701 CE to 800 CE

Beowulf for Children

Submitted by Justin on Thu, 2007-11-15 08:57
Just in time for the release of the new Beowulf film comes a...ahem...slightly different retelling of the tale, by Rathflaed DuNoir, The Black Bard of Meridies.

Viking symposium in Melbourne, November 24, 2007

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007-11-13 08:46
On November 24, 2007, the University of Melbourne in Victoria will present Vikings and Their Enemies: A Symposium from 9.45am - 5.30pm at the Wood Theatre.

Beowulf in performance

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007-10-02 08:33
Benjamin Bagby offers a performance of the Anglo-Saxon classic epic Beowulf accompanied by a six-string Anglo-Saxon harp.

12 medieval graves found at Aldbourne

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-09-02 12:00
Archaeologists working on a dig at Crowcastle in Aldbourne, England have discovered 12 graves dating back to the 8th century. The remains were unearthed during excavation for a housing development.

Nicholas Howe, Anglo-Saxon scholar, dies in Oakland, California

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-03-04 14:04
Nicholas Howe, one of the world's leading scholars of Anglo-Saxon studies, died of complications arising from leukemia September 27, 2006 in Oakland, California. R. M. Liuzza of the University of Tennessee has posted an obituary on the Old English Newsletter website.

History Channel explores the Dark Ages

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007-02-27 15:03
On Sunday March 4, 2007, the History Channel will premiere a two-hour program on the history of the Dark Ages. Long characterized as barbaric and uncivilized, the program will attempt to dispel the myths and explore the real and varied history of the period.

"Sunstones" aid in Viking navigation

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-02-25 21:35
Hungarian researchers report that viking sailor used special crystals they called "sunstones" to aid in navigation. These stones helped polarize sunlight that was obscured by clouds and fog common to sea travel in Arctic climates.

Tara Brooch: a national treasure

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007-02-12 16:22
Writing for Now Online, Michelle Lynch looks at the famous Tara Brooch, one of the great treasures in the National Museum of Ireland that "makes the heart sing."

Blue Lady Tavern chronicles life in an 8th century Saxon town

Submitted by Justin on Wed, 2007-01-24 12:56
Leofwen Taverner of Eoforwic, modernly known as Nan Hawthorne, is an historical novelist and member of Regia Anglorum who writes a wonderful and detailed diary of her persona, presented to our modern eye as a blog.

Blue Lady Tavern

Submitted by Justin on Tue, 2007-01-23 09:40
Leofwen Taverner of Eoforwic, modernly known as Nan Hawthorne, is an historical novelist who writes a wonderful and detailed diary of her persona, presented to our modern eye as a blog. Installments talk about the daily goings-on, from the pedestrian to the sublime, in an 8th century CE town in Saxon England.

Today in the Middle Ages: October 10, 732

Submitted by Ursula on Tue, 2006-10-10 10:16
Charles Martel's forces won the Battle of Tours fought on October 10, 732. Gibbon and other traditional historians credit his victory with saving Christian Europe from Muslim domination.

8th Century Moravian Parchment Discovered

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2006-10-08 09:19
Researchers working in a Benedictine monastery in Rajhrad, Czech Republic, have made an accidental - and priceless - discovery: a fragment of an 8th century CE document, one of the oldest in Moravia.

Saxon Belt On Display For First Time

Submitted by JaneStockton on Sun, 2006-09-03 15:00
A rare, copper alloy Saxon belt buckle, dated to between 600 CE and 720 CE has gone on display for the first time.

Public Allowed to Join in Welsh Dig

Submitted by Ursula on Tue, 2006-07-25 10:07
Members of the public will have an opportunity to help excavate the site of an early Christian cemetery in Pembrokeshire.

Iron Age Bog bodies found were society's elite

Submitted by Gwenhyfar on Fri, 2006-06-23 19:38
Research into Iron Age bog bodies discovered in the midlands of Ireland has revealed they were elite members of society who may have met violent deaths as part of kingship rituals.

Today in the Middle Ages: June 5, 709

Submitted by Ursula on Mon, 2006-06-05 09:28
St. Boniface and his missionary companions were killed by pagan Germans on June 5, 709.

Today in the Middle Ages: May 25, 735

Submitted by Ursula on Thu, 2006-05-25 20:44
On May 25, 735, the Venerable Bede ended his peaceful, learned life in the Northumbrian monastery where he had lived over fifty years.

Today in the Middle Ages: May 15, 756

Submitted by Ursula on Mon, 2006-05-15 11:46
On May 15, 756, Abd ar-Rahman was proclaimed Emir of Cordoba, beginning the three-century Umayyad dynasty of Moorish Spain.

Blood of the Vikings

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2006-03-16 12:10
On March 18, 2006, the Science Channel will broadcast The Blood of the Vikings, a cultural look at the Viking lifestyle along the northeast coast of England.

Sutton Hoo Research Project Archive Online

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2006-01-02 18:27
Prof Martin Carver and the Sutton Hoo Research Project are pleased to announce the launch of a new digital archive: The Sutton Hoo Research Project (1983-2001) Archive. The ten volume study of the archaeological site is available online.

8th Century Building Gets Grant Money for Improvements

Submitted by Vallawulf on Mon, 2005-12-26 13:21
A £50,000 grant will pay for a tour of Dewsbury Minster, showcasing its 'lost' heritage. It will also pay for improvements to the Grade II-listed building’s outdated lighting, heating, access, signs and literature in the site's west end.

Footwear Helps Understand Viking Life

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2005-11-16 12:52
English professor Peter Addyman has collected nearly 10,000 pairs of Viking shoes dating largely to the 8th century. The shoes are part of the amazing collection of artifacts found in York, England.

Moroccan City Holds Secrets from Roman Through Medieval Times

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2005-11-01 08:31
Moroccan archaeologists from the National Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Heritage are combing through research discovered during a recent excavation of the Roman city of Thamusida and its medieval layers up to Islamic times.

Beowulf Mania

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2005-10-31 10:53
Two films, an opera and an off-Broadway play are enough to jump start the popularity of Anglo-Saxon classic.

New exhibit on ancient Yemeni art at the Sackler

Submitted by Karen on Wed, 2005-06-29 12:27
"Caravan Kingdoms: Yemen and the Ancient Incense Trade" is now on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, in Washington, DC.

"Bit of Bronze" Reveals Anglo-Saxon Burial Chamber

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2005-05-29 14:02
Archaeologists in Southend, England are thrilled with the discovery of a 1400-year-old Anglo-Saxon royal burial chamber. The grave was discovered when surveyers spotted "a small bit of bronze sticking up out of the mud."

"Early British Kingdoms" Offers Roadmap to British History

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2005-05-22 16:01
David Nash Ford's Early British Kingdoms website provides a virtual roadmap of the Celtic nations from Roman times through the "Dark Ages."

Selviergard to Invest New Baron & Baroness

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2005-05-20 08:29
Viscount Syr Georg of Glaciers Edge and Viscountess Katrazina Porajski will be the new Baron and Baroness of Selviergard in the Principality of Oertha.

Medieval Muslim Cemetery Discovered

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2005-05-19 20:07
35 skeletons, discovered recently near Lisbon Portugal, are believed to be from one of the largest medieval Muslim burial grounds in Europe.

Medieval Skeletons Discovered on Scottish Farm

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2005-05-10 18:07
Archaeologists are exicted about the recent find of 200 medieval skeletons on a farm near North Berwick, Scotland, and wonder if the graves might be linked to St Baldred, who founded a monastery nearby.