While the image of the Vikings has been rehabilitated in the past few years, showing them as peaceful farmers and artisans, some evidence of cruel and bloodthirsty behavior does exist. In Smithsonian's blog Past Imperfect, Mike Dash looks at the more brutal side of the Norsemen, and the fact of torture such as the "blood eagle."

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Nicolaus Copernicus was honored recently when Google recognized the 450th anniversary of the scientists's birth with a Google Doodle. The Christian Science Monitor followed with a article which looks at the career of the Polish astronomer.

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In its March 2013 issue, Antiquity Magazine reports on a partnership of several universities and organizations to use the latest developments in computer science and engineering to analyze archaeological sites. In this instance, they focus on the UNESCO World Heritage, Petra Archaeological Park.

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Aerial photographs are rewriting the history of Hadrian's Wall. Images indicate there were hundreds - even thousands - of Iron Age settlements there long before the Romans. (photos, video)

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Cattle skulls and thirteen cauldrons which showed residue of animal fats were unearthed in England.

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They bill themselves as 'America's Finest News Source' and after seeing the competition, its hard to disagree. The Onion is well worth reading, as is the site Literally Unbelievable, which shares peoples reactions to their stories.

It seems someone at The Onion has a soft spot for the Middle Ages. Here is their latest article to feature our era of history:

If I Could Live In Any Decade, It Would Definitely Be The 960s

Jonathan Soifer is nostalgic for the time of Edgar the Peaceful, Reginold of Eichstätt and Heriger of Lobbes! At least when the Byzantines and Bulgarians weren't fighting each other.

The best lines: "God, what I wouldn’t give to have been a vassal. Or even a peasant. Wouldn’t matter—everyone was cool back then. Primogeniture wasn’t even the law of the land yet, so a king’s death just signaled a free-for-all among his family and neighboring lords."



That is not the only article to be featured. Check out these other journalistic gems from The Onion:

I Would Have Been Considered Very Attractive In The Middle Ages 

Lyle Hume thinks he "would've turned more than a few wenches' heads back in 1350." Judging by his picture I think he would he is being overly optimistic.

The best lines "Of course, at 27, I would've been getting on in years, but I don't think the maidens would have held it against me. They might have been greatly attracted to someone roughly their fathers' age who had managed to hold onto most of his teeth and remain leprosy-free. Plus, I have gout. The disease of kings!"

Byzantine Empire Will Fall To Turks, Historian Warns

This article, from 1997, was eerily accurate! Best line: "Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI could not be reached for comment."

Society For Creative Anachronism Seizes Control Of Russia

I guess we were all so concerned about the Byzantine Empire that we did not see this other major geo-political event. Best line: "I can't believe how easy it was to claim Kiev for the Kingdom Of Ealdormere," said Royal Peer Gawain Falconsfyre, a 44-year-old tech-support assistant from a suburb of Toronto. "It was a piece of cake. Haven't any of these Russians ever heard of a moving-shield-wall offense?"

The Board of Directors would like to remind everyone of the Second Quarter Board Meeting  set for Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.  The meeting will take place at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 1989 East Calaveras Boulevard, Milpitas, California.  All are welcome.  Modern dress appreciated.

Comments are strongly encouraged and can be sent to:
SCA Inc.
Box 360789
Milpitas,  CA 95036

You may also email comments@lists.sca.org.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Ursus of Anglesey has added more galleries of Gulf Wars XXII pics from Wednedasy and Thursday, including the Bear Pit, Rapier Field Battle, Five Man Melee Tourney, Rose Tourney from Wednesday, and the Field Battle and Champion's Battles from Thursday.

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We recommend that you plan to provide your own drinking water. Flush toilets are available on site. In case of rain all planned activities will be run inside the shelter of the fort.

We hope you are able to join us to celebrate 25 years in Endewearde.

Lady Bryn Millar & Lord Oleksandr Brazhnyk Silver Anniversary Celebration event stewards http://www.endewearde.eastkingdom.org/
Filed under: Events, Uncategorized

The Unified Glass Arts Day, Canton of Three Hills and West Michigan Glass Arts is seeking instructors and glassblowers for a day-long immersion at a modern glass studio.

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Excavations at the former site of the Temple of Mithras in London, England have yielded over 10,000 artifacts, many in a remarkable state of preservation. The finds include a shoe, jewelery, documents, and table wares.

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Unto the populace of the east kingdom does Ryan Brigantia send greetings. In recent weeks there has been a flurry of comments and posts regarding the use of Social Media, including the adoption of the SCA Social Media Policy. While I, personally, am very active in many different outlets of Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter, G+, and YouTube I do not plan on creating an official presence of the Brigantia Principal Herald’s office on any of those entities during my tenure as Brigantia. All of the above listed social media sites are not secure, no matter what their Security Policies state, and data can, and does, get removed by those social media sites without warning and/or can be used by third parties without permission of the poster.

I will continue to support and encourage unofficial court reports published in the EK Gazette and the East Kingdom social media groups at the discretion of the Vox Regis and the Crown.

Email will remain, as it has been for years, the only official electronic communication method of the Brigantia Principal Herald’s Office. Know that you can contact me through social media for discussions regarding any topic but any official discussion will ultimately have to be summarized in an email.

Going forward quarterly territorial group herald reports will not be accepted through social media. Official court reports will NOT be accepted through social media. They will only be accepted using the forms available on The East Kingdom College of Heralds website, through email, hard copy mail, or hand delivery. Similarly, the Eastern Crown Herald has stated that the forms for submission of names and armorial will only be accepted through email, hard copy mail, or hand delivery.

