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The rare medieval falconry figurine found in an ancient land fill site uncovered in the Old Town of Norway, Oslo.		Source: NIKU

Rare 13th-century Falconry Figurine Miraculously Found in Oslo

A Norwegian archaeologist digging in the frozen ground at a medieval excavation site in Oslo found something extremely rare and most unexpected. While sorting through a waste layer left behind by...
A reconstruction of Blair Atholl Man’s face.		Source: Christopher Rynn and Hayley Fisher / Perth Museum & Art Gallery

Scotland’s Blair Atholl Man Was Actually From the West, Says Study

People migrated long distances in early medieval Scotland, concluded a new study on the Blair Atholl Man published in the Tayside and Fife Archaeological Journal . The study reveals that he was not...
The Binnenhof, or “Inner Court”, is still the beating heart of the Dutch parliament. Recently, more and more medieval material has been discovered underneath these buildings. Source: Public domain

Medieval Walls Discovered Underneath Dutch Parliament

Archaeologists stumbled upon medieval material underneath the Dutch parliament building last week. The area is being prepared for a major renovation that’s long overdue. Fortunately, as a matter of...
The Pillar of Eliseg is just one monument that bears witness to the Romanitas of early medieval Wales. Source: Public domain

Romanitas in Early Medieval Wales: The Evidence of Latin Standing Stones

There are very few texts that survive from early medieval Wales, an era spanning the moment when the Romans left Wales until the Normans arrived. This is one of the reasons that historians have...
Victims of Arrogance and Cruelty: The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612

Victims of Arrogance and Cruelty: The Pendle Witch Trials of 1612

Witch trials are among some of the cruelest events in European history. Thousands of innocent women were murdered by people who provided fake accusations. In England, one of the most famous witch...
Dromoland Castle is just one of our ten recommended medieval castle vacations. Source: Dromoland Castle Hotel & Country Club

A Truly Historic Rest: 10 Unforgettable Medieval Castle Vacations

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...
Remains of the wooden wharfs of the French medieval port being excavated at the base of Chateau Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, Vendée, France.		Source: Emmanuelle Collado / Inrap

Surprise 10th Century Medieval Port Discovered In Western France

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...
The reconstruction of the Pictish fort. Source: University of Aberdeen

Bringing History to Life: Immense Pictish Fort is Reconstructed in 3D

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...
Complete bust of female Roman statue discovered at the site of old St Mary’s church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, England. Source: HS2

‘Astounding’ Roman Statues Found Under Medieval Church in Britain

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...
Detail of 16th-century prayer roll under analysis. Source: Gail Turner / Journal of the British Archaeological Association

16th-Century Prayer Roll Exposes Medieval Religious Cult

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...
Fountains Abbey in northern Yorkshire. Source: Russell / Adobe Stock

Massive Medieval Tannery Identified at Spectacular Fountains Abbey

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...
Jaques Le Gris, played by Adam Driver on the left, and Jean de Carrouges, played by Matt Damon, in The Last Duel. 	Source: 20th Century Studios

The True History Behind “The Last Duel” - A Tale of Trial by Combat

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...
Craco, Italy

Craco: The Abandoned Medieval Ghost Town of Italy

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...
Queen Mary applies the Royal Touch to cure scrofula. Source: M S Lapthorn / Public Domain.

The Royal Touch: Could Medieval Monarchs Heal You With Their Hands?

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...
Various biblical images that are painted on the burial vault found in Bruges.	Source: Raakvlak

Painted Medieval Burial Vaults Surface In Belgium

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...
St Rumwold was an infant saint. Source: Framestock / Adobe Stock

St Rumwold: The Infant Saint and Medieval Miracle Stories

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...
Medieval gunpowder recipes were far from perfected and led to many explosive accidents. Source: photosampler / Adobe Stock

Medieval Gunpowder Recipes Blasted In New Experiment

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...
Perast, Montenegro. Source: Givaga /Adobe Stock

A Tiny Town with an Enormous History: Perast, The Pearl of Boka

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...
The gatehouse of Bury St Edmunds Abbey. Source: Charles / Adobe Stock.

Bury-St-Edmunds Abbey: Shrine of the King, Cradle of the Law

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...
Hanging out in the margin of an illuminated manuscript

Beautiful, Decorative, and Sometimes Crude: Illuminated Manuscripts and Marginalia

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...
Landowning houses used charters to confirm their ownings. Source: Thomas Mucha / Adobe Stock.

Forged Medieval Charters: How To Rewrite History In The 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...
The emerging ruins of the lost and forgotten medieval castle found in Shropshire, England near the popular tourist attraction of Soulton Hall.                Source: Dig Ventures

Mysterious Medieval Castle Found Near Historic Shropshire Manor Home

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 incomplete early early-medieval (Anglo-Saxon, 500-600 AD) gilded copper-alloy zoomorphic plate bird brooch with garnet eye detail, missing its pin. This type of brooch was found in many medieval furnished graves across Kent and the Frankish world. But after 600 AD European burial rites transitioned to unfurnished churchyard burials, according to the latest study.	Source: Hampshire Cultural Trust

Big Data Study Reveals Rapid Transition in Medieval Burial Rites

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-...
The gold and garnet sword harness pyramid found in Norfolk, England.

Sword Harness Pyramid With Rare Gems Unearthed In England

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...

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