We’ve probably all seen pictures of the Bayeux Tapestry at some point, that amazing almost 70-meter /230 foot-long embroidery from the 1070s showing in cartoon-panel format how the English were vanquished by the Normans at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. But few of us have had the opportunity to examine the embroidered figures up […]
The Phalluses of The Bayeux Tapestry Read More »
This is a 14th-century painting of Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria, who was one of the “monachoparthenoi”, a Medieval Greek term for “monk-virgins.” These were young women who disguised themselves as monks so that they could avoid marriage and live a life devoted to spiritual contemplation in male monasteries. It was a bit of a trend,
Saint Euphrosyne the Monk-Virgin Read More »
Check out these Viking-era teeth, dating between 972 and 1025 CE. Discovered in 2009 in Dorset, England, they came from a burial pit of Scandinavian men who had all been decapitated after suffering violent deaths, as in, a mass execution (51 skulls were in the grave, and many of their accompanying bones were adjacent). These
Viking Dental Work Read More »
One of the most fascinating monsters in human cultures is the ghoul — here, you see a particularly nasty one about to be done in by the hero Shah Namah in a 10th-century Persian manuscript. The legends of ghouls extend back in time to the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula, but have persisted into modern times, much
The History of Ghouls Read More »
So if you’re into certain video games, Swedish metal bands, or the Young Adult fiction writer Rick Riordan, you may have heard the name “Naglfar.” Regardless, you can say you read about the most hideous ship in all of human history here. And that’s because Naglfar was a boat from Viking mythology made up entirely
Naglfar the Viking “Nail-Ship” Read More »
One of the more bizarre expressions of Christianity comes from the Early Medieval Carolingian world. It is a poem we call “The Heiland,” probably written in the courts of Louis the Pious or Louis the German in the 800s to an Old Saxon-speaking audience. The Heiland is an epic poem (much longer than _Beowulf_) telling
The Heiland, a Medieval Germanic Rendition of the Gospels Read More »
This humble assemblage of metal has been the subject of fierce debate among historians — it is a 10th-century viking-age stirrup found in England. Horseback riding today would be unthinkable without this contraption, but it was not always that way. When the stirrup was introduced to Western Europe on a broad scale and what difference
The Introduction of the Stirrup to Western Europe Read More »
By the time Gaius Appuleius Diocles retired from chariot-racing at age 42, he had amassed the equivalent of $15 billion, becoming the highest-paid athlete of all time. This third-century mosaic shows a charioteer from the white team: Diocles, who lived in the second century, spent most of his career racing for the red team. Sources:
Gaius Appuleius Diocles Read More »
These are elements of the necklace that is making news headlines today: the “Harpole treasure” discovered back in April of 2022. On December 6, news was officially released about the burial dating from 630-670 CE that archaeologists from the Vistry Group unearthed in Northamptonshire. One of the most significant of its kind, it contained a
Werewolf stories existed in Europe as long ago as Ancient Roman times, but the ways people imagined them changed. Whereas for much of the Middle Ages, werewolves retained some of their sympathetic human nature, by the late 15th century they began to figure as evil servants of the devil. Some men were even executed for
Statue made of Birchwood of the Virgin Mary, with glass eyes. Autun region of France, c. 1130-40.
Birchwood Statue of Virgin Mary Read More »
The ruins of Suso Monastery in San Millán de la Cogolla look eerily beautiful in this image, evocative of a distant past whose details are lost to us now. Situated in northern Spain, they are some of the last surviving remains of the Visigothic Kingdom that ruled the Iberian peninsula from the late fifth century
Drought Conditions and the Collapse of the Visigothic Kingdom Read More »
Anglo-saxon manuscripts, like the 8th century Vespasian Psalter pictured here, frequently used the color yellow. It was reminiscent of gold, but much less expensive than gold leaf. And gold was a favorite of these Early Medieval people. Anglo-Saxon writers liked to talk about the beauty of the way gold flickered and glimmered in the firelight.
The Verspasian Psalter Read More »
Cats hunting for mice in a medieval manuscript. Although most medieval written records about cats viewed them in purely functional terms, many nuns and monks kept small animals as pets that they felt affectionate for.
Medieval Cats Manuscript Read More »
Charlemagne (d.814), ruler of much of Western Europe, wanted to revive learning in his lands. So he gathered scholars from all over the place to cultivate an intellectual circle. Sadly, even though he wanted to be educated, he was unable to learn how to use a stylus and never could write. (His contemporary and biographer
Charlemagne and Education Read More »
This map shows a likely location for the Irish forest of Focluth, where St. Patrick was brought as a slave before his escape to eventually become a missionary. The slave trade into Ireland was robust in Patrick’s fifth-century world. Slaves were the lowest members of a relatively poor society, living alongside clan chieftains (Tuath) and
Map of Irish Forest of Focluth Read More »
A page from the _Etymologiae_ by the 6th-century scholar Isidore of Seville. In the Middle Ages, this was considered one of the most important books written. Isidore tried to cram in every bit of knowledge he thought was important. Although this book preserved a lot of Ancient Roman and Greek knowledge, the book’s popularity ironically
Etymologiae From Isidore of Seville Read More »
Bald’s Leechbook is an Anglo-Saxon medical text from the 9th century. In 2015 one of the recipes (it used garlic, a bronze pot, and bile from a cow, among other things) was found to be successful in treating MRSA.
Magical incantation bowl written in Jewish Aramaic. Bowls like these were designed as protective magic against demons.
Jewish Magical Incantation Bowl Read More »
They don’t look sexy, but this is the hottest medieval couple in medieval history. Peter Abelard (in his 30s) seduced the young (17) and brilliant Heloise by deliberately making her his private student. They had a physically, intellectually, and emotionally intense affair before Heloise’s uncle had Peter castrated in revenge for the seduction.
Peter Abelard and Heloise Read More »
