In 2011, DNA evidence confirmed that the infamous Black Plague that ravaged Europe in the 14th century was, as had been suspected for many years, caused by the Yersinia Pestis bacterium. Now a team of scientists have used skeletal microbiology and DNA testing to show that a 6th through 8th century pandemic was caused by the same bacterium.

A new study, presented to the Royal Society A, by Rob Lee, Philip Jonathan and Pauline Ziman describes the Pictish inscriptions found on stones in Scotland as a language apart from Celtic Ogham. The characters on the stones are considered to "part of a lexigraphic writing, containing symbols that represent parts of speech.

The municipal council of Thessaloniki, Macedonia is listening to arguments between executives of the construction company rebuilding the Venizelos metro station and archaeologists working on the "very significant Byzantine antiquities" discovered during construction about whether to remove the artifacts or to coexist with them.

St Oran's Cross, one of the world's oldest celtic crosses, will be restored and returned to Scotland's island of Iona in time to see the celebration of the 1450th anniversary of the arrival of St Columba. The 8th century cross weighs over a ton and will stand nearly 15 feet tall. (photo)

Over 80 additional artifacts found in the area of the Staffordshire Hoard have been declared treasure. The gold and silver items were discovered near the original site when a field was ploughed. (photo)

In a scholarly paper, an abstract of which was published recently at Medievalists.net, K.F. Werner examines techniques for forging Frankish swords from 700-1000 CE. Werner disputes the generally-accepted techniques.

Archaeologists have returned to the field where the Staffordshire Hoard was found to look for more pieces. Several gold pieces fit in with items already identified.

1,300 years ago, a "spectacular Anglo-Saxon feasting hall" was abandoned in Kent, England. Recently a team of archaeologists from the University of Reading marked the end of their excavations of the site with a candlelight ceremony surrounding the building which knew so many "epic parties."

BBC Radio 3 The Essay offers a series of 15-minute portraits of great Anglo-Saxons in an audio podcast. The series features acclaimed historians.

Dr Tarrin Wills, from the Centre for Scandinavian Studies, believes that Vikings used their understanding of human psychology to "profile" possible trouble-makers. He recently presented his research at the British Science Festival.

There are documents a plenty on how the Vikings influenced the culture of England, but a new study looks at ways that Danish Norse were influenced by the English they conquered. According to Ph.D candidate Marie Bønløkke Spejlborg, it was the English who inspired Danes to organise themselves into cities."

Marine archaeologists working at a port near the ancient village of Birka, Sweden believe the port was larger than previously believed and may show evidence of the exensive trade system of the Norse.

The remains of a 9th-10th century church and its graveyard have been discovered during construction along the Ipswich, England waterfront. 300 graves, consisting largely of very old and very young bodies, were found, exceeding the expectations of researchers who knew that a church might exist on the site.

The Nigg cross-slab, an 8th century, intricately-carved Pictish stone from Easter Ross in Scotland, has been taken to Edinburgh for restoration work at a cost of UK£180,000. Upon completion of the restoration, the stone will be returned to display at Nigg Old Church. (photos)

Excavations at Polesworth Abbey near Tamwoth, England, have yielded a variety of exciting artifacts including a brooch and decorates ceramic tiles. The site was originally a Benedictine nunnery founded in the 9th century.

Russian Archaeologists are excited by the discovery of an 8th century Byzantine shipwreck discovered under Taman Bay in the Bacl Sea. The merchant ship, called the "most valuable artifact in 12 years" still held only one amphora in what must have once been a large cargo.

The Başmelekler Church, built in 789 by Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos, is believed to be the world's third oldest church. Now it has been purchased by the Istanbul patriarchate which hopes to "restore this historical structure to its past glory."

Officials at Durham Cathedral and University are readying themselves for the arrival of the 1,300-year-old Lindisfarne Gospels at the university in 2013, with such activities as a concert by the newly formed Lindisfarne Gospels Community Choir.

A team of Danish archaeologists believe they have discovered the fabled Viking town Sliasthorp by the Schlei bay in northern Germany, the "center of power for the first Scandinavian kings." The discovery may give a new prospective on Scandinavian military organization. (photo)

In the 8th century, the literate began to use uppercase letters in their writing. According to business writing expert Stephen Wilburs, the change can be traced to Charlemagne (Charlie) and Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus (Al) as a means to make reading easier.

The recent Arab Spring, in North Africa and the Middle East, was not the first, according to a Deborah Amos report on NPR. The first was the conflict of culture between the Byzantine Empire and the new Islamic religion in the seventh century to the ninth centuries.

In 1995, Patrick Ottaway wrote a paper based on his PhD thesis for York University entitled Anglo Saxon Ironwork. The paper is available in PDF format on the PJO Archaeology website.

The Coronation of TRM Kenric and Avelina, King and Queen of the East, was held on April 14, AS 46 (2012). The ceremony was an experiment in presenting as authentic a coronation as could be managed within the restraints of SCA rules and customs. The service used at the coronation of King Aethelread II in 978 was followed as closely as possible.

The debate among historians of the Middle Ages over the years 600–900 CE has come to a boil with the Phantom Time Hypothesis (PTH), a chronological theory that contends that the 300-year period was created by Holy Roman Emperor Otto III.

A team of amateur archaeologists from the Ingleborough Archaeology Group has discovered evidence of an Anglo Saxon building in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in northern England. The "exciting" discovery is "the first building in the national park that is firmly dated to the 7th Century and is one of only a handful in the north."

A site excavated at a train yard in Japan is thought to have been a facility that provided food and lodgings to Korean and Chinese enyoys. The facility is mentioned in ancient manuscripts and dates to the 8th or 9th century CE.

In an article for the History Today, Patrick Wormald, Lecturer in History at Christ Church, Oxford, looks at the myth of a unified Anglo-Saxon England.

Archaeologists who have found graves from the early Middle Ages with remains disturbed have long believed that grave robbers were responsible, but new research may show that the destruction was done for other reasons than material gain.

Excavations near the site of Scotland's Rhynie Man, a six-foot boulder carved with the image of a Pict, have revealed a fortified early medieval settlement, possibly the seat of the mysterious Kings of Pictland.

A 7th-8th century CE cemetery has been discovered during a patio renovation at a home in Warwickhire, England. The burials, probably part of a much larger cemetery, have revealed new insight about life for people in the Middle Saxon period.