Any enthusiastic lover of history undoubtedly dreams of that perfect castle vacation filled with ancient stories and thrilling historic sights. Alas, holidays don’t always turn out quite as planned...
Archaeologists in western France have been up to their elbows excavating enormous oak ship timbers at a “surprise” 10th-century medieval port, where evidence of wine production, fishing trade, and...
Scottish archaeologists have released a mind-boggling 3D reconstruction of the largest royal Pictish fort ever discovered. Burghead Fort was the largest settlement of northern Picts in what is today...
Archaeologists digging at the site of a Norman-era church north of London received quite a surprise recently. Their ongoing excavations unearthed the well-preserved remains of three large Roman...
A first-time study of a privately owned 16th-century prayer roll from England is a valuable addition to knowledge on medieval England’s Christian ‘cult of the Cross’ in which the Holy Cross was...
The original purpose of a mysterious patch of land beside England’s Fountains Abbey has finally been deciphered. Experts have concluded that it’s the largest and best-preserved tannery ever...
Medieval chivalric duels were undoubtedly the most thrilling events of the time. The last vestige of the ancient gladiatorial fights, knightly duels were a true display of the skill with arms and...
For nearly fifty years, the town of Craco in southern Italy has stood uninhabited. Here, dark windows look out at potential travelers like empty eye sockets and the streets and buildings of this...
For centuries, a commonality across the various monarchies of the world was a direct association between the ruler and a higher power. Kings and queens were seen either as God’s Chosen One or, in...
Excavations at the Church of Our Lady in the heart of historic Bruges, Belgium, have unearthed a third medieval burial vault. Just like the first one discovered back in May, this one also features...
Tucked away in an almost-forgotten manuscript from the 11th century is the extraordinary tale of St Rumwold, an infant saint who lived on this earthly plane for only three days. But in that short...
Researchers have recreated and exploded a series of medieval gunpowder recipes. A new paper shows that through trial and error so-called ‘black powder’ was developed, with some economic setbacks...
Montenegro’s illustrious Bay of Kotor is a maritime region filled with unique places that boast a long and far-reaching history. Amongst the numerous historic cities that dot the bay’s shores, Perast...
If you’ve never visited the Suffolk region of southern England, you may not have heard the name of Bury-St-Edmunds. But this small medieval town is home to one of the most important and powerful...
Illuminated manuscripts are manuscripts that are covered with painted ornaments presented under several forms. These documents are perhaps most commonly associated with the European Middle Ages...
At first glance, charters seem to be nothing more than obscure and boring legal documents, as dull in the Middle Ages as they are today. On closer examination however, there is much more to charters...
Archaeologists from the British firm Dig Ventures have been excavating a mysterious mound located near Soulton Hall , an ancient manor house turned tourist attraction near the village of Wem in...
An English archaeologist has analyzed “big data” to make a slate of new observations about changing burial traditions in medieval Europe. In business the term “big data” describes large, hard-to-...
A UK metal detectorist has unearthed a rare 1,400-year-old Anglo-Saxon sword harness pyramid crafted in gold and garnet from India or Sri Lanka. This tiny, bejeweled treasure was discovered in April...
A new study claims to have solved the mystery of non-binary gender evidence at a medieval warrior grave. In 1968, in the village of Suontaka Vesitorninmäki in southern Finland, a warrior’s grave...
The Netherlands isn’t known as a country that announces archaeological discoveries every week. However, there are countless ancient sites of medieval interest in the Netherlands, ranging from Anglo-...
Dover Castle has been dubbed the “Key to England” due to its location at the frontline of defense. Dover has played an important role in Britain’s history, both as a trading port and as the gateway...
In many ways, the culinary arts of preparing food are the oldest in the world. Ever since becoming sentient, humans had to experiment with cooking in order to sustain themselves. From the dawn of...
On October 30, 1501, the most decadence of festivals occurred in the papal palace of Cardinal Cesare Borgia. A party that his own father, Pope Alexander VI, not only attended but participated in. The...
