Hellmouths, Rockets, and Feather Pillows: Special Effects in Medieval Theatre
From flaming hellmouths to heavenly ropes and staged miracles, discover the surprising special effects that brought medieval theatre to life.
The Myth of Mills: Bridging Antiquity and Medieval Innovation
Were watermills a revolutionary invention of the Middle Ages, or do their origins lie deeper in history?
Reviving Medieval Science: Workshop Highlights 10th-Century Astrolabe’s Precision and Legacy
The University of Sharjah hosted an astrolabe workshop in which western scientists showed participants how an astronomical instrument made by a medieval Muslim scholar nearly 1,000 years ago measured the altitude of the sun throughout the twelve zodiacal signs and told local time through the position of the sun in the ecliptic on a given day.
The Medieval Gunpowder Revolution: 10 Moments that Changed Warfare
The invention of gunpowder and its use in weaponry revolutionised medieval warfare, marking one of the most dramatic shifts in military history. What…
New Medieval Books: Gunpowder Technology in the Fifteenth Century
After examining what we know about the development of gunpowder in late medieval Europe, this book offers an edition and translation of an early 15th-century manuscript known as a Firework Book.
Eyeglasses’ Arrival: How Immigrants Transformed Medieval England’s Vision
Eyeglasses can be considered one of the most important inventions of the Middle Ages. A recent study shows that by the 1440s people in England could buy their own spectacles, thanks to a group of immigrants living just outside of London.
What did Gutenberg invent?
But what exactly did Gutenberg invent, and what was it good for?
“Tempera in questa aqua”: Experimenting with Impact of Medieval Quenching Recipes on Steel Hardness
We used two medieval recipes–one from Caterina Sforza’s ca. 1490 recipe collection and one from the pseudo-Dohbringer German commonplace book — to prepare two different quenching liquids.
Medieval skeleton with prosthetic hand discovered in Germany
Archaeologists working in southern Germany have found a man with an iron prosthesis on his arm in a grave. The prosthesis likely dates from the second half of the 15th cenetury.
10 Medieval Inventions that Changed the World
Many inventions from the Middle Ages have had lasting importance, even to the present day. Some are physical objects, while others are more of a place – our list looks at ten inventions that made a big impact on our daily lives.
Greek Fire: The first chemical weapon?
Since ancient times, civilizations have feared fire, but of all the early attempts to use it as a controllable and effective weapon, none is as intriguing as the mysterious substance that today we call ‘Greek fire’.
The Origins of the Gunpowder Age
A look at the invention and innovations of gunpowder weapons in China and Europe during the Middle Ages
The Stirrup Thesis: A transformative technology that wasn’t
Sometimes there is a story that’s just so simple and explanatory that it just must be true … even when it isn’t.
The secrets of medieval nanotechnology revealed in new study
Medieval artisans made use of a form of nanotechnology to create an ultra-thin metal known as Zwischgold. Now new scans of medieval artifacts have helped to determine how this was done.
Paper in the Middle Ages with Orietta Da Rold
Although it tends to be thought of as a time when people rejected technology, there were many new inventions met with enthusiasm in the Middle Ages, including one we might not be able to imagine living without: paper. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Orietta Da Rold about the many uses of medieval paper.
Medieval people used nanotechnology, researchers find
Nanotechnology is typically viewed as something that human beings are only now starting to make use of, and would be considered a technology of the future. However, a team of researchers has discovered that medieval artisans made use of some form of nanotechnology to create ultra-thin gilding material. But they still don’t know exactly how they did it.
The Invention of Time: Mechanical Clocks and the Age of the Manuscript
The early 14th century was a revolutionary moment in the history of timekeeping, when the first mechanical clocks were invented and hourglasses first appeared in the historical record.
How a Byzantine aqueduct in Constantinople was maintained for 700 years
One of the great technological accomplishments of the ancient Romans was the aqueducts they built to bring water long distances. New research has revealed that an aqueduct built in fourth-century Constantinople would remain in operation for over 700 years.
Study examines the evolution of Viking metalwork
The evolution of metalwork expertise and craftsmanship developed by Viking craftspeople in Denmark in the 8th and 9th centuries has been detailed in a study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
Chromium steel was first made a thousand years ago, researchers find
Chromium steel – similar to what we know today as tool steel – was first made in Persia, nearly a millennium earlier than experts previously thought.
Medieval Inventions
Many people seem to have the misguided idea that the medieval era was a time in which science and technology were all but forgotten. For the 75th episode of the podcast, Danièle talks with Peter Konieczny about ten medieval inventions that changed the world.
Combining Chivalry and Technology: The Last Knight and Making Marvels at the Metropolitan Museum
The classic view of museums are like churches: Solemn places in which the priesthood of Connoisseurship guards its treasures like holy relics and hands down interpretations like papal bulls.
Engineers put Leonardo da Vinci’s bridge design to the test
Proposed bridge would have been the world’s longest at the time; new analysis shows it would have worked.
Unravelling the history of decorative metal threads
When it comes to historical fashion, nothing stands out more than an item woven with shiny metal threads.
