Hundreds of narrow tunnels called "Erdstalls" can be found throughout the Bavarian region of Germany and Austria. While most experts agree that they are medieval, no one knows why they were built or how they were used. This has led to the Erstalls being called "Central Europe's last great mystery."

Utrecht University in the Netherlands has created a website to make available early musical scores "to students, scholars, performers, and interested amateurs."

Proportional Lime Type Foundry issues a line of electronic fonts, based on historical exemplars, suitable for print and web use. The historical period fonts offered at reasonable prices are excellent reproductions of the originals with added functionality such as extended punctuation and characters for modern use.

A presentation from the 2011 annual conference for the North European Symposium for Archaeological Textiles (NESAT) explores the use of the bra in the 15th century. The paper by Beatrix Nutz is entitles Bras in the 15th Century? A Preliminary Report.

The University of California Press eBook Collection has published a free, online edition of Medieval and Early Modern Monarchic Ritual by János M. Bak. The book was first published in 1990.

Over one hundred medieval manuscripts and miniatures from the Bergendal Collection were auctioned July 5, 2011 at Sotheby's Auction House. The manuscripts include 22 pre-thirteenth century books. (photos)

Renaissance Costumes and medieval clothing for those with discriminating taste. Also, buttons, patterns, notions, jewelry, tapestries, toys, swords, panther tents, and more.

Take a 16-room "mini-castle" near Austria. Fill it with interesting and unusual contemporary decor, and you have the Hammerhaus. Photographer Andreas Meichsner of The New York Times has a slideshow.

In which "old' is "new" again. Perhaps these young Mexican gentlemen have been influenced by late 15th century footwear?

Planet Money, which features podcasts about modern economics and news of the economy, recently offered an edition focused on medieval economics, particularly feudalism and guilds.

"Fairy tales still exist! Private individual finds sensational treasure in garden," read an annoucement from Austria's Federal Office for Memorials about the discovery of over 200 pieces of medieval jewelry. (photos)

This summer, the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City will sponsor an exhibit of over fifty illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and early printed books showcasing fashionable clothing in Northern Europe.

Two great concerts, Sunday night at Potrero war
(May 30th, 2011 Potrero War in Caid, Open Ramada)

First, Join us for the "Bards of A Feather" Family Concert!
(including the Rare Norwegian Blue....)
Starting at 7:00, we'll have a great family concert full of songs, stories, dancing, and all sorts of crazy-making. Good for All ages!

Tired of the same, old tourist attractions? Huffington Post has some ideas for the Most Overlooked Historic Sites In The World in slideshow format.

In the latest in a series of Google-driven international incidents, Google Maps gave the German port city of Emden to the Netherlands. The exact location of the border has been disputed since the 15th century.

A new study shows that being king gives one a 700 times greater chance of dying a violent death than being an ordinary subject. The research was carried out by Manuel Eisner, professor of comparative and developmental criminology at Cambridge, and a specialist in the study of violent crime.

For centuries, scholars have debated the origins of bodies discovered mummified in murky swamps throughout northern Europe spurring calls for further investigation.

The website "Chopine, Zoccolo, and Other Raised Heel and High Heel Construction," created by Master Vyncent atte Wodegate (OL), has received a major overhaul recently.

Ulf Buntgen, a paleoclimatologist at the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape, believes political history can be read in the trees. He is the co-author of a study which links the "rise and fall of past civilisations and sudden shifts in Europe's climate."

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.

In October 2010, Rohesia Anven of Thessalonica, from the Kingdom of Atlantia, visited the Art Institute of Chicago and documented many of the museum's period objects in an amazing collection of photographs. Her album is available on Picasaweb.

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.

Corrective lenses have a long history. Glasses filled with water and gems were used by Romans in the 1st century, while the Chinese developed spectacles in the 13th. In an article for the Telegraph, Victoria Ward looks at the history of eyeglasses.

The Year: 1241, during the reign of King Bela IV of Hungary. The Place: The cities of Buda and Pest, on the banks of the Danube. The Theme: The Europeans vs. the Mongols. The Feast: A wonderful Hungarian repast provided by the Caerthan Cook's Guild.

Several new studies of the Bubonic Plague, which devasted Europe in the Middle Ages and the 17th century, have led researchers to the conclusion that the disease originated in China and was carried west over the Silk Road.

Craftsmen in Belgium have created Tapis de Fleurs, the world’s largest carpet of flowers. Flower carpets have been made in Belgium since 1971 in order to promote Belgium's flower industry.

Affordable, limited edition jewelry inspired by medieval and Renaissance designs. JG Originals - Camelot Collection offers handcrafted necklaces, earrings, and brooches made from high quality fire-polished glass, twinkling rhinestones, and hand-antiqued brass.

In an article for About.com's Medieval History section, Melissa Snell discusses feudalism in medieval society, and why it may not have been the "dominant form of political organization in medieval Europe."

Lecture given by Toby Lester -- a longtime editor and writer for The Atlantic, and the author of The Fourth Part of the World (2009) -- about the Waldseemüller world map of 1507.

 I'm trying to put together a persona based around the occupation of musician/storyteller/performer, but I'm having difficulty finding information. So far all I've got is vague references to the existence of trobairitz, menestrelles and jongleuse, but few dates or references.