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Scholars Uncover Signs of Medieval Life and Death on an Italian Island
On the island of Torcello, at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice excavation site, some protagonists of the island's thousand-year history have begun to emerge. Read moreSection: NewsHistory &...
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Cheerio and Gardi Loo! Words of Warning Prompted By Medieval Human Waste...
In 1775, the Scottish inventor Alexander Cumming was granted the first patent for the design of a flushing toilet.Read moreSection: NewsHistoryAncient Traditions
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The Shambles: Medieval Slaughterhouse Street Turned Tourist Hotspot
The Shambles (known officially as Shambles) is a street in York dating to the Middle Ages. Shambles has been called the best-preserved Medieval street in Europe and has been voted as the most...
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The Evolution of The Medieval Witch – And Why She’s Usually a Woman
Flying through the skies on a broomstick, the popular image of a witch is as a predominantly female figure – so much so that the costume has become the go-to Halloween outfit for women and girls...
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Trial by Ordeal: A Life or Death Method of Judgement
In the modern judicial system, the innocence or guilt of an accused may be established based on the evidence brought against him or her. In ancient and medieval societies, however, a different way of...
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Game of Thrones Creates a Romantic and Grotesque Pseudo-Medieval World,...
Take the dragons and the zombies away from the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire novels and you are left with the seemingly authentic portrayal of a...
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Beaten to Death for Littering with Eel Skins: ‘Murder Map’ Reveals Medieval...
The first digital map of the murders recorded by the city's Coroner in early 1300s shows Cheapside and Cornhill were homicide ‘hot spots’, and Sundays held the highest risk of violent death for...
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Mystery Man in High Leather Boots: How Did His Medieval Skeleton End Up in...
Archaeologists working at London’s 'super sewer' in Bermondsey have recovered the skeletal remains of a man, wearing high leather boots, lying face-down in the silt of the River Thames. Much about the...
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Jousting Champion and Magician Wife Transform House into Medieval Castle...
A medieval-obsessed couple have transformed their four-bedroom, semi-detached home in Somerset, England, into a Middle-Ages-themed castle complete with a banqueting hall. Martin and Jayne Townley spent...
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Blue Pigment Found on Medieval Teeth Reveals Secret Existence of Female Scribes
The analysis of human teeth has become increasingly important in modern archaeology. A recent discovery of a set of teeth in a German monastery is revolutionizing our understanding of women in...
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Books Bound in Human Skin – The Practice Isn’t As Rare As You Might Think!
Anthropodermic bibliopegy refers to the practice of binding books in human skin. According to folk legend, the binding of books (or more appropriately manuscripts, as they were hand-written) in human...
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The Long Fascination With the Chastity Belt – But Was it Just A Fantasy?
The chastity belt is an item that titillates and fascinates in equal measure. The idea of the brave medieval knight locking up his beloved, naively believing a mere padlock would be enough to keep away...
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Could The Gedi Ruins Be Haunted By Jins?
Historic cities throughout the world have always intrigued experts and travelers and one of the most fascinating is the abandoned city known as Gedi on the coast of Kenya.Read moreSection: NewsAncient...
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Fragments of Ancient Manuscript About Merlin Have Been Discovered and Could...
A lucky discovery in a rare book has the potential to transform our knowledge of perhaps the most famous story from the entire Middle Ages. Read moreSection: NewsHistory & Archaeology
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Kulning: The Ancient Swedish Herding Call That Has Echoed Through the Ages
Kulning is a vocal art with its origins in the forests and mountains of Scandinavia. It was first used as a method to call back cattle who were left free to graze in the wild landscape, but it is...
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The Iron Maiden: This Medieval Torture Device Was Used as Recently as 2003!
The iron maiden is a torture device widely believed to have been used in Europe during the Middle Ages. This notorious contraption is known by other names, such as the Virgin (a reference to the Virgin...
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Original King John Royal Charter Resurfaces After 800 Years [Press Release]
A rare, original royal charter from the first year of King John’s reign has been discovered in Durham by a medieval historian from the University of Bristol.Read moreSection: NewsHistory &...
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Drolleries of the Middle Ages Included Comical Yet Sinister Killer Rabbits...
A drollerie (also spelled as drollery) is a type of marginalia found on Medieval manuscripts. Drolleries are amusing, often grotesque, figures drawn on the edges of manuscripts and may be found in...
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Journey to Knighthood: The Hidden Steps of Becoming a Medieval Knight
The knight is arguably one of the most iconic figures of the Middle Ages. Knights were essentially mounted warriors, and in the hierarchy of Medieval society, were considered to be part of the lower...
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Advances in Medieval Knight Armor Could Not Match Weapon Technology!
The knight in shining armor is undoubtedly the first image that comes to mind for most people when they think about warfare during the Middle Ages. The knight in this mental image is often a warrior...
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