Vikings not alone when they crossed the North Atlantic – mice hitched a ride too
New research has revealed that when the Vikings sailed across the North Atlantic to places like Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland, they brought with them the common house mouse.
Did traditional cultures live in harmony with nature? Lessons from Angkor, Cambodia
Recent archaeological and geomorphological research at the medieval Khmer capital of Angkor reveals that the impact of this low-density pre-industrial city on the natural environment was profound.
The Green Spaces and Culture of Late Medieval Norwich: Municipal, Ecclesiastical and Medical
The aim of this thesis is, therefore, to determine, by using interdisciplinary methods, how extensive the open green spaces of late medieval and early modern Norwich were. We shall also seek to discover the ways in which gardens and meadows were utilized and viewed by the different sections of the population of Norwich
Arabic sources show extreme weather hit medieval Baghdad
The research, published in Weather, analyses the writings of scholars, historians and diarists in Iraq during the Islamic Golden Age between 816-1009 AD for evidence of extreme weather in Iraq, including snowfalls and hailstorms in Baghdad.
Mapping Malaria in Anglo-Saxon England
England once looked very different. Much of southern Britain was marshland for most of the island’s occupied history. These bogs, fens, and marshes ensured that areas of virtual wilderness persisted from before Roman Britain through the Norman period and beyond.
The Law is an Ass: Reading E.P. Evans’ The Medieval Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals
In this essay I address a little-known chapter in the lengthy history of crimes against (nonhuman) animals. My focus is not crimes committed by humans against animals, as such, but a practical outcome of the seemingly bizarre belief that animals are capable of committing crimes against humans.
The Biological Section of the Voynich Manuscript: A Textbook of Medieval Plant Physiology?
The Voynich manuscript, written in a mysterious cipher and illustrated in a herbal-like form with stylized paintings of bizarre, unidentifiable plants, remains to this day one of the most enduring enigmas of the medieval period.
Consequences of Bad Weather in Medieval Literature. From Apollonius of Tyre to Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptaméron
Contrary to common assumptions, medieval poets did not shy away from discussing the various consequences of bad weather on the lives of their protagonists.
Frosts, Floods, and Famines – Climate in Relation to Hunger in North-East Europe A.D. 1100–1550
This Master’s thesis examines the relation between climatic conditions and hunger in Northeast Europe in A.D. 1100–1550.
Cod skulls reveal fishing patterns in the Middle Ages
Scholars from the University of Cambridge have concluded that sea fishing in northwest Europe was more locally-based than previously believed. By using skulls…
Volcanoes and the Climate Forcing of Carolingian Europe, A.D. 750–950
Revolutionary advances of the natural sciences will transform our understanding of the human past. This case study supports that thesis by connecting new data arising from the last decade’s scientific work in palaeoclimatology with the history of the Carolingian empire.
Estimation of extreme flash flood evolution in Barcelona County from 1351 to 2005
Estimation of extreme flash flood evolution in Barcelona County from 1351 to 2005 By A. Barrera, M. C. Llasat, and M. Barriendos Natural…
500 years ago, yeast’s epic journey gave rise to lager beer
In the 15th century, when Europeans first began moving people and goods across the Atlantic, a microscopic stowaway somehow made its way to…
The 1448 earthquake in Catalonia. Some effects and local reactions
The May 1448 earthquake, the last destructive one that took place in Catalonia in the Middle Ages, was known chiefly from several chronistic and narrative medieval sources.
The origin of the European “Medieval Warm Period”
The origin of the European “Medieval Warm Period” By H. Goosse, O. Arzel, J. Luterbacher, M. E. Mann, H. Renssen, N. Riedwyl, A.…
Crusader castle torn apart by earthquake at dawn, 20 May 1202
Crusader castle torn apart by earthquake at dawn, 20 May 1202 By Ronnie Ellenblum, Shmuel Marco, Amotz Agnon, Thomas Rockwell and Adrian Boas…
Traces of Ancient Earthquakes in Medieval Cities Along the Silk Road, Northern Tien Shan and Dzhungaria
Traces of Ancient Earthquakes in Medieval Cities Along the Silk Road, Northern Tien Shan and Dzhungaria By ANDREY KORJENKOV, KARL BAIPAKOV, CLAUDIA CHANG,…
Greenland Norse Knowledge of the North Atlantic Environment
The aim is to document and discuss Norse knowledge of oceanographic phenomena including tides, non-tidal ocean currents, surface water properties, and sea ice.
Man and nature in the Middle Ages
Man and nature in the Middle Ages By Christian Rohr Lecture given at Novosibirsk State University (2002) Introduction: If we try to define…
Climate helped drive Vikings from Greenland
The end of the Norse settlements on Greenland likely will remain shrouded in mystery. While there is scant written evidence of the colony’s…
The Ecology of Crusading project: new research on medieval Baltic landscapes
The Ecology of Crusading project is a new programme of research investigating the environmental impact of the Baltic Crusades.
Water-related Infrastructure in Medieval London
Water-related Infrastructure in Medieval London By Roger D. Hansen Published Online (2004) Abstract: There were elements of London’s historic water and wastewater system…
‘Privies and Other Filthiness…’ The Environment of Late Medieval Aberdeen c.1399-1650
This talk will look at aspects of public hygiene in medieval Aberdeen with specific focus on the streets.
A Reconstruction of the Flora and Vegetation in the Central Area of Early Medieval Kyiv, Ukraine, Based on the Results of Palynological Investigations
A Reconstruction of the Flora and Vegetation in the Central Area of Early Medieval Kyiv, Ukraine, Based on the Results of Palynological Investigations…
Revolt on the Nile: Economic Shocks, Religion and Institutional Change
Revolt on the Nile: Economic Shocks, Religion and Institutional Change By Eric Chaney Published Online (2010) Abstract: This paper uses over 700 years…