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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Norman

The new Nottingham Market Wall augmented reality Android app, recreated using old maps, creates this ancient breast-high wall that kept the city’s French Normans and non-French Anglo-Saxons separated for nearly 700 years! Source: NTU

Nottingham Market Wall That Split the City Brought Back to Life With AR

A most peculiar medieval feature of Nottingham Old Market Square has been recreated using a new augmented reality (AR) app. Nottingham Market Wall divided the center of the city for almost 700 years...
Ukrainian refugees in Ballindooley Castle, Ireland.		Source:  Ballindooley Castle

Ukrainian Refugees Hosted in Historic 15th Century Castle in Ireland

When Barry and Lola Haughian purchased an historic old castle on the outskirts of Galway in west Ireland in 2017, they had no idea that one day they would be opening the castle doors to people...
A chainmail vest or hauberk was discovered by chance in Longford, Ireland.  Source: sytilin / Adobe Stock

‘Norman’ Chain Armor Hope Thwarted By Museum Investigation

A chain mail vest that was thought to be dated from the Norman conquest of Ireland in the 12th century has now been thoroughly examined by the National Museum of Ireland who have concluded that it is...
Kenilworth Castle today. Source: Carl / Adobe Stock.

Something in the Water: Kenilworth Castle and a History of Rebellion

Kenilworth Castle is a ruined castle located in the market town of Kenilworth, in Warwickshire, a county in the West Midlands, England. It is believed the site was occupied by a fortified structure...
Subterranean Discovery: Medieval Welsh Abbey Tunnel from Norman Invasion Period

Subterranean Discovery: Medieval Welsh Abbey Tunnel from Norman Invasion Period

Archaeologists announced the discovery of a 12th-century tunnel network beneath an abbey in Wales. This tunnel beneath a popular Welsh abbey is so long that that archaeologists project that it will...
The abbey gateway at the now ruined Reading Abbey in a Paul Sandby oil painting from 1808. Source: Public domain

Reading Abbey: Ruins Are A Reminder of Medieval Religious Strife

Reading Abbey was erected in 1121 in the town of Reading within in the county of Berkshire, England. It was a royal monastery established by King Henry I to pay homage to his ancestors and his...
Study Unveils Just How Scribes Compiled the Famous Domesday Book

Study Unveils Just How Scribes Compiled the Famous Domesday Book

New research has cast light on how and why the iconic Domesday Book was created. The study shows that the work of the medieval scribes was so efficient and sophisticated that they accomplished what a...
Lost Key to St. Leonard’s Tower Mysteriously Returned After 47 Years

Lost Key to St. Leonard’s Tower Mysteriously Returned After 47 Years

When the large brass key to St. Leonard’s Tower in Kent went missing in 1973, no one knew if it had been lost or stolen. Now, 47 years later, the key has been returned , and its sudden arrival is...
The Domesday Book, volume 2

The Domesday Book: Don’t Worry, It’s Not the End of The World

Have you ever wondered how many people lived in England in the late 11th century? Well, William the Conqueror did, but mostly so that he could know how much land and money those people had. To figure...
The Rufus Stone in the New Forest, England, from sometime between 1890 and 1900. (Public Domain)

The Rufus Stone: Memorial to William Rufus, Unpopular Norman King of England

The Rufus Stone is a memorial in the New Forest, England . The stone is alleged to mark the location where William II, the second Norman king of England, met his death. In reality, however, the exact...
Restormel castle in Cornwall             Source: Richard Croft / CC BY SA 2.0

Restormel Castle, What the English Call ‘A Romantic Scene’

Restormel Castle is one of the four principal Norman castles of Cornwall and among the most notable in Britain for its circular design. Built in the 13th century, it was a luxurious residence and...
Medieval tower, Dublin Castle, Ireland          Source: Tupungato/ Adobe Stock

Dublin Castle, Encapsulating the Beauty and History of Ireland

As with many other European counties, Ireland has multitude of historic castles and fortresses. Perhaps the best-known on the island is Dublin Castle. This stronghold has played an important part in...
Medieval knights battle. Credit: Nejron Photo / Adobe Stock

