Perhaps the only thing more satisfying than a “big” story is one where celebrity and bizarre personal details combine to create an even bigger story. This is certainly true in the fascinating and...
Like many countries in western Europe, France was deeply influenced by the Romans and the Celts who left remarkable monuments that today are major archaeological and historic sites. Because the area...
Anarchy. The word itself is enough to paint a stark picture of lawlessness and disorder, a picture of a world in which no rules exist – for anyone. Such a world is bound to collapse under its own...
Pretty and charming on the outside, but deeply enigmatic and ancient down below: Château de Brézé is a place of many mysteries. Located in the scenic Loire Valley in France, this castle and the...
Joan of Arc was a young peasant woman who lived during the last phase of the Hundred Years’ War . This war was a series of military conflicts between France and England which began in 1337 due to an...
Catherine of Valois was a French princess who lived during the 15 th century. Catherine is an important female figure in medieval English history, being the wife of one English king, and the mother...
A team of French researchers studying horse DNA dated to between 40,000 BC and 700 AD claim that when horses were first domesticated there was no sex preference but by 1,900 BC stallions outnumbered...
Over two millennia ago, France’s capital, Paris, was inhabited by Celtic Gauls who called their city Parisii. But then the Romans came and set up camp. They renamed their city Lutetia, meaning ‘place...
As one of the key strategic regions of Europe, and a prosperous, large kingdom of the Middle Ages, France was always an area of struggle, intrigue, war, and vying for power. Ever since its emergence...
Eleanor of Aquitaine is considered to have been one of the wealthiest and most powerful women of medieval Europe during the 12 th century. For a start, Eleanor was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own...
A remarkable cave in France is revealing secrets about early human ritual practices and burial traditions. Grotte de Cussac cave is located in Dordogne, in southwest France, set between the Loire...
In France, a brotherhood that is over 800 years old is helping to bury the dead during the COVID-19 pandemic. This fraternity, which has its origins in medieval times, continues to assist at burials...
France is famous for its beautiful scenery, historic cities, and of course, wine. The country also has many spectacular cave systems such as the Bournillon Cave which has the highest cave opening in...
Cleopatra’s Needle is the name shared by three ancient Egyptian obelisks – one in New York City, one in London, and one in Paris. However, each comes from a different Egyptian site and none may have...
Throughout Africa, many impressive monuments have been raised to commemorate the struggle for independence. Particularly striking is the Reunification Monument in Cameroon. It symbolizes the...
The Battle of Agincourt was fought in 1415 and is one of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years’ War . During the battle, the English won an unexpected victory over the French, who are recorded...
Sometime between 41,000–52,000 years ago an innovative person took some fibers, twisted them together, and put them with a thin stone tool. Their creation may have been a handle, net, or bag for the...
The early medieval world of our ancestors was built upon struggles and decisive battles. The emerging nations united the broken tribes, expanded their borders, conquered their enemies, and often...
In the midst of the Hundred Years War between England and France, an enraged French noblewoman turned pirate named Jeanne de Clisson took to the sea with a fleet of warships. She mercilessly hunted...
Trephination (known also as trepanning, trepanation, trephining, or making a burr hole), is a surgical procedure, which involves the drilling of a hole in the skull of a living person. Trephination...
A competition launched to help decipher a mysterious 230 year-old inscription found carved into a rock slab discovered on the Brittany coast has been won, and the code reveals the story of a tragic...
The world of medieval aristocracy was always plagued by extravagance, power, and eccentricity. Where there was an abundance of power and wealth, the great leaders and kings of the world descended...
The remains of last year ’ s burning of Paris ’ s Notre-Dame cathedral will be studied by scientists. On April 15 of last year the world froze as an electrical fire destroyed the cathedral’s roof and...
Glimpsing into the mind of the Paleolithic man is by no means an easy task. The veil of time is a continuous mystery, a fog that envelops the early history of humans and covers it with a shadow of...
