Conference celebrates 20th anniversary of Newport Medieval Ship Project
The conference will take place at the Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre on Tuesday, October 11 this year.
Medieval
Falconer figurine
What is it? This small, carved figurine depicting a falconer was discovered in Oslo, Norway. The object, made of bone, antler, or walrus tooth, is 7.5cm long, with a flat, oval cross-section. The lower half of the figurine is hollow,…
Medieval recipes and medical manuscripts to be digitised in Cambridge University Library project
Digital images of the manuscripts, together with detailed descriptions and full-text transcriptions, will be freely available online.
Life across the water: exploring London Bridge and its houses
When it was completed in 1209, medieval London Bridge was the only fixed crossing of the Thames downstream of Kingston-upon-Thames (until Fulham Bridge was built in 1729). Remarkably, it was also home to some 500 people – equivalent to the population of a small medieval town. In London Bridge and its Houses, Dorian Gerhold has scoured the archives of Bridge House – the medieval charity that managed the bridge – to find out more about the community that lived on this extraordinary structure, as Chris Catling reports.
Scottish Archaeology Month 2022
September and the first half of October will see heritage-themed events being held all across Scotland, as part of the annual celebration of the nation’s past coordinated by Archaeology Scotland.
From abbey infirmary to academic accommodation: the evolution of Dulverton House
Dulverton House began life as part of a medieval priory, and has since seen centuries of adaptations and amendments. What traces of its historic fabric have survived to the present day? Recent archaeological investigations ahead of planned refurbishment works have revealed many of the structure’s secrets once more, as Chiz Harward reports.
Using peat to explore the impact of climate change
The abandonment of environmentally fragile Irish uplands like Slieveanorra – a remote site with a small raised bog – has previously been linked to socio-economic problems driven by climate change.
Exhibitions, events, and heritage from home – Summer and Autumn 2022
There are many brilliant opportunities to get involved in archaeology, history, and heritage around the UK over the coming months, ranging from new exhibitions and lectures to returning festivals and excavations. There are also still plenty of ways to get your heritage fix at home, with online exhibitions and virtual tours, podcasts and online talks, and TV shows and games for the whole family. Amy Brunskill has put together a selection of some of the options available.
Medieval ‘Daneskins’ revealed to be animal hide
‘Daneskins’ – medieval skin fragments that have been found attached to the doors of some English churches – have been interpreted as coming from the bodies of Viking Age raiders.
Gravestones and grindstones: one of England’s earliest-known shipwrecks discovered off Dorset
A 13th-century merchant vessel carrying a cargo of Purbeck marble has been identified as the earliest-known wreck site to be found with surviving timbers in English waters. Carly Hilts reports.
Last chance to tour archaeological remains of medieval chapel at Auckland Castle
Tours take place at 2pm Wednesday to Sunday and are free for visitors with admission to Auckland Castle.
Seasonal Settlement in the Medieval and Early Modern Countryside
Review by Stephen Mileson. This latest, well-produced, and richly illustrated contribution to the Ruralia series tells us much about medieval and early modern use of the mountains, moorlands, forests, and remote coastlines that lay beyond Europe’s more populous lowland valleys…
Stained-glass windows of Notre-Dame Cathedral restored following fire
Although none of the stained-glass windows were destroyed or damaged by the fire, many of them, already dusty, were exposed to smoke and soiled as a result.
Renewing Paris’ medieval museum
The long-term project, which started in 2011, has seen the restoration of the ancient bathhouse to protect parts that were left open to the elements.
The birth of Gothic: building heaven on earth
How did the elements of what we now call Gothic come together in medieval Europe? Emma J Wells takes us back to this great age of cathedral-building, when masons set out to replicate heaven here on earth.
Doune Castle, star of ‘Outlander’ and ‘Monty Python’, reopens to the public
Built in the early 14th century, the castle is known for its striking 100ft-high gatehouse and one of the best preserved great halls in the country.
