Medieval Ages

The York Gospels

Medieval Manuscripts Are a DNA Smorgasbord

Researchers are finding animal DNA in the parchment pages as well as genetic fingerprints from humans (like kissing priests)

The fairground ride parallels a medieval training game for mounted fighters.

The Dizzy History of Carousels Begins With Knights

Practice makes perfect–but nobody said it couldn't be fun

Criseyde and Her Maidens Listening to a Reading, by Warwick Goble, from The Complete Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, 1912.

The Timelessness of Millennial-Bashing

Even in the 14th century, writers blamed younger generations for ruining everything

Cheers To This Spanish Town's Annual Wine Battle

The boozy event has its roots in a 13th century land dispute

A fancy moule à gaufres (waffle iron) held by the Musée Lorrain.

These Beautiful Medieval Wafer Presses Are Where Waffles Come From

Leggo my flat, fancy Eggo

A painting depicting a tribute giraffe and a handler sent to China in the 15th century.

The Peculiar Story of Giraffes in 1400s China

During China's short-lived golden age of exploration, two giraffes came to the imperial court

Today, apples are one of the most valuable fruit crops in the United States, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center.

Apple Pie Is Not All That American

Neither apples nor the pie originally came from America, but Americans have made this dish their own

This illustration puts the blame of the murder of Edward on Elfrida.

Medieval Mothers Had to Marry and Murder to Get Their Way

The stories are below aren’t pulled from “Game of Thrones.” Promise

A field hospital in Virginia, photographed in 1862, shows the grim conditions during the Civil War.

Fearing a Smallpox Epidemic, Civil War Troops Tried to Self-Vaccinate

People knew that inoculation could prevent you from catching smallpox. It was how Civil War soldiers did it that caused problems

A recipe for an eyesalve from ‘Bald’s Leechbook’

Medieval Medical Books Could Hold the Recipe for New Antibiotics

A team of medievalists and scientists look back to history—including a 1,000-year-old eyesalve recipe—for clues

Researcher Sarah Inskip examines the skull of Context 958.

Facial Reconstruction of Medieval Man Sheds Light on England’s 'Ordinary Poor'

"Context 958" lived a harsh life and died destitute

First page of the Kempe manuscript

Researchers Decipher Recipe Believed to Treat Medieval Mystic

The find came to light thanks to a multi-spectral analysis on the manuscript of Margery Kempe's autobiography

Although it's possible that Sandro Botticelli threw other works of his on the bonfire, the Birth of Venus thankfully survived.

A Fanatical Monk Inspired 15th-Century Italians to Burn Their Clothes, Makeup and Art

He told Florentines the apocalypse was coming, and to save themselves through self-censorship

Astrolabes were astronomical calculating devices that did everything from tell the time to map the stars. This 16th century planispherical astrolabe stems from Morocco.

The Story of the Astrolabe, the Original Smartphone

Prosperous times likely paved the way for this multifunctional device, conceptual ancestor to the iPhone 7

Anger is no match for Patience—no matter how large her sword.

Here’s What Happens in a "Comic Book" Drawn by Medieval Monks

<i>Psychomachia</i> pits vice against virtue in a battle for human souls

Joan of Arc on horseback in an illustration from a 1505 manuscript.

Remembering Joan of Arc, The Gender-Bending Woman Warrior Who Changed History

The Maid of Orleans and her holy voices were in many ways too different to live

An interior shot of Hagia Sophia. Its name means "Holy Wisdom" or "Sacred Wisdom."

You Can Hear Hagia Sophia’s Sublime Acoustics Without a Trip to Istanbul

Stanford scientists have digitally created the building’s unique sound, taking listeners back to the Middle Ages

Human skeletons found in a mass grave near the ruins of a medieval monastery in the English countryside.

English Mass Grave Sheds New Light on the Horrors of the Black Death

The burial pit contained 48 skeletons that tested positive for the plague

Study Shows Knights Were Pretty Spry in Their Suits of Armor

Researchers studied the range of motion of fighters in suits of armor, finding they were heavy but allowed freedom of movement

"Dance at Molenbeek," a painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638) depicts pilgrims dancing to the church at Molenbeek.

A Strange Case of Dancing Mania Struck Germany Six Centuries Ago Today

Modern experts still don't agree on what caused plagues of compulsive dancing in the streets

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