Medieval Treasures from the Victoria & Albert Museum in Paris
This autumn, a fine collection of Medieval Art can be seen at the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris telling the artistic story of the period “When the English Spoke French…”
Is the Capercaille Next on the Extinction List in Europe?
Since 1985 the number of European Capercailles in Middle Bavarian Alps have been reduced with more than 60%. This has happened despite a general hunting prohibition since 1973 and a reform of the administration of the Bavarian forests in 2005. New research points to the influence of climate changes, but also the impact of outdoor tourism…
Wilderness in Iceland?
Iceland is covered with vast stretches of wilderness – plains, rugged hills, mountains and glaciers. The question is, how is this treasure best protected?…
Rewilding or Landscape Conservation in Andalusia?
In Andalusia, the dehesa landscape dominates. Situated in the interface between the rural and the natural, the question is whether the protection of the dehesas serves to protect the cultural heritage or the biodiversity…
Is Rewilding just Another Form of Domination of Nature?
What the heck, does Heck Cattle have to do with environmentalism? Or rewilding? And is it amoral to resurrect such animals?…
Return of the Mighty Beast, the Aurochs
Backbred Aurochs have been released into the Greater Côa Valley for the first time. The herd will play a vital role in restoring grassland and woodland habitats in the rewilded landscape in Northern Portugal…
Wild Cattle in Britain – Descendants of Viking Cattle?
Also known as the Chillingham Cattle, Britain is home to four flocks of White Cattle living in the wild since the 12th century. Earlier on, such herds were a common feature in the British landscape, probably kept for their ornamental and symbolic value. Known in the 12th century as Tauri Sylvestres, they have apparently always been considered a wild sub-species…
Were the Roots of the Holocaust Medieval?
21/08/2023How persistent are cultural traits? Studies of Nazi voting in 1933 show that the roots of Nazi antisemitism and the events from 1928-45 – and later – mirror the pogroms carried out in the mid-14th century Read more
The Jews in Erfurt – Ethnicity and Heritage
19/08/2023The Jews in Germany emerged as a distinctive ethno-religious cultural group in 10th century Rhineland, from where they migrated to Eastern Europe, reaching Erfurt in the 11th century (at the latest). Here, they later encountered an influx of Jews from the Middle East. Read more
Erfurt: A Testament to Jewish Heritage
19/08/2023Erfurt boasts a handful of buildings from the Middle Ages, bearing witness to the city’s Jewish heritage. Additionally, a remarkable treasure from 1349 narrates the tale of Erfurt’s first Jewish inhabitants, a story paralleled by the Jewish Manuscripts housed in Berlin. Read more
Erfurt in Germany was Home to a Vibrant Jewish Community Annihilated in 1349
19/08/2023Since the Middle Ages, Erfurt in Germany was home to several well-documented Jewish communities. Each wiped out by pogroms followed by the holocaust, the city tells a horrifying history. Read more
Why were Medieval Jewish Wedding Rings Embellished with Miniature Architecture?
16/08/2023One of the exiting finds in the hidden Jewish treasure trove discovered in Erfurt in 1998 was a precious wedding ring featuring an elaborate piece of medieval architecture. What was the symbolic meaning of this? Read more
The Lombard Haggadah from the 14th Century
14/04/2019The Lombard Haggadah has been preserved in a private collection for more than hundred years. Recently put up for sale, there is this upcoming week a unique possibility for New Yorkers to enjoy the Gothic manuscript. Read more
The Life of Bodi – Mighty Frankish Warrior from c. 600
Fifty years ago, archaeologists discovered Bodi’s burial near the river Rhine. This summer, we are invited to explore his life at an exhibition in Bonn…
The Land of Bodi and the Nature Reserve at Bislicher Insel
Bislich, where the grave of Bodi was discovered more than fifty years ago, lies in the middle of a protected river landscape well worth visiting…
When Vikings Attacked Xanten in AD 864, the Saxons Saved the Day
In the middle of the 9th century, Vikings sailed up the major European sacking and robbing monasteries. One such raid went up the river Rhine and reaching Xanten in 864…
Xanten and the Roman Archaeological Park
SPONSORED: Xanten, a pleasant small town bordering the River Rhine, is primarily visited for the remains of its excavated Roman garrison….
