Running in the Middle Ages was more common than expected, with medieval sources revealing evidence of speed, endurance, and foot travel among messengers, soldiers, and ordinary people.
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'.
Joëlle Rollo-Koster looks back on Feudal Society by Marc Bloch. The first in a series where she reviews some of the most important books in medieval studies.
How large did an army need to be to successfully storm a fortified town in the early Middle Ages? David Bachrach uses the Burghal Hidage to uncover what this remarkable document reveals about the scale of assault forces and the realities of medieval siege warfare.
Why Neolithic and Bronze Age farmers in the Alps built their villages on stilts
Discovering the surprising inspirations behind Homer’s great tales of the Trojan War
This is what's been on my desk The absolute state of my office at the moment: you’d have to see it to believe. There are books everywhere. Every shelf is filled. No, double-filled: books shelved spine up, books piled horizontally in front of them. Every flat surface is covered: the side tables, the coffee table. The printer table. The mantlepiece. Under the tables. Behind the sofa. Next to the sofa, stacks piled as high as they will go without toppling. (They sometimes topple.) And beside my desk, four self-supporting piles, stepped like some pre Columbian South American sacrificial pyramid. It’s out of control.
Kelly Broderick visits North Folk Night Market in Massachusetts, where firelit performances, Beowulf, handcrafted wares, and winter storytelling bring the Viking Age to life.
Were early medieval armies small warbands or much larger fighting forces? David Bachrach examines the fierce scholarly debate over army size and what it reveals about warfare after the fall of Rome.
Discover how sulphur became one of medieval Iceland’s most important exports, linking the island to trade, warfare, and industry across Europe.
A medieval tale reveals an unexpected side of Charlemagne, as the emperor joins a thief in a strange story preserved in sagas and later poems.
Discover how medieval words took on new meanings and became slang over time, from surprising insults to unexpected expressions.
