century Finland
Norse myths tell of a time called “fimbulwinter” – when the world will be struck by three consecutive winters, with constant snows and no summer. This might actually have happened in the mid-sixth century, and a newly published article is showing how people in Finland survived the disaster.
Seeing and Hearing the ‘Scourge of God’: Attila the Hun in film, music and opera
Attila is a figure who has been treated in all manner of different ways, positive and negative in various art forms – from classical to contemporary music, sculpture, painting, opera, fiction, and film.
The Beginning of the Middle Ages in the Balkans
The article deals with the “short seventh century” between 620 (the date of Emperor Heraclius’ withdrawal of the Roman armies) and 680 (the date of the Bulgar migration into the northeastern Balkans).
The Sandby Borg Massacre: Interpersonal Violence and the Demography of the Dead
During excavations of the Iron Age ringfort of Sandby borg (AD 400–550), the remains of twenty-six unburied bodies were encountered inside and outside the buildings.
€10 million project to understand migrations in early medieval Europe
A €10 million research grant is set to fund a multidisciplinary study of more than 100 medieval cemeteries located across central and eastern Europe. The aim of the project will be to better understand the waves of migrations that took place in the early Middle Ages.
Early Medieval Art: A Short Guide
A guide to Anglo-Saxon, Byzantine, Carolingian, Chinese, Indian, Viking and Visigothic art from the Early Middle Ages.
Ireland’s population declined before the Vikings arrived, researchers find
New research has found that the population of Ireland was in decline for almost 200 years before the Vikings settled.
People in early medieval Croatia may have deliberately altered their skulls, archaeologists find
People in Croatia during the fifth to sixth centuries may have deliberately made cranial modifications to indicate their cultural affiliations, according to a study published this month in PLOS ONE.
Mapping European Population Movement through Genomic Research
This article reviews scientific publications that have attempted to use genetic and genomic data in order to investigate European migrations between the fourth and ninth centuries.
A genetic perspective on Longobard-Era migrations
According to historical records, around the first century CE a Germanic population called “Longobard” was settled in the northern Elbe basin.
Grooming the Face in the Early Middle Ages
A study of beards and hair focusing on the medieval period in Europe.
Study examines the food fallout from the Vandal sack of Rome
The findings suggest that the political upheaval following the Vandal sack of Rome in AD 455 and the 6th century wars between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines may have had a direct impact on the food resources and diet of those working at Portus Romae.
How the borders of the Barbarian Kingdoms changed in the Middle Ages
As the Western Roman Empire declined in the fourth century, a number of Germanic, Hunnic, and other peoples established states for themselves. Collective known as the Barbarian Kingdoms, here are eight videos that show the rise and fall of these states.
Time, Myth and the Origins of the Lombards
Origins, Identities and ethnicities were all central concerns of Early Medieval writers
The Commerce of the German Alpine Passes During the Early Middle Ages
In addition to the inability of the manor to be self-sufficient, the human desire for luxuries, foreign goods, such as fine clothing, highly decorated weapons, and exceptional foods, especially foreign wines and spices, tended to keep commerce alive.
What does ice from the Alps tell us about coins in the 7th century?
A new study has found ground-breaking evidence from an ice core in the Swiss-Italian Alps that proves the 7th century switch from gold to silver currencies in western Europe actually occurred a quarter of a century earlier than previously thought.
Migration and social organization in medieval Europe: a paleogenomic approach
We obtained ancient genomic DNA from 63 samples from two cemeteries (from Hungary and Northern Italy) that have been previously associated with the Longobards, a barbarian people that ruled large parts of Italy for over 200 years after invading from Pannonia in 568 CE.
Eighth-century skeleton discovered near Venice
Archaeologists working on the island of Torcello, near Venice, have uncovered a medieval skeleton dating to around 700 A.D.