Crossing Cultures
This post via BoingBoing has everything I could want in one article — a discussion of linguistic and cultural differences between German and English, a sprinkling of medieval history, and beer:
Digital Medievalism
This post is written in honor of Ada Lovelace Day, celebrating the achievements of women in science and technology.
Hildegard von Bingen (born 1098 – died 1179) is probably best known as a medieval religious visionary, literary author, and composer. But she was a woman of many more talents, including natural philosophy and medicine. Read more “Hildegard von Bingen: Sybil, Saint, and Scientist”
Crossing Cultures
A wonderful article by a medievalist I’ve been following for years now, explaining the delights of a medieval Christmas. Some traditions might look familiar (evergreens, gifts, mistletoe), others not so much (frumenty, Twelfth Night, liturgical dramas). Most fascinating to me is how the various Viking, Druid, and Celt pagan traditions are combined with the Christian to become our modern holiday.
Digital Medievalism
I strongly believe that history is not only the story of one-off big events, larger-than-life characters, and impossible-to-memorize dates. It is the story of everyday people and their daily hopes, dreams, struggles, and passions – set against the backdrop of different times, places, and beliefs than our own. Unfortunately the study of history does not often present opportunities to experience their stories, until the rare occasion they suddenly appear in front of us.
In 1545 the flagship of Henry VIII’s navy, the Mary Rose, sank with almost all hands. A tragedy for the volatile monarch and for the souls lost. But in 1982, her discovery and raising provided a complete snapshot of the life of a Tudor sailor. Certainly there are weapons to delight the military historian, but also thousands of more personal items (shoes, bags, tankards) that provide us a glimpse into the daily life of a Tudor sailor. A not always pleasant life, to be sure, as evidenced by the tools to inject warm mercury into sailor urethras – treatment against the syphilis rampant among sailors at the time.
With luck, the new Mary Rose Museum will open in 2012, and I for one hope to be among the visitors.
Compact Mirrors and Tudor Man-Bags: Mary Rose Gives Up Her Treasures