Inspired by medieval and earlier times,Reannag Teine specializes in unique, usable pottery—safe for food and drink and well as modern conveniences as the oven, dishwasher, and microwave. All the designs are drawn free-hand and hand-painted onto the hand-thrown pottery—no molds or stencils used—and our wares are designed sturdy, built to survive years of everyday use.

In a paper for British Museum, Neil Christie looks at "cultural and socio-politico-economic context" of Byzantine-Lombard jewelery in 6th through 8th century. (photos)

In the 7th through 10th centuries, two super powers ruled Eastern Europe: Byzantium, "bulwark of Christendom in the east," and the Arab empire, but some historians name a third. Khazaria, a Jewish kingdom, played a crucial a part in the stemming of the Arab advance into Europe. (map)

Archaeologists are working on the excavation of the 11th century church at Banganarti, in the Sudan. Live Science has created a slideshow of some of the finds during the excavation, and provides a 3-D view of the church. (photos)

The 6th century Byzantine marvel, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, may be returning to its orgins as a place of worship by once again becoming a mosque. The former church is now a museum.

The archaeological dig at the "Givati parking lot" in Jerusalem has yielded an extremely rare Byzantine prayer box dating to the 6th or 7th centuries. The small box is made from stone and is decorated with a cross. (photos)

Everyone knows that the First Crusade began with a call from Pope Urban II to free Jerusalem from the Muslims. That is, everyone but British historian Peter Frankopan, whose new book, The First Crusade: the Call from the East, offers a different explanation.

More than 70 workers are busy excavating an area beneath the Central Bus Station in Be'er Sheva, Israel. Thus far, the experts have identified the remains of several houses dating to the Byzantine area.

In the late 15th century, the Bourtzi fortress castle was constructed to protect the Byzantine city of Nafplio from invasion from the sea. Now the castle is to be restored as a tourist attraction. (photo)

A series of well-preserved medieval churches in central Sudan are giving researchers new information into the world of medieval pilgrimages and veneration. Inscriptions at one site show that pilgrims came from as far away as Catalonia.

Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov has discovered two archbishop's seals during excavations of the city of Perperikon, a crucial urban center during the Middle Ages and the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires. The two lead seals belonged to Constantine, Archbishop of Archidos.

Archaeologists have discovered five marble Byzantine tombs dating to the 14th century in the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon. (video)

In the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks brought an end to the Byzantine Empire. Among the last to fall were the small towns on the Black Sea, one of which, Sozopol, is the site of the recent discovery of a late Byzantine church.

Israeli archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 6th century Byzantine public building in the ancient town of Akko (Acre). The discovery is the first physical evidence found of the Christian Bishop of Akko.

For the first time, many residents of the United States will be able to view Ukrainian treasures spanning 6,000 years. The exhibition will be hosted by the Houston (Texas) Museum of Natural Science from May 27 to Sept 5, 2011.

In 1453, Italian surgeon Nicolo Barbaro recorded his account of the siege and fall of Constantinople. The diary is now available to read online.

Retired Bulgarian veterinarian Hristo Antonov has given a unique gift to his hometown, Veliki Preslav: a scale model of the city, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire in the 10th century. (photo)

Undoubtedly, one of the greatest places of worship in history is the Aya Sofya, also known as Hagia Sophia or “Church of the Holy Wisdom.” Located in İstanbul, the church is visited by over two million tourists a year. Terry Richardson of Today's Zaman offers a history. (photo)

The City of Constantinople is being threatened by the Ottoman Empire. They are threatening to shut down the Spice Trade Route which runs through the city from China and India to Western Europe. We must stop the Ottoman Empire. The Spice Must Flow!

"The marble flourishes with bright rays and all the stones in starry purple shine richly. Small things confined in space are made so beautiful that they surpass the large. To Christ, whose temples exist in the human heart, nothing is small and he dwells happily confined by these walls." Latin inscription at chapel entrance. (photo)

Israeli archaeologists are excited over the discovery of a 6th century Byzantine church in the desert southwest of Jerusalem. The small basilica features "exquisitely decorated" mosaic floors.

Master Robyyan Torr d'Elandris, OL, from Tree-Girt-Sea in the Middle Kingdom, offers an article on the history of the fork, an eating utensil sometimes assumed to be out-of-period for the SCA. Depending on your persona's time and place, this may not be so.

Archaeologists working at Jabal al-Sin, Syria on the Euphrates River have found cemeteries dating to the era of the Byzantine Empire.

In the 12th century, crusaders were known to have stopped at the Byzantine city of Blismos along the old Roman road in modern Bulgaria. Now archaeologists believe they have found the city near the village of Zlatna Livada.

A team of Harvard undergraduates, graduate students, research scholars and one professor have created the Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilizations, a mapping and spatial analysis of the Roman and medieval worlds using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) information system.

Workers at the Tall al-Shir archaeological dig in Syria have so far uncovered three layers of history dating back to the Roman and Greek eras. A recent find including walls from the late Byzantine period.

A two-room winery, dating from the time of the Byzantine Emperors Anastasius I (491-518 CE), and Justinian I (527-565 CE), has been discovered at the Byzantine fortress near the town of Byala on the Black Sea.

Professor Engin Akyürek from Istanbul University's Art History Department reports that a well-preserved, Byzantine church has been discovered in Demre in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, Turkey.

At first, experts thought they had discovered a 9th century Islamic building, but evidence concluded that Küçükyalı Arkeopark, a large archaeological area on the Asian side of Istanbul, is the only surviving Byzantine monastic complex from 9th-century Constantinople.

The Shire of Midhaven has had a plentiful harvest and we invite you to share of it at our Harvest Feast on Saturday, November 20, 2010. The feast will be in the Byzantine fashion in honor of Their Excellencies Hauk & Rosamund of Aquaterra.