The Burning Land is the fifth installment in Cornwell’s Saxon Stories. Set in late 9th century Britain, King Alfred the Great is close to death, and Uhtred breaks his oath to Alfred to ride north to Northumbria in order to reclaim his ancestral home of Bebbanburg from his uncle. To reclaim his land, he needs money […]
Filed under: Vikings, Middle Ages History, Medieval History, Historical Fiction, Book Reviews on June 17th, 2011 | No Comments »
An interesting post from Medieval News, with reference articles.
A Viking legend tells of a glowing ’sunstone’ that, when held up to the sky, revealed the position of the Sun even on a cloudy day. It sounds like magic, but scientists measuring the properties of light in the sky say that polarizing crystals — which function […]
Filed under: Medieval News, Vikings, Archaeology, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on February 2nd, 2011 | No Comments »
A special thanks to William Short, author of Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques, for his time in graciously agreeing to answer a few questions:
1) How did you become interested in “Viking” history?
I don’t know. My educational and professional background had a heavy emphasis on technical topics and was very light on history and literature. […]
Filed under: Vikings, Author Interviews, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on August 17th, 2010 | No Comments »
My review of Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques has been published in the latest issue of The Heroic Age.
The Heroic Age is a fully peer-reviewed academic journal, focusing on Northwestern Europe during the early medieval period (from the early 4th through 13th centuries). The journal’s mission is to foster dialogue between all scholars of this […]
Filed under: Vikings, Middle Ages History, Medieval History, Book Reviews on August 16th, 2010 | 6 Comments »
From the Copenhagen Post:
A new study of rune stones from Viking times shows that many of the carvings are meaningless
After studying about a thousand inscriptions on ancient rune stones scattered around Scandinavia, a researcher from Uppsala University in Sweden has come to the conclusion that many of the carvings are gibberish.
Read more …
Filed under: Vikings, Archaeology, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on June 11th, 2010 | 6 Comments »
ScienceDaily (May 28, 2010) — “It was not necessary to be literate to be able to access rune carvings in the 11th century. At the same time those who could read were able to glean much more information from a rune stone than merely what was written in runes. This is shown in new research […]
Filed under: Vikings, Archaeology, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on June 1st, 2010 | 4 Comments »
“Mel Gibson will direct and Leonardo DiCaprio will star in an untitled period drama set in the world of Viking culture. William Monahan is writing the script.
Graham King will produce with Gibson and Tim Headington in a co-production between King’s GK Films and Gibson’s Icon Productions. Shooting is expected to begin fall, 2010, meaning that […]
Filed under: Vikings, Books and Movies on December 14th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
From the BBC:
A crofter has uncovered what is believed to be a Viking anchor while digging a drain on the Isle of Skye.
Graeme Mackenzie, 47, made the find after hiring an excavator to open the drain on rough pastureland 50yds (48m) from his home near Sleat …
… Mr Mackenzie levered it out and was “stunned” […]
Filed under: Vikings, Archaeology, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on December 7th, 2009 | 2 Comments »
“Five hundred Viking era silver artifacts have been plundered from a site of archaeological interest on the Baltic island of Gotland.
Two archaeologists employed by Gotland county were dismayed to discover the valuables had vanished when they arrived at a field in Alva in Gotland to follow up on a recent find.”
Read more at The Local.
Filed under: Vikings, Archaeology, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on November 4th, 2009 | 4 Comments »
The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place on September 25th, 1066, between Harold Godwinson (Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England) and his brother Tostig, who had allied himself with Harald Sigurdsson (”Hardrada”), the King of Norway. This battle proceeded the famous Battle of Hastings between Duke William of Normandy and King Harold, and […]
Filed under: Anglo-Saxons, Norman Conquest, Vikings, Battles, Wars, Middle Ages History, Medieval Timeline, Medieval History on September 25th, 2008 | 2 Comments »
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