The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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weatheriscool
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Ancient tombs unearthed at Paris' Notre Dame cathedral

Notre Dame was struck by a devastating fire in 2019.

Several tombs and a leaden sarcophagus likely dating from the 14th century have been uncovered by archaeologists at Paris' Notre Dame cathedral following its devastating 2019 fire, France's culture ministry has said.

The burial sites "of remarkable scientific quality" were unearthed during preparatory work for rebuilding the ancient church's spire at the central spot where the transept crosses the nave, the ministry said on Monday.

Among the tombs was the "completely preserved, human-shaped sarcophagus made of lead," it added.

The coffin might have been made for "a senior dignitary" and likely dated from the 1300s—the century following the cathedral's construction.

As well as the tombs, elements of painted sculptures were found just beneath the current floor level of the cathedral, identified as parts of the original 13th-century rood screen—an architectural element separating the altar area from the nave.
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-ancient-t ... notre.html
weatheriscool
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Rewriting the history books: Why the Vikings left Greenland
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-rewriting ... nland.html
by University of Massachusetts Amherst
One of the great mysteries of late medieval history is why did the Norse, who had established successful settlements in southern Greenland in 985, abandon them in the early 15th century? The consensus view has long been that colder temperatures, associated with the Little Ice Age, helped make the colonies unsustainable. However, new research, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published recently in Science Advances, upends that old theory. It wasn't dropping temperatures that helped drive the Norse from Greenland, but drought.

When the Norse settled in Greenland on what they called the Eastern Settlement in 985, they thrived by clearing the land of shrubs and planting grass as pasture for their livestock. The population of the Eastern Settlement peaked at around 2,000 inhabitants, but collapsed fairly quickly about 400 years later. For decades, anthropologists, historians and scientists have thought the Eastern Settlement's demise was due to the onset of the Little Ice Age, a period of exceptionally cold weather, particularly in the North Atlantic, that made agricultural life in Greenland untenable.

However, as Raymond Bradley, University Distinguished Professor of geosciences at UMass Amherst and one of the paper's co- author, points out, "before this study, there was no data from the actual site of the Viking settlements. And that's a problem." Instead, the ice core data that previous studies had used to reconstruct historical temperatures in Greenland was taken from a location that was over 1,000 kilometers to the north and over 2,000 meters higher in elevation. "We wanted to study how climate had varied close to the Norse farms themselves," says Bradley. And when they did, the results were surprising.
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Time_Traveller
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Mystery Sarcophagus Found Below Notre Dame to Be Opened 'Very Soon'

April 15, 2022

After Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral suffered a devastating fire in 2019, an archeological excavation was ordered before full restoration could begin. In March, a month after the archeological survey began, it was revealed that the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research had discovered a sarcophagus dating back to the 14th century.

Now, we're about to find out what's inside. French archaeologists said Thursday they'll be opening the sarcophagus "very soon" after examining it using an endoscopic camera. According to Phys.org, the camera revