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Ancient Norse Teeth Plaque Helps Explain Pandemics
A team of Norwegian scientists have been tracking the evolution of diseases in medieval bodies. Not only have they added to the understanding of how diseases become pandemics, but they’ve revealed Read...
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The House of Trastámara: The Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon Take Spain
The House of Trastámara was a royal dynasty that ruled over Spain during the Late Middle Ages. The dynasty was a cadet branch of the House of Burgundy, and initially ruled over the Crown of Castile....
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Dropped Your Bastard Sword? Then Whip Out Your Bollock Dagger
If you find the term ‘bollock dagger’ too crude, you could rightfully call this weapon a ‘kidney dagger.’ But that’s how the Victorians attempted to mask the true nature of this horrendous invention...
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1,000-Year-Old Ruins of Qalhat, Oman’s Ancient City
Qalhat, an ancient city located in a northeastern region of the country of Oman, has an interesting history behind it. Located just north of Sur, the capital of the Ash Sharqiyah South GovernorateRead...
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Polish Dog Unearths Rare Booty of Revealing Bracteate Medieval Coins
Out on his daily constitutional, a dog in Poland unexpectedly struck gold, or rather, silver. The dog was being taken for a walk by his owner near the city of Wałbrzych in southwestern PolandRead...
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Forget the Pig Roast, Anglo-Saxon Royalty Were Largely Vegetarian, Says Study
It has long been assumed by historians that medieval English royals consumed a heavily meat-based diet. But a new bioarchaeological study proposes that, before the arrival of the Vikings, Read...
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Medieval Aphrodisiacs: Body Scented Bread Dough!
People in Europe in the Middle Ages boosted libidinal sexual intimacy through the use of medieval aphrodisiacs, some of which are truly bizarre. Dr. Eleanor Janega, a medieval historian based in...
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3,000-Year-Old Artificial Toe Reveals Ancient Origins of Prosthetics
Believe it or not, but the use of prosthetics is actually not a modern phenomenon. In fact, the creation of man-made devices to replace missing body parts was already in use several thousand years ago....
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Medieval Justice: Pig Was Tried in Court, Sentenced and Executed for Murder
In the Middle Ages, animals were put on trial just like human beings. A wide range of crimes could be committed by these animals including murder, being an accomplice in bestiality,Read moreSection:...
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Killer Rabbits Terrorized the Pages of Medieval Manuscripts
In early medieval art and literature fluffy white rabbits, bunnies, and hares were typically motifs of innocence, venerability, and purity. However, more in sync with these animals’ rate of...
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The Swiss Pikemen: Europe’s Most Deadly Middle Age Military Formation!
The medieval pike, around 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) in weight and just under 5 meters (16.4 feet) in length, was a weapon supposedly invented in Turin, Italy in 1327 AD. Read moreSection: NewsAncient...
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The Trial of the Weevils: When French Winemakers Took Insects to Court
One surprising quirk about life in medieval times is that people could, and did, take animals and insects to court and try them as if they were humans. While there is scant verifiable evidence on the...
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Soul-Destroying Job of a Sin-Eater Was to Consume the Sins of the Deceased
The Middle Ages had its fair share of terrible jobs, from cesspit cleaners to rat catchers and even royal bottom-wipers, but few were as soul-destroying as the job of a sin-eater, who carried the...
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The Hard and Dirty Life of a Medieval Peasant
The daily life of a medieval peasant in England and elsewhere was extremely difficult, long, and busy. They faced endless days of manual labor working on farmland starting as early as three in the...
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Medieval Manuscripts Are Full of Knights Fighting Snails
The next time you’re looking through an illuminated manuscript, keep an eye out for images of medieval knights fighting off snails. Of all the villains in the world, these may not have been the first...
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1,000-year-old Polish Boleslaw Sword Reveals Glorious Knighthood Era
A 1,000-year-old “Boleslaw sword” (i.e., from the glorious reign of Boleslaw the Brave; lived 967-1025 AD) dated to the beginning of the 11th century and believed to have belonged to a knight working...
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Medieval Physicians Used to Taste Patients’ Urine for Diagnosing Medical...
The examination of urine (‘uroscopy’) as a method of medical diagnosis can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, but during the Middle Ages the examination of urine samples by physicians became...
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20 Bizarre, Crude and Downright Weird Sketches in Medieval Manuscripts
Many medieval manuscripts are works of art with devotional passages written in careful calligraphy, accompanied by vivid illustrations and ornate, decorative borders. But equally captivating is the...
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Scold’s Bridles: 12 Torturous and Humiliating Shame Masks of the Middle Ages...
There was no end to medieval creativity when it came to torture, punishment and humiliation! The ‘scold’s bridle’ or ‘mask of shame’ was a concept developed in medieval Europe to punish peopleRead...
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Medieval Sex Rules - How Not to Have a Good Time
These days, sex is everywhere. It's in our books, films, songs, TV shows, and now, even our history articles.Read moreSection: NewsHistoryAncient TraditionsRead Later
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