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.

Meet ten men who nearly became king of England in the Middle Ages, including Edward the Black Prince, Arthur of Brittany, and Louis VIII.

Did people in the Middle Ages really suffer from terrible teeth and foul breath? A closer look at medieval medical texts and hygiene practices reveals a more complex picture of dental care and everyday health.

Was the Byzantine defeat at Manzikert caused by betrayal or by poor decisions on the battlefield? George Theotokis re-examines the medieval chroniclers and the search for scapegoats after one of Byzantium’s most famous defeats.