This week: Golden manuscripts
Throughout history, gold has captured the imagination – as a glittering symbol of money, sex, power, divine love, or whatever else our hearts desire. From the Greek myth of the Golden Fleece to Titian's Danae, and from the golden objects found in Ancient Egyptian tombs to the quest at the heart of JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, the precious metal has been mined as subject matter for writers and artists across continents and down millennia.
Books and Manuscripts Quiz
What is the writing material known as 'vellum' made from?
Written in gold: exploring golden manuscripts from around the world
Some of the most significant texts from around the world have been given very special treatment, with words of holiness and of diplomatic value written both in and on gold. Annabel Teh Gallop, Eleanor Jackson, and Kathleen Doyle investigate the indelible importance of the precious metal in luxury manuscripts.
Survey identifies remains of Greasley Castle in Nottinghamshire
The survey work showed that the complex was a ‘courtyard castle’ with corner turrets and a great hall...
Hyde900 project finds Hampshire abbey’s medieval nave
All that remains of the abbey above ground since its demolition at the Dissolution of the Monasteries is an arched stone gatehouse.
The Marlipins Museum, Shoreham-by-Sea
With its distinctive chequerboard exterior combining Caen stone and knapped flint, the Marlipins building in Shoreham-by-Sea has been an eye-catching landmark for centuries – in fact, dendrochronological analysis suggests that it is the earliest surviving secular building in Sussex. Its…
Medieval tombs discovered beneath Notre-Dame
Among the discoveries were a large number of fragments of Notre-Dame de Paris’ lost medieval rood screen.
The British Sundial Society
The British Sundial Society is compiling a register of all the Mass dials (also known as scratch dials) in the country. So far, 5,500 examples have been recorded and the society is keen to hear from anyone who can help…
Crucible of Nations: Scotland from Viking Age to medieval kingdom
Review by Russell Ó Ríagáin. This book is the third in a series associated with the Glenmorangie Company Research Project at National Museums Scotland, treating various aspects of Iron Age and medieval northern Britain. Arguably, it has been the most…
Traces of medieval and modern life unearthed in Haverfordwest
The excavations have revealed the iron foundry’s casting pits and a deep stone-lined cistern filled with roofing slates.
Finds tray – medieval lion figurine
This small lion figurine, which probably dates to c.AD 1300-1500, was found last year by a metal-detectorist on cultivated land near St Teath in Cornwall. The 6.8cm-high animal, which is made from copper-alloy and weighs 173g, was most likely cast…
Evensong: people, discoveries and reflections on the church in England
Review by Christopher Catling. Reading this book reminds me of the University of London’s Warburg Institute Library, which has a unique classification system designed by the library’s founder, Aby Warburg (1866-1929), to encourage serendipitous discovery: looking for one book, your…
World news: Swedish shipwreck, Kazakh lyre, and a Roman amphitheatre
A round-up of some of the latest archaeological news stories from across the globe.
Minerva Magazine 194
• The rise of Christianity in the Caucasus
• The sun in the world of Stonehenge
• Childhood in the Roman Empire
• Law and order: an ancient legal code from Crete
• A conversation with Egyptologist Salima Ikram
• Investigating Chiragan’s Roman statues
Lost Settlements Quiz
Once the capital of the Kingdom of the East Angles, which busy Suffolk port was carried away by coastal erosion?
Sunken ship found off Swedish coast
It is one of the oldest cogs ever found in Europe.
Armour of the English Knight, 1450-1500
The English armourers of the 15th century were great craftsmen, artists, and innovators. That is the essential conclusion of Tobias Capwell’s monumental study of the armour of the English knight in this period. It was once assumed that the domestic…
Renaissance warfare: a military revolution
Neil Faulkner analyses the changing nature of warfare in early 16th-century Europe.
The Battle of Bicocca, 27 April 1522
Neil Faulkner analyses a typical battle of the Italian Wars, a clash between a French and an Imperialist army near the northern Italian city of Milan, fought 500 years ago this spring.
Friary floor tiles revealed in Gloucester
The latest discovery – an extensive floor surface made up of glazed green and white tiles – is thought to represent the northern part of the friary’s cloister.