In an era long before any concept of dignified treatment for defeated enemies, during a time when losing on the battlefield often opened the door to the most bloodthirsty barbarities, in the Middle Ages, there was an event that even exceeded the norm and echoed throughout history as a chilling reminder of that brutal reality […]
Middle Ages
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Oldest Alliances in the World: Portugal-England and Scotland-France
Although geostrategic interests change throughout history, for many centuries, some alliances have defied the passage of time, remaining stable and renewing themselves as if they were unaffected by changing circumstances. Which are the oldest? At least in Europe, there are two that stand out. One is very well known, the Anglo-Portuguese alliance, established in 1373; […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
How Björn, the son of Ragnar, attacked Seville and other places in the Iberian Peninsula in his expedition to the Mediterranean
In the popular TV series Vikings, it’s Ivar the Boneless who perhaps steals the spotlight with his peculiar personality, reminiscent of the classic – and stereotypical – image of Caligula or Nero. However, Ubbe, Hvitsärk, and Björn also have their moments. In this article, we will focus on Björn and, more specifically, the expedition he […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Vikings and North American Natives met and traded ivory in remote parts of Greenland
A recent study led by Lund University in Sweden has shed new light on the ancient trade routes between Viking Norse settlers and Arctic Indigenous peoples. By examining ancient walrus DNA, the researchers have reconstructed the trade networks of the Viking Age, discovering that the Norse and Arctic Indigenous peoples likely interacted and exchanged walrus […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Belisarius, the General Who Upheld Justinian’s Empire and Refused to Be Emperor of the West
I entrusted the care of arms to my Belisarius, and so favorable did the divine hand show itself to him that it gave me the security to live peacefully. These words, which Dante Alighieri places in the mouth of Justinian I, emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, in canto VI of the Divine Comedy, refer […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Science
When the Venerable Bede Established That a ‘Moment’ Lasted 90 Seconds
Most historical civilizations, such as the Sumerians, Egyptians, Chinese, Babylonians, Greeks, Mayans… used natural measures of time. These include the day, the solar year, or the phases of the moon. The Egyptians were among the first to divide the day into equal parts, using sundials for daylight hours and merjets, a type of plumb line […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Science
Mysterious plant mentioned in the Bible is resurrected by germinating a 1,000-year-old seed found in a desert cave
An international team of researchers has successfully germinated and analyzed an ancient seed, uncovering secrets that may shed light on a plant species mentioned in ancient texts like the Bible, which may have been extinct in the southern Levant region. The study, recently published in the journal Communications Biology, details how a seed recovered during […]
Posted inAntiquity, Middle Ages
The Tribute of the Three Cows, the oldest treaty still in force in Europe, may have started as a sanction for supporting the invasion of the Cimbri in 125 BC
For six and a half centuries, a peculiar ceremony has been held every July 13 at the Ernaz pass and the San Martín stone, a mountain pass in the Pyrenees that serves as a border point between the Foral Community of Navarra (Spain) and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department (France). The event consists of the delivery of […]
Posted inArt, Middle Ages
The Famous Lion of Venice Comes from China, Possibly Brought by Marco Polo’s Father and Uncle
A team of researchers from the fields of geology, chemistry, archaeology, and art history at the University of Padua and the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (Ismeo), in collaboration with colleagues from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, has conducted new chemical analyses of the bronze alloy of the famous lion sculpture that […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Reinterpretation of runic inscription on a ring reveals how much things cost in the Viking Age
A reinterpretation of the runic inscription on the Forsa Ring, an ancient Viking artifact, has shed new light on the monetary systems of the Viking Age. This discovery represents the oldest documented record of value in Scandinavia and reveals how Vikings managed fines in a surprisingly flexible and practical manner. The Forsa Ring, an iron […]
