Evidence from an archaeological excavation at Boudelo Abbey, once part of the medieval county of Flanders, Belgium, shows that the monks who lived there went to great lengths to cultivate the area's wetlands, building structures on artificially raised soil and providing new lands for occupation.

Marita Genesis of Potsdam, Germany has an interesting area of study: execution site archaeology. Genesis is just one of a number of scientists and scholars interested in finding out how those executed died and how executioners, particularly in the Middle Ages, lived. Matthias Schulz of Der Spiegel has the story.

Seven skeletons have been unearthed under a car park in Edinburgh, Scotland, where a knight's grave has previously been found. The skeletons include women and children, leading archaeologists to conclude that it may be a family burial crypt.

A group of experts convened recently at the Yorkshire Museum to debate the age of the beautiful Escrick Ring, found in a field near York, England. The ring was believed to date from the 12th through 16th centuries, but some now think as early as the 5th century. (photo)

For centuries, medical historians have believed that advancements in medicine were stalled between the days of Galen and the Renaissance. Now radiocarbon dating of a mummified, dissected head to the 13th century, shows that medieval doctors may have been more sophisticated than previsouly believed. (photo)

William of Kensham was a resistance fighter in Kent, England who fought the French forces of Prince Louis in 1216, and he might, according to historian Sean McGlynn, be the basis for the Robin Hood myth.

Depicting the murder of Thomas Becket, this medieval wall painting is on the verge of disappearing.

In gratitude for the loan of the Lewis Chessmen for the Manx National Heritage's Forgotten Kingdom exhibition, MNH director Edmond Southworth presented the British Museum's Naomi Speakman with a set of stamps featuring the medieval chess set. The stamps were issued to the public on January 11, 2013. (photos)

The owner of an automobile in Ludlow, Shropshire, England has an unusual claim after 33 ft (10m) of the town's medieval wall collapsed, showering the car with debris. "Luckily no-one was injured when the wall collapsed," said Rosanna Taylor-Smith, councillor for Ludlow North.

World scholars are breathing a sigh of relief as news reached them that more than 80 percent of the precious manuscripts from Timbuktu were smuggled to safety. Many were driven by car and truck to the Malian capital of Bamako.

Wide cracks with water seepage have appeared in the walls and ceiling of the 13th century Cologne Cathedral in Germany, damage many feel has been casued by vibrations from a new subway station being constructed next to the cathedral.

Dr Wojciech Branicki, from the Institute of Forensic Research and Jagielonian University, Kraków and Prof Manfred Kayser, from the Erasmus University Rotterdam have spent the past few years developing a process to determine the hair and eye color of human remains up to 800 years old.

Last week news outlets reported that militant Islamic rebels fleeing Timbuktu in Mali had torched a new library, destroying many of the city's famed ancient books. Preservationists and the Mali government are now reporting that many of the manuscripts were hidden in a safe house before the attack.

In the 14th century, the city of Myra near Demre, Turkey, disappeared under the silt of the Myros River. Now, 700 years later, the city, once an importance pilgrimage site of the Byzantine Empire, is re-remerging - building by building. (photo)

In the 13th century, Scotland was divided between the Scots on the mainland and the Vikings of the western islands. The struggle that followed brought an end to Viking rule in the country. A  new BBC Two program looks at The Last Battle of the Vikings.

Several objects dating to the Middle Ages have been declared treasure by the Norfolk Historic Environment Services, including a 6th century brooch, an Anglo-Saxon sword belt mount, and a copper alloy jetton converted to a brooch. (photos)

In the Middle Ages, the period after Christmas was a time for looking ahead to the new year. Practices included superstitions and methods to predict weather for the coming year. The clergy accepted some of the age-old rituals, but were loathe to allow others. A recent article for Phys.org looks at Christmas Day fortune telling.

Much of the Norse mythology we recognize today comes courtesy of the writing of 13th century Icelandic chieftain Snorri Sturluson. Nancy Marie Brown takes a look at Snorri on her blog God of Wednesday.

A UK£200,000 donation has made possible new lighting of the 13th century cloister at Norwich Cathedral. "This is a scheme we've been working on for some years and with the help of a generous personal legacy we've at last been able to achieve it," said the Very Reverend Graham Smith, Dean of Norwich. (photo)

The city council of Nottingham, England and a private concern are at odds over plans to construct two major attractions honoring Robin Hood in Nottinghamshire. The city hopes to revamp the Nottingham Castle, while Discovery Attractions wants to build a UK£13m theme park near Edwinstowe. (graphic)

The mysteries surrounding remains found under a Leicester, England car park continue with efforts to identify the bones of a woman found in the vicinity of those suspected to belong to King Richard III. Experts are puzzled at the burial of a woman in Greyfriars church, a male institution.

Construction workers in Denpasar, Bali have discovered the remains of a stone temple at a Hindu study center believed to be the largest Hindu temple ever found on the island. Archaeologists have identified the foundations of the 20-metre-long east wing of the structure.

China had been an empire for over 1,000 year when the Mongol heir to Genghis, Kublai Khan, roared into the southern part of the country in the 13th century. Carrie Gracie of the BBC has a feature story.

In 2011, metal detectorist Frank Kurzeja discovered a silver brooch 10 inches beneath the soil near Cowfold, England. The brooch has recently been declared treasure. (photo)

Bill Gates who? CelebrityNetWorth has named Mansa Musa I, the 14th century leader of the Empire of Mali, the richest man of all time, with a personal worth of over US$400 billion.  Mali's role as supplier of salt and gold to much of the known world made the king rich and Mali an economic superpower.

In Great Britain and the United States, the Magna Carta is revered as one of the bases of law. In an article for History Today, Ralph V. Turner, Professor of History Emeritus, Florida State University, and the author of Magna Carta, looks at the document and its importance through history.

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Santes Dwynwen, daughter of Welsh King Brychan Brycheiniog, who died in the 5th century, is considered the patron saint of Welsh lovers. Now a ruined church at Llanddwyn on Anglesey has been scheduled for restoration.

Archaeologists have begun work on a site near Bromyard, England where they believe they will find the remains of a medieval village. "It may be part of a village called Studmarsh, on land known as the Grove."

A joint team of archaeologists from Tel Aviv University and Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority have discovered "one of the largest gold coin hoards discovered in a medieval site in the land of Israel." The coins were determined to have circulated in the 13th century, the time Crusader occupation.