How chess became medieval Europe’s favorite pastime

Chess spread quickly through feudal Europe, far from its roots in sixth-century India. Here’s how the game of strategy kept ...
Ancient Origins

Giant 13th-Century Warrior’s Saber Unearthed at ‘Eagle’s Nest’ in Russia

In a remarkable archaeological find that challenges our understanding of medieval weaponry, researchers in Russia’s Astrakhan region have unearthed an exceptionally large saber in a 13th-century male ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Researchers Follow a 15th-Century Recipe to Recreate Medieval Blue Ink

Folium was used to illustrate illuminated manuscripts—and color the rind of a popular Dutch cheese. Courtesy of Paula Nabais / NOVA University In southern Portugal, an unassuming, silvery plant with ...
Live Science

Remains of 14th-century gauntlet discovered in Oslo's medieval harbor

An excavation in Oslo's former harbor has yielded the remains of a rare iron gauntlet, likely lost by a medieval knight in the 14th century. Archaeologists with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural ...
The Independent

Medieval history in the making

It is the year 1241. Good King Louis XI is on the throne of France. The son of Bad King John, "average" King Henry III is on the throne of England and struggling, as ever, against his revolting barons ...
The Christian Century

What we can learn from medieval views of the human body

Several years ago, I spent a rainy afternoon at the Wellcome Library in London examining a 15th-century birthing girdle. The eagle-eyed curator watched my every move, making sure I didn’t touch the ...
The Guardian

'Find of the century': medieval hoard of treasures unearthed in Cambridge

Graves found under demolished student halls are providing valuable insight into life in a post-Roman settlement An early medieval graveyard unearthed beneath student accommodation at Cambridge ...
Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT students discover hidden 15th-century text on medieval manuscripts

Rochester Institute of Technology students discovered lost text on 15th-century manuscript leaves using an imaging system they developed as freshmen. By using ultraviolet-fluorescence imaging, the ...
Mental Floss

This Medieval Manuscript Has Stumped Codebreakers for More Than a Century

In 1912, a rare book dealer named Wilfried Voynich came across a unique find at a Jesuit college in Italy. With its colorful illustrations and odd curlicue writing, this specimen was unlike any other ...