Monsters, Marvels, and Mythical Beasts from Ancient Lore to TodayMonstrous figures continue to captivate today and remain a popular source of wonder and curiosity. What makes...
Medieval
Krak des Chevaliers: A Medieval Hospitaller Crusades FortressAt its peak, Krak des Chevaliers housed a garrison of around 2,000, allowing the Hospitallers to exact...
Medieval Medicine of Western EuropeThe Western medical tradition often traces its roots directly to the early Greek civilization. Introduction Medieval medicine in Western...
Classics Lost and Found: The Survival of Ancient TextsThe biggest factor for the survival or disappearance of classical texts is actually likely to be their...
Serfdom in Medieval Feudal EuropeAs the Western Roman Empire collapsed, landholders gradually transitioned from outright slavery to serfdom. What Is Feudalism?...
Labor Organizations in Ancient and Medieval TimesThe interests of labor or how the lower orders earned their living or conducted their affairs was...
A History of Heresy in Ancient and Medieval ChristianityThe study of heresy requires an understanding of the development of orthodoxy and the role of creeds...
Medieval Science and MathematicsExamining early medieval approaches to various types of knowledge we might consider today to be ‘scientific’ and...
European Science in the Middle AgesRoman and early medieval scientific texts were read and studied, contributing to the understanding of nature in...
Till Eulenspiegel: Traveling Trickster of Medieval German LiteratureThere is a suggestion that the name is in fact a veiled pun on a Low German...
An Introduction to Medieval Safavid Art and ArchitectureSafavid art and architecture reflected the adoption of a Shi’a identity. Introduction to the Safavid Dynasty: Rise...
The Fall of Constantinople in 1453Constantinople had withstood many sieges and attacks over the centuries. Introduction The city of Constantinople (modern Istanbul)...
Legends, Folklore, Magic, and the Common People of Early Modern EuropeThe people of early modern Europe sought to use magic to manipulate the world around them. By...
Medieval Legends and FolkloreThe word “folklore” was coined in 1846 CE by the British writer William John Thoms to replace...
An Introduction to Medieval EuropeCharacterizing the Middle Ages as a period of darkness is misleading. Introduction So much of what the...
Æthelstan: First Medieval Ruler of a United English KingdomÆthelstan was the first ruler of the whole kingdom of England. Æthelstan was the grandson of King...
Tournaments, Weapons, and Armor in Medieval JoustingJousting fell out of fashion by the end of the Middle Ages, but there were occasional revivals...
A Page from the Sahib Din’s Mewar ‘Ramayana’ in the Seventeenth CenturyBy the time of Din’s work in 1650, the Ramayana had grown to twenty-four thousand verses that...
‘Il Divino’: Who Was Renaissance Artist Michelangelo?He was mythologized by followers, emulated by artists, celebrated by humanists, and patronized by a total of...
Copies and Fakes in Art during the RenaissanceIt was perhaps inevitable that the distinction between original and copy became blurred in the Renaissance art...
Color and Technique in Renaissance PaintingThese expensive commodities were one of the major assets of a workshop. Introduction There were three principal painting...
Life in a Renaissance Artist’s WorkshopThey were places where ideas were experimented with and where new trends could be studied, discussed, and...
The Printing Revolution in Renaissance EuropeIdeas were transmitted across Europe as scholars published their own works, commentaries on ancient texts, and criticism...
Restoring Ancient Sculpture in Baroque RomeNot every artist in Renaissance and Baroque Rome had access to ancient Greek and Roman statues. Early...
Musical Imagery in the Global Middle AgesTexts and images produced throughout the medieval world reveal that harp music could elicit powerful responses. Infernal...
Redeeming Classical Antiquity in the Middle AgesThe culture of antiquity played an important role in the literary and artistic endeavors of the Middle...
Saints in Medieval Christian ArtThe powers of saints were believed to extend to their images. By Dr. Wendy A. SteinResearch AssociateDepartment...
Hieronymous: Saint Jerome and the LionThe Golden Legend often blends traditional stories about the saints with historical facts, as seen in the...
Pilgrimage by Proxy: A Medieval Guidebook for Pilgrims to the Holy LandThe text is a detailed account of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mount Sinai, originally written by...
Darkness Visible: Dante’s Clarification of Hell in the ‘Divine Comedy’Dante primarily intended to explain biblical justice through his contrapasso. By Joseph KameenArtist and Educator Contrapasso is...