The Battle of Didgori and the Rise of Georgia Under the white-capped peaks of the Greater Caucasus live the Kartvelians. Jason’s Argonauts found them on the balmy shores and hills, retreating from the Black Sea as an already ancient people. Modern scholars estimate their occupation dating well into the Neolithic when the Kartvelians first made wine in

How African Slaves Helped Break the Caliphate In the sweltering August heat of Southern Iraq, an army of slaves and Bedouins laid siege to the wealthy city of Basra. Over a month the besiegers tightened the noose around the city, burning outlying villages, and ambushing reinforcements and supply trains bound for the city. By September 7th, 871 AD the rebel army had gained a foothold in the city and…

How Viking Trade Revitalized Europe In 655 AD the first Muslim fleet met the Byzantine navy off the coast of Anatolia. The rough seas forced both sides to lash their ships to one another and the two great rafts collided in a fierce battle. Soldiers and sailors jumped from ship to ship in ruthless melee combat. As the day wore on the Muslim fleet gained the upper hand. When enemies closed …

How Geography Has Shaped Levantine Politics On a scorching July day in Palestine Ludolf of Tournai clambered over the battlements and scattered his Fatimid foes. Ludolf fought wildly, desperately, he had endured years of suffering on behalf of his God to reach the Holy City. He had survived the arrows of Turkish horsemen as he thirsted on the Anatolian Plateau. He had braved the treacherous footp…

A report from the Venetian ambassador sent to the court of Suleiman the Magnificent and returning in 1553. Background

Peace negotiations between Charles V and Francis I after the Italian War of 1536-1538 Background

Report Having been ambassador in the legation of France on behalf of Your Serenity for some forty months, I know my duty, according to the most laudable custom of this Most Serene Dominion, is not to give an account of all my actions during that legation, because day by day I have striven to keep Your Lordships advised of those matters that have seemed to me worthy of your notice: and therefore I shall not say a word about them, which will also be the cause of that brevity I desire. Report Having been ambassador in the legation of France on behalf of Your Serenity for some forty months, I know my duty, according to the most laudable custom of this Most Serene Dominion, is not to give an account of all my actions during that legation, because day by day I have striven to keep Your Lordships advised of those matters that have seemed t…

Revenues; Court; Territories; Religious and Political Turmoil; War Against the Turks; Personal Matters This is Part II of a 1532 report on the Habsburg dominions. Part I here.

I’m hosting lunch for three people in London As the old joke goes, I don’t talk about my charity work, but….

Five must-visit castles in England for this summer (and beyond) It’s not very long now till my new book, Castles: A Fortified History of the World, comes out. (For those who pre-order - UK edition here and US edition here.)

First dates on sale today My new book, Castles, comes out this autumn. Preorders are already open in the UK and the US.

Mind = blown ‘I’m going up north for the weekend.’ I scrolled my phone for the details. ‘Bishop… Auckland? Yes. Bishop Auckland.’

If you are interested in the connections between Christian and Islamic cultures in the Middle Ages, physical objects can reveal remarkable stories of exchange and interaction. This book brings together ten essays exploring the materials, artifacts, and goods that moved between these two societies, shedding light on the cultural ties that linked the medieval Mediterranean world.

Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered a rare medieval notebook in a Paderborn latrine, preserving 700-year-old wax tablet writings that may reveal the life of a medieval merchant.

Surrounded by rivals on every frontier, the Byzantine Empire of the tenth century relied on far more than battlefield victories to survive and expand. George Theotokis explores how emperors and diplomats used strategy, alliances, bribery, fortifications, and warfare to navigate a dangerous geopolitical world stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East.

A lost medieval manuscript has been reunited with Heidelberg’s famous Bibliotheca Palatina after researchers traced the codex’s centuries-long journey across Europe.

The First Intermediate Period of Egypt is often characterized as a dark age, a time of famine and war. Yet recently, this view has come under increasing scrutiny — the truth appears to be far more nuanced. Theme: The First Intermediate Period Juan Carlos Moreno García, 'A time of change and misunderstanding - The end of the Old Kingdom in Egypt'. Ellen Morris, 'Remembering the First Intermediate Period - The best of times, the worst of times'. Wojciech Ejsmond, A land divided - The competing kingdoms of Egypt'. Dr Simone Petacchi, 'Ancient Nubia and the Kingdom of Kerma - A new power on Egypt's southern frontier'. Marco Daniele, 'A tale of decline and renewal - Egyptian pyramids' changing faces'. Features: Jason Douglas Porter, 'Endemic and crucial - The role of slavery in democratic Athens'. Henrik Mouritsen, 'A wild goose chase - Political parties in Republican Rome'. Phil Wood, 'An infamous opportunist - The rise and fall of Sejanus'. Anneka Rene, 'Helmets and crowns - Hellenistic Macedon's warrior queens'. Lauren Morris, 'The kingdoms that connected Eurasia - Central Asia and long-distance exchange'.

Bronze helmets, greaves, armour, and bronze-faced shields make for an impressive army, but who fought in all that kit, next to whom, and how? Theme: Greece in the Late Archaic period Murray Dahm, 'State of play - Warfare in late Archaic Greece'. Ben Truska, 'Two coins in the hand - Economics and war in Archaic Greece'. Adam Godfrey, 'A man of bronze - The Archaic hoplite up close'. Murray Dahm, 'Writing their names in blood - The Battle of the Champions'. Paul Bardunias, 'Gleaming like the sun - The Archaic Greek shieldwall'. Annelies Koolen, 'Bring in Colophon! - Cavalry in Archaic Greece'. Features: Mardonbek Rajapov, 'Their name alone terrifies - Who were the Hephthalites'. Mark McCaffery, 'Imperium - The authority to command'. Velite Aquila, 'An underwater source - Roman soldiers of the First Punic War'. Nicky Nielsen, 'The "Late Egyptian Miscellanies" - Daily life for the soldiers of Ramesses II'. Sean Lake, 'The problematic Spoila Opima - A rare and mysterious military honour'. Jo Ball, 'Name, unit, kit - The tombstone of Severius Acceptus'.

This post shows charts showcasing the populations of the biggest cities in the Byzantine Empire in 1050 AD right before the Great Schism between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople.

The best site for beginning your coin collection if theancientcoinguy on eBay.

Archaeologists have unearthed a Zapotec burial decorated with sublime symbols of night and death