Brittany in the 6th century – Abandoned, Wet, Cold and Covered in Forests
New research reveals a marked shift in the landscape of Northwestern France in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages…
The River Sélune – Restoration of an ancient landscape?
The remains of the last of the two hydroelectric dams at the River Selune were finally dismantled in 2022, leaving the landscape to recover. But unfortunately, the restoration is hampered by multiple interests and no clear agenda…
Rewilding – the Natural Climate Solution
Rewilding can’t alleviate all the climate challenges we face. However, it does offer a precious contribution, namely a decisive upgrade of carbon sequestration in forests, grassland and tundras. With biodiversity as an added bonus…
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Impressive Medieval Church found at Sunken Rungholt
The medieval town of Rungholt drowned in a storm surge in 1362. Today, it lies submerged in shallow waters outside the Westcoast of Northern Germany. Recent surveys have led to the location of the large and impressive church, which was swept aside in the storm…
Life in the Medieval town of Rungholt in 1362
In AD 1362, a terrible storm broke through the dykes in the Wadden Sea, protecting medieval people living in the marshy foreland. Later called the Grote Mandrenke – The Great Drowning of Men – a whole town, Rungholt, together with 42 parishes, disappeared. New research explores the layout of the town…
The Grote Mandrenke and Medieval Flooding
Huge storms and devastating floods are not something new. Medieval history shows that human overexploitation and not the climate may be behind many tragedies…
Rewilding is the Best Future for Europe’s Abandoned Farmland
23/08/2023What is best when considering Europe’s abandoned farmland? Should it be returned to more extensive – traditional and even Medieval – ways of sylvo-pastoral forms of cultivation? Or should it be rewilded with large grazers? Or left to its own devices? Read more
What was the landscape like in Medieval Denmark?
10/08/2023New method overlaying old and modern maps reveals what the medieval landscape in Denmark might have looked like Read more
Landscapes and Environments of the Middle Ages
20/06/2023In this new book some of the foremost ‘real’ and imaginary landscapes of the Middle Ages that could be found both in the tangible world and in the pages of manuscripts are examined. Read more
The River Sélune – Restoration of an Ancient Landscape?
03/06/2023The remains of the last of the two hydroelectric dams at the River Selune were finally dismantled in 2022, leaving the landscape to recover. But unfortunately, the restoration is hampered by multiple interests and no clear agenda. Read more
New Research
Light on the Medieval Green Revolution from an Ecosystem Perspective
25/08/2023Following the footsteps of the Arabs in the 7th century Mediterranean, a Green Revolution took place, introducing new crops, irrigation techniques, and an innovative agrarian system. A new research project aims to broaden the perspective and explore the agrarian consequences from a broader ecosystemic viewpoint. Read more
Why were Medieval Jewish Wedding Rings Embellished with Miniature Architecture?
16/08/2023One of the exiting finds in the hidden Jewish treasure trove discovered in Erfurt in 1998 was a precious wedding ring featuring an elaborate piece of medieval architecture. What was the symbolic meaning of this? Read more
What was the landscape like in Medieval Denmark?
10/08/2023New method overlaying old and modern maps reveals what the medieval landscape in Denmark might have looked like Read more
Wildfires in Tenth-Century Spain
09/08/2023This summer, 2023, wildfires have once again laid waste large areas of Southern Europe. A tenth-century conflagration provides a fascinating comparison between medieval and present times. Read more
Minor News
Adam and Eve in Nîmes is being studied in detail
23/08/2023The Frieze on the Cathedral in Nîmes is currently undergoing study by a team of archaeologists and art historians, uncovering new insights about this significant Romanesque monument. Read more
Jewish Community in York Recreated
23/08/2023Unearthing new documents and evidence, historians and archaeologists at York University are shedding light on the medieval Jewish population of York. The research indicates a thriving community where the leading Jewish citizens of the city were also among the most significant figures in England. Read more
How to Make a Viking Warrior?
24/06/2023Making a Warrior: the Social Implications of Viking Age Martial Ideologies” is the title of a new research project, which was recently granted substantial funding from Nordforsk. Read more
Bayeux Tapestry Scene by Scene
06/08/2022NEWS: Discover the entire Bayeux Tapestry scene by scene and follow online the 70 meter-long embroidered canvas which tells the story of the conquest of England in 1066. Read more
New Books
The European Bear in the Past, Present and Future
04/10/2023New books tell the exciting stories about the European bears and their past, present and future. Read more