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.
The Vegetable Saint
My talk today explores the relationship between the True Cross, its legendary history and the category of miraculous carved crucifixes made from trees growing in a German countryside in the 14th century.
30 Medieval Superstitions
We know a lot about Christianity in the Middle Ages, but much less about the ‘pagan’ and folk religion that many people had. A list from the eighth century offers some clues into those medieval beliefs and superstitions.
Trees and Religion in Early Medieval England with Michael Bintley
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Michael D.J. Bintley about the evolving role of trees in early medieval England.
On the Paths of Hugues de Berzé: A Repentant Crusader Knight
Hugues de Berzé and how is experience in the Fourth Crusade changes him.
How Does a Place Become Holy? The Case of the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem
The interesting question is: in what sense was the monastery connected to the Cross, and when and why was this connection established?
A Medieval Peace Movement: The Bianchi of 1399
Sick and tired of war and violence, many people throughout Italy left their homes and cities to march for peace in the year 1399.
What were 12th-century Maps of the Holy Land meant to express?
My argument is that the earliest Western type of Holy Land map was formulated in a purely religious context — not in relation to the Crusader enterprise and ideology — and that this type of map was a pure devotional image.
How Pagan Was Medieval Britain?
Ronald Hutton explores how the idea of pagan survivals became prevalent among British historians, based on work by folklorist Lady Raglan and Margaret Murray.
How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple with Azzan Yadin-Israel
Everyone knows that the fruit Eve was tempted to eat in the Garden of Eden was an apple – or was it? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Azzan Yadin-Israel about the original fruit of original sin, how written culture and art worked together to transform it, and why it took centuries to settle on the apple.
The Catacombs of Marcellino and Peter: A Landmark of Early Medieval Rome
One of the most popular pilgrimage sites in early medieval Rome was the Catacombs of Marcellino and Peter. It has a fascinating history dating back to the fourth century, which includes being robbed by one of the most famous writers of the Carolingian era.
A Medieval Autobiography
The autobiography of Opicino de Canistris is both very mundane and very strange.
The Madaba Map: A Further Reexamination
I claim that the Madaba map belonged to a new genre of “Holy Land” iconography that appeared in Palestine in the sixth century, iconography that related to the formation of the Holy Land’s sacred space and the interpretation of its landscape in light of the biblical text.
Conference: The Other Sister: New Research on Non-Cloistered Religious Women (1100-1800)
You can attend in person or online for this conference, which takes place at the University of Toronto from May 18th – 20th.
New Medieval Books: Women, Dance and Parish Religion in England, 1300-1640
Those interested in how people decide what is immoral or sinful will find this a particularly fascinating case study. It tells the story of how one practice goes from something that people think is good to something that is seen as evil.
Natural Light in Medieval Churches
A new book explores how the study of sunlight inside Christian churches can help reveal essential aspects of the design, decoration, and function of medieval sacred spaces.
Researchers discover what’s inside medieval pendant using neutrons
In 2008, a gold-plated pendant was discovered in Mainz, Germany. Researchers believed that the pendant was around 800 years old, and that something was hidden inside of it. However, trying to physically open it could damage the artifact. Therefore, they decided to scan the pendant with a neutron beam.
The Crusades and Apocalyptic Thought in the Middle Ages
My research is concerned with how medieval perceptions of the end times interface with ideas concerning the brand of pre-modern holy warfare known as the Crusades
What was First Iconoclasm about?, with Leslie Brubaker
A conversation with Leslie Brubaker on the first period of Byzantine iconoclasm (ca. 730 to 787 AD). What was the problem with religious icons? What did the “Isaurian” emperors Leon III and Konstantinos V try to do about it, and why? A great deal of what we used to know, largely by following pro-icon sources, has come undone in the latest research.
Lost Medieval Chapel Sheds Light on Royal Burials at Westminster Abbey, study finds
New evidence, helping to form a 15th-century reconstruction of part of Westminster Abbey, demonstrates how a section of the building was once the focus for the royal family’s devotion to the cult of a disemboweled saint and likely contained gruesome images of his martyrdom.
The Seduction of Christ: Listening Out for Queerness in the Middle Ages
This article will look at four examples of where lust for Christ pushes in two directions: towards a community of suffers emphasising and imitating his pain, and towards a private and personal relationship with Christ.
Building the Parish Church, 1150-1300
Estimated somewhere between 8000 and 9000 examples, parish churches containing at least some medieval building fabric are ubiquitous in the English landscape.
Rome’s Catacomb of Commodilla to open to the public for the first time
The Catacomb of Commodilla in Rome, currently undergoing restoration, will open to the public for the first time ever in 2025.
How to be philanthropic in early Byzantine Christianity, with Dan Caner
A conversation with Dan Caner about the different kinds of charitable giving in early Byzantium. We talk about the pre-Christian background, the role of institutions, and views about wealth. Was giving primarily good for the soul of the giver, and under what conditions, or for the material assistance of the needy? How could one give to ascetics, who had renounced such needs?