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…

And it cost £7 This is the sort of thing I like waking up to hear.

…and I need you to see this This morning I woke up at 4.30am with a wild hair and decided I would fly to Copenhagen and go see a Viking ring fortress.

And they let me have a look This week I went to the Tower of London to do a few great things.

Thanks for all your questions! Please subscribe to join next month's Q&A... Thanks to all the subscribers for posting questions - please join up to ask next time… also for more fun, full access to all the articles in the archive, and every new post.

What happened when a pope died in the Middle Ages? Behind the closed doors of Rome and Avignon, elaborate rituals unfolded—blending faith, politics, and performance to preserve the illusion that the Church never died.

This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Nora Berend about the real Rodrigo Díaz, the astonishing way his legend grew and changed over time, and how El Cid is still being used as a political tool in the modern world.

This book offers translations of three thirteenth-century romances—The Romance of the Violet, The Romance of the Count of Poitiers, and The Tale of King Flore and the Fair Joan—each centred on men who wager over a woman’s virtue.

Marco Polo’s account of his journey to Asia is one of the most well-known texts to come out of the Middle Ages. This book explores the people, places, and wonders that Polo described in his writings.

In this issue, we look at how the horse impacted medieval life and culture, from the monastery to the court, and from the training grounds to the battlefield. Theme: Horses in the Middle Ages Anastasija Ropa, "From coursers to hackneys: Medieval horses and the people who rode them," 16-21. Timothy George Dawson, "The horse in Byzantium: Adaptations for daily life and battle," 22-25. Jürg Gassmann, "Fighting on horseback: Cavalry organisation, training, and tactics," 26-33. Anastasija Ropa, "The mirror of man: The horse and rider metaphor," 34-37. Annelies Koolen, "The right way to ride: Dom Duarte on horsemanship," 38-41. Miriam A. Bibby, "Jingling monks and sidesaddle nuns: Ecclesiastical horses on the road," 42-45. Features: Rowdy Geirsson, "Freyja's final resting place: Secrets of a Viking-age burial," 8-13. Robert Jones, "Chivalry and violence: Worshipping at the altar of prowess," 14-15. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele, "Clovis' baptism: eldest daughter of the church," 46-49. Lucie Laumonier, "Shopping in the Middle Ages: Markets, sellers, and fraud," 50-53. Joseph Luzzi, "Sacred poetry and secular politics: Dante's contested legacy," 54-55. Rowdy Geirsson, "Book review: Forgotten Vikings - New Approaches to the Viking Age," 56. Jonathan H. Jones, "Book review: The Green Ages - Medieval Innovations and Sustainability," 57.

Rivers were an incredibly important part of the ancient landscape. Not only were they useful transport routes for goods and people, but also powerful forces that accrued their own religious significance. Theme: Rivers in antiquity Daniel Kershaw, 'The River Tiber - Rome's great father'. Timothy Hart, 'On the edge of civilization - Rome's frontier along the Danube'. Owain Williams, 'River transport in antiquity - Rowboats, barges, and rafts'. Ian Armit, 'Weapons, wealth, and bog bodies - Celtic veneration of rivers and lakes'. Features: Louise M. Pryce, 'Enheduanna - The world's first named author'. Jennifer Barry, 'Emperors and bishops - Who was really in charge?'. Owain Williams, 'Spartans and slaves - The foundation of Tarentum'. Tara Sewell-Lasater, 'The faceless Cleopatra - Polymorphic Ptolemaic portraiture'. Sinclair W. Bell, 'Games and glory - Circus factions of the Roman Principate'. Nina Butterfield, 'Julia Caesar - Women's importance to Roman politics'. Philip Matyszak, 'Roman pets - The domestic menagerie'.

Vikings Behaving Reasonably: Nordic Hóf in Civic and Legal Rhetoric was written to try and make sense of the rhetoric shown in the Icelandic family sagas, but I expanded its scope to look more at how the medieval Scandinavians dealt with conflicts in both the civic and legal arenas. I found through my research that the medieval Scandinavians had a native rhetorical tradition outside of Classical influence.

Exploring the surprisingly rich archaeological record of berries, melons…and more