A Red Dawn Rises - The Battle of Hastings, 1066

As the early morning sun dawned on October 14th, 1066 AD, casting its light on the clustered, eager soldiers, it would herald a new bloody, revolutionary epoch in the history of England. For on this...
Part of the 2571 coin hoard found in Somerset in January      Source: Adam N Lisa / Facebook

£5million Coin Hoard Found By Metal Detecting Couple In England

In England, a metal detecting couple has found an amazing treasure trove of coins. They have unearthed a hoard of silver coins that date from the famous Battle of Hastings. The find is expected to...
Temple of Concordia, Valley of the Temples

The Valley of the Temples – Glorious Greek Monuments in Sicily

Sicily is a beautiful and historic island separated from Italy by the Strait of Messina . It is also surrounded by two other seas - the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian. Set in the heart of the...
Medieval knight riding into battle. Credit: rudall30 / Adobe Stock

The Dramatic History of the Normans: A Tale of Medieval Conquest

History is full of stories that will grip you like a modern page-turner novel, but only a few can do it as easily as the tale of the Normans. Proud and fearsome, these Viking descendants were key...
13th-century depiction of Henry II and his legitimate children: William, Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan and John.

King Henry II Brought Law and Order to His Kingdom But His Rebellious Family Was A Different Matter

King Henry II of England ruled in the 12th century from Ireland to the Pyrenees, was warlike, given to anger, and was educated in law and languages. He was the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty...
: A segment of the exquisite Bayeux Tapestry. In this scene Odo, Bishop of Bayeux (with raised club), half-brother to William the Great, rallies the troops in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Nearly 1,000 Years Old, the Bayeux Tapestry is An Epic Tale and Medieval Masterpiece

The ancient Bayeux Tapestry, famous for its epic representation of medieval history, is a long, vividly embroidered cloth stretching hundreds of feet. Through exciting imagery it retells the events...
Statue of Rollo, Duke of Normandy in Ålesund, Norway. The Clameur de Haro is traditionally believed to have been a plea towards this ruler.

Clameur de Haro: Feudal Law Brings Construction Project To a Standstill

Rosie Henderson, from Guernsey, activated the ancient Norman rite of Clameur de Haro in protest of “the narrowing of a road” which she claims “would endanger pedestrians and motorists,” according to...
Dunamase Caste at sunset

The Rock of Dunamase: Vikings, Anglo-Norman Nobles, and Oliver Cromwell Paint the Castle’s History

The Rock of Dunamase is a large limestone outcrop located in County Laois, a county in the middle of the eastern Irish province of Leinster. The site is today known for the ruins of Dunamase Castle,...
Remains of the original apse built in 1077 was unearthed during excavation work at St Albans Cathedral.

1,000-Year-Old Norman Cathedral Ruins Unearthed Beneath Church in England

The foundations of a Norman cathedral have been found under just 3ft (90cm) of soil during excavations at St Albans Abbey, the oldest place of continuous Christian worship in England. They are dated...
Bayeux Tapestry - Scenes 29-30-31: the coronation of Harold II of England. He receives orb and sceptre. On his left stands Archbishop Stigand.

Bayeux and Brexit: What the tapestry says about the UK’s shared European heritage

Kathryn Hurlock / The Conversation The Bayeux Tapestry is finally coming to England , or so the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has promised . There have long been calls to bring the work to...
Lindisfarne Castle on Holy island

Remains of Saxon Church Discovered on Viking Raided Lindisfarne Island

A team of archaeologists have recently excavated the remains of a church on Lindisfarne (Holy Island) in Northumberland. Experts describe the newly discovered church as one of the most significant...
A Tower for Power Reduced to Ruins: The Forgotten Story of Torre San Sadurniño

A Tower for Power Reduced to Ruins: The Forgotten Story of Torre San Sadurniño

Tower ruins hidden in a bay near the waters of the Atlantic Ocean are one of the greatest treasures of a small community in Cambados, Galicia, Spain. The stones remember battles with Vikings and...

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