There is a remarkable tombstone installed in a church in Jamestown, Virginia, the site of the first English settlement in North America in 1607. The tombstone dates to 1627, and is covered with...
The “first fully systematic study of mound relics” in Poland’s Wozniki, a stronghold, has led to the discovery of a rarely encountered encolpion, i.e., a cross-shaped reliquary, from the structure...
Medieval armor , often depicted as a symbol of invincibility, had its share of drawbacks that made it more perilous than going unprotected. These metal suits , while impressive, posed several...
We tend to think of Medieval knights as wearing heavy plate armor but in reality much of their time chain mail made up much of their defenses. Medieval chain mail armor was remarkably effective...
Medieval archers faced a daunting challenge when attempting to defeat knights clad in full plate armor . They turned to a combination of weaponry, strategy, and ingenuity to surmount this formidable...
Life as a medieval knight was physically demanding, shaped by rigorous training, protective armor , and formidable weapons. The path to becoming a knight began at a young age, with training...
Unfolding a piece of history straight out of the chivalric tales, a team of archaeologists hit the jackpot in the heart of Spain. They uncovered a complete 16th-century suit of armor , lost in the...
Francis Dymoke, a 67-year-old farmer from eastern England, will play a ceremonial role in the upcoming coronation of King Charles III , and carry forward an ancient royal tradition while at it. He...
In a time long ago, in a land far away, there lived a legendary hero whose name echoed throughout the ages. He was a mighty warrior, a skilled knight , and a fierce dragon slayer. This hero's name...
In the Middle Ages, donning armor was an essential part of preparing for battle . The process of putting on armor was a ritual that required time, effort, and assistance from squires. The medieval...
We have likely all seen the stereotypical image of a knight in shining armor , but there is more to the world of armory than the steel plate armor we are often exposed to. Armor came in innumerable...
A charcoal inscription has been identified at the alleged site of King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Bearing the emblem of the Swiss family von Bubenberg, the Israel Antiquities Authority...
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...
When you think of concepts like honor, courtly love, and noblesse oblige, you likely conjure up images of European knights in steel-plate armor, mounted on giant destriers. European dress, European...
In 1874, the Norwegian chess historian Antonius Van der Linde belittled Frederic Madden’s suggestion that Iceland could produce anything approaching the sophistication of the Lewis chessmen...
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...
It was in 2018 that dozens of explorers, archaeologists and historians from Poland and abroad, congregated to conduct an archaeological research project on the legendary Battle of Grunwald . This...
When most people think about what it means to be a saint, the image that comes to mind is of a benevolent, gracious figure that exudes holiness in every cell of their being, and that every word and...
A silver badge which is described as the medieval equivalent of today’s popular meme phenomenon is one of the thousand or so antiquities that has been discovered by metal-detectorists in the UK over...
There is no doubt that most of us, in our childhoods and later in life, heard all about the stories and legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. For many, the stories of Arthur and...
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...
Three police officers from the Welsh police special firearms unit have confronted a sword-wielding “medieval knight,” by a lake in Cardiff. King Arthur was one of the most illustrious legendary...
In the early 1800s, on a golden Hebridean beach, the sea exposed an ancient treasure cache: ninety-two game pieces carved of ivory and the buckle of the bag that once contained them. Seventy-eight...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (in Middle English as Sir Gawayn and þe Grene Knyȝt ) is one of the most famous Arthurian legends. As the name of the poem suggests, the story is about Sir Gawain, one...