Filed under: Official Notices Tagged: brigantia, heralds, kingdom officers, social media

From the Brigantia Principal Herald of the East and the East Kingdom Minister of the Lists:

The time has once again come for the selection of the Prince and Princess of Tir Mara, Heirs to the Throne of the Kingdom of the East. This glorious day does not happen spontaneously. It requires many hands and many feet. I applaud the good people of the Province of Ostgardr for the work they have done, and will continue to do, for this event.

That being said, the tournament doesn’t run on the event support staff alone. The Heralds and Ministers of the Lists will need assistance running the actual tournament. If you wish to volunteer to get a front row seat to some of the best fighting of the Spring and a view into the inner workings of running large tournaments please volunteer to be a List Runner, MoL, or Herald for the event.

If you wish to be a List Runner or a Herald for the event please contact Ryan, Brigantia Principal Herald of he East. If you wish to assist the Minister of the Lists please contact Sabina, East Kingdom Minister of the Lists.

Filed under: Events Tagged: Crown Tournament, events, volunteers

On April 13 in the Barony of Carillion in the East Kingdom, the world ended and the dead walked during the leading up to the Coronation of Gregor IV and Kiena II.

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The Voynich Manuscript has confounded scholars ever since it was revealed by a book dealer named Wilfrid Voynich in the early part of the 20th century. There have been several theories of when this odd manuscript, which contains bizarre images and indecipherable writing, was created, with some believing it dates back to the Middle Ages.

In his article Cracking the Voynich Code, Batya Ungar-Sargon takes a look at the history of the manuscript. Radiocarbon dating finds that the manuscript was made between 1404 and 1438, although we do not know when the ink was written on it. Still, some believe the manuscript is really just a hoax, perhaps created in the 17th or even the 20th century.  You can read the article on Tablet Magazine.

Icelanders are seeing the potential value of its medieval archaeological sites as tourist attractions, according to an article in the Iceland Review Online. Ólöf Ýrr Atladóttir, director general of the Icelandic Tourist Board, explains that “Nature still has the most attraction but culture, in a broad sense, is gaining popularity. Tourists are constantly seeking new experiences and not least the interplay between daily life and nature through centuries. Strategic development of tourism related to cultural values like archaeological remains plays a big part in that context.”

However, she also warns that the her country needs to do a better job protecting archaeological sites from environmental degradation. Click here to read this article from Iceland Review Online.

Meanwhile, Chinese archaeologists report that they might have discovered the tomb of Emperor Yang Guang, who was the last ruler of the Sui Dynasty. The small tomb contains a gravestone that identifies the emperor and relates events about the year he died, 618. However, Shu Jiaping, head of Yangzhou's Institute of Archaeology, warns "we're still not sure whether it was the emperor's final resting place, as historical records said his tomb had been relocated several times."

Emperor Yang Shang had a very active rule, ordering major building projects including a Grand Canal and rebuilding large parts of the Great Wall. But his construction work and military campaigns bankrupted the state, eventually leading to a coup in which he was murdered. Click here to read the full article from the China Daily.

Six feet below street level in the center of Lincoln, England lies a medieval road, complete with wheel ruts, and bounded by a large building, such as a warehouse. Now archaeologists are faced with the task of discovering all they can about the site in six weeks before construction begins on a new store.

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A heraldic badge showing the Scottish crown has been found at the site of the Battle of Flodden. The badge may have been worn by someone closely affiliated with King James IV.

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Ten days more…and we of Ostgardr will be welcoming the people of the East Kingdom to Crown Tournament. The feast is set, the field is being prepared, the site tokens are made. Some notes on activities -

1. Archery: unfortunately the Boy Scouts have strict rules about use of their range at Camp Pouch, and our SCA rules do not match up. We will not be able to use the camp’s archery range, and it does not look like we will be able to set up our own range on site. This is a blow to those who wanted to come and have-at some great targets with Lord Suuder and Lord Conor. We hope to work out something for next time!
2. Youth Activities: Jolie Delarue will be the official in charge of youth activities during the day on Saturday. Youth Point will be set up next to the fighting field and will open at 12:30. Planned activities will include castle building (out of rice crispy bricks) and tassel book-mark making. There will be other activities as well. Parents: please come and help. Youth Point is not a baby sitting service, and Society policy wisely dictates that here be at least two adults to supervise youth activities.
3. Feast: Feast is set and no more pre-registrations will be accepted. If you are pre-registered for feast and have questions about the menu, please email Lord Friderich Grimme, head chef, who will answer any questions.
4. Merchants: There will be no merchants allowed. Sorry! This is a Boy Scout rule.

We of Ostgardr look forward to welcoming Their Majesties Gregor IV and Keina II, all the Crown Combatants and their Consorts, and all the people of the East Kingdom who come to witness the making of the newest Prince and Princess of the East!

Filed under: Events Tagged: Crown Tournament, events

Five short videos produced by Historic Royal Palaces explain some of the cookery aspects that are demonstrated each month at Hampton Court.

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The Barony of Endewearde is holding a 25th anniversary event this coming Saturday, April 20th, at Fort Knox in Prospect Maine. At the conclusion of the event, we are planning a recapitulation of our first quarter century. Accordingly, the Barony would like to ask anyone in the SCA who has good memories of the people or events, which together are the history of Endewearde, to contribute those memories in person or in writing. Recountings in prose, verse, song, or by picture, whether in person, by proxy, displayed, or written and read, would be welcome and may be sent to Endewearde’s Heppin Pursuivant, Mistress Brita Mairi Svensdottir, via email to Mistress Brita.

Our appreciation to Don Jordan Harvey for writing this announcement.

Lady Bryn Millar & Lord Oleksandr Brazhnyk

Event Stewards

Filed under: Events