Category News

A project to create a new reference work about the Middle Ages has just been completing with the publishing of the Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages. The four volume encyclopedia contains over 5000 entries, which covers for all key aspects of medieval history, society, religion, and culture, c. 500 to c.

A three-day conference on the Textus Roffensis, the priceless 12th century Rochester Cathedral manuscript which was named Britain’s ‘Hidden Treasure’ by the British Library, will take place at the University of Kent between July 25-27.Textus Roffensis is a Rochester Cathedral book of the early 12th century that holds some of the most significant texts issued by England’s various early medieval kingdoms going back to the laws of King Æthelbert of Kent (c.

A recent article suggests that lesbian activities of women in the medieval Arab world were far more common and open than is commonly believed, or would be considered acceptable in today’s Middle East. In the article, “Medieval Arab Lesbians and Lesbian-Like Women,” Sahar Amer describes the large amount of material related to this topic, as well as the difficulty in accessing some of these records.

The Yorkshire Museum reopens on August 1st, 2010 following a nine month, £2 million refurbishment project. Five new galleries will showcase some of Britain’s finest archaeological and natural treasures, in brand new interactive displays.The Yorkshire Museum hopes that the extensive changes will make it must-see destination in a tour around the English city of York.

How many castles can you think of in Leicestershire and Rutland? Ashby de la Zouch, Kirby Muxloe and Belvoir Castles tend to spring to mind straight away but not many people know that there are around 21 castle sites in the two counties! An exhibition at Leicestershire County Council’s Donington le Heath Manor House explores the many other castle sites in the area.

A stone feature in a Yorkshire Dales village has been uncovered again to determine if it is perhaps a type of oven used in the Middle Ages.The stones were first discovered in 1896 on the village green at Hartlington near Burnsall and were originally thought to be the floor of a corn drying kiln but, over the years that followed, they became covered and were left untouched.

According to a recently published study, women could be found working on construction sites, if only occasionally, including in specialized roles such as carpenters and masons. The research is found in the article, “Appropriate to Her Sex?” Women’s Participation on the Construction Site in Medieval and Early Modern Europe,” by Shelley E.

A medieval hall house is set to become a holiday rental home, after funding was provided to restore the property. The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) and Cadw, the Welsh government agency in charge of preserving the heritage of Wales, jointly announced equal grants of £335,000 that will allow the Landmark Trust to proceed in securing Llwyn Celyn, a grade I listed, single aisled medieval hall house, considered the most significant inhabited building ‘at risk’ in Wales.

Several archaeological finds were announced in the last week, including the discovery of a chapel belonging to the medieval bishops of Aberdeen, a prison underneath the castle of Lincoln, and the remains of a dozen bodies from the fourteenth century.As archaeological work finished at the Scottish town of Fetternear, researchers discovered the remains of a chapel which was part of a palace belonging to the bishops of Aberdeen during the 13th and 14th centuries.

The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), which has been meeting for the last several days in Brazil, has named over two dozen new sites to the World Heritage List, including several that date back to the medieval era.Those named to the World Heritage List include:Albi, France: On the banks of the Tarn river in south-west France, the old city of Albi reflects the culmination of a medieval architectural and urban ensemble.

Last week the government of Canada marked the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Viking remains at the L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. The national historic and World Heritage site was discovered by Helge and Anne Stine Instad, and their guide, local fisherman George Decker, in 1960.Celebrations were held on July 21st at the community of L’anse aux Meadows.

Roger Parmiter, Chair of the Friends of Oystermouth Castle in Wales, is looking for volunteers to play a part in safeguarding their local heritage as one of Swansea’s most popular visitor attractions is given a new lease of life.The 12th century Castle is undergoing major restoration work thanks to the investment of £764,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

A rare find has been uncovered from the shores of the Thames by the Museum of London. A clay medieval roof finial was discovered a week ago by a mudlark, who was helping survey the foreshore of the river by the Tower of London, and reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. This fascinating object offers a glimpse of what the city could have looked like over 600 years ago.

Joan Grenier-Winther, a professor of French at the Washington State University Vancouver, has received a grant to translate the love poetry of a fourteenth century French writer. The project, Translation of the Courtly Poetry of the 14th c. French Knight-Poet, Oton de Granson, is being run by Grenier-Winther with Peter Nicholson of the University Hawai’i, Manoa,“Granson’s poetry speaks of love-sickness, adoration of the beloved, the ways in which a gallant knight should court and honor his lady, and the pain of unrequited love.

The BBC is to provide viewers with a definitive look at a seminal period of history, the resonances of which can still be felt today, in a season focusing on the Normans across BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC Learning. Leading the season will be The Normans, a three-part series on BBC Two that will examine the extraordinary expansion and unchecked ambition of this warrior race between the 10th and 13th centuries.

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that they will be releasing The Sims: Medieval in the spring of 2011. The developers say it will allow players to create heroes, venture on quests, and build and control a kingdom, all in setting that will be full of drama, romance, conflict, and comedy.“The Middle Ages is a time of intrigue, legend, and excitement.

This fall, the Cleveland Museum of Art will premiere a groundbreaking exhibition examining the role of relics and reliquaries in the development of Christianity and the visual arts. Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe is the first major exhibition in the United States to consider the history of relics and reliquaries and will feature more than 150 works of art from Late Antiquity, the Middle Ages and early modern Europe.

The Royal Historical Society announced their awards for outstanding historical scholarship and achievement earlier this summer, and two young medievalists came out as winners. George Molyneaux of Oxford University won the Alexander Prize for his article “The Old English Bede: English Ideology or Christian Instruction?

According to a recently published study, the Carolingian Emperor Charlemagne (ca. The findings were reported in the July 2010 issue of Economics & Human Biology.A trio of scholars from Switzerland, Germany and Australia were allowed special access to the left tibia of Charlemagne, whose remains are kept in the Aachen Cathedral.

Two University of York researchers have found evidence that the London Guildhall served as the cradle of English Literature in the late Middle Ages. It was the home to scribes who copied the first manuscripts of works by fourteenth-century authors Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower, as well as early copies of other Middle English authors including William Langland and John Trevisa.