13+ hour, 13+ min ago   (862+ words) Soap-making was a well-established craft in the Middle Ages, but what exactly went into medieval soap? A fourteenth-century English recipe provides remarkably detailed instructions, using ingredients ranging from sheep tallow and oak ashes to salt and wheat flour. Among these…...

2+ day, 21+ hour ago   (651+ words) The Bayeux Tapestry has gone on public display at the British Museum. The opening has become a major cultural event, with enormous demand for tickets and extensive coverage across the British and international media. The exhibition opened to the public…...

3+ day, 4+ hour ago   (623+ words) Archaeologists working near Samarkand in Uzbekistan have uncovered the remains of an eighth-century palace complex within the fortified citadel of the medieval settlement of Mingtepa. The discovery, which includes pieces of sculpture found inside a large hall, could offer new…...

4+ day, 21+ hour ago   (285+ words) The Fifth Crusade is often overlooked, even by those who study the Crusades. This book shows why its story deserves greater attention, offering valuable insights into the politics and warfare of the medieval Near East. Until recently, there were very…...

5+ day, 50+ min ago   (701+ words) One of the Netherlands’ most important early medieval archaeological finds has undergone a major restoration, bringing together pieces discovered over more than half a century. The Wijnaldum fibula, an elaborate gold and garnet brooch dating to around AD 600, is now…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago   (776+ words) More than 1,050 years after his death, Emperor Otto the Great has once again been laid to rest in Magdeburg Cathedral. The medieval ruler’s remains were placed in a specially designed titanium coffin and ceremonially reinterred on September 1, bringing a major…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (664+ words) Scientific analysis of a medieval silk garment preserved at Canterbury Cathedral has revealed that it was once decorated with gold. The discovery could also challenge the long-held belief that the luxury textile was produced in Spain, pointing instead to connections…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (690+ words) Archaeologists in Switzerland are excavating the cemetery of a medieval leprosy hospital, where more than 200 individuals have already been uncovered. The sprawling site in Schaffhausen includes the remains of a medieval chapel and cemetery, while one skeleton displays clear evidence…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (281+ words) Children digging into a slope at a residential complex in Vienna made an unexpected discovery earlier this year, uncovering a late medieval sword that is now being conserved by Austria’s Federal Monuments Office. The discovery was made in March in…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (520+ words) Altogether, archaeologists excavated 18 tombs dating to the Sixteen Kingdoms period and nine from the Tang Dynasty, recovering more than 600 objects or groups of objects. Researchers say the cemetery provides important evidence for understanding government administration, cultural interaction and Silk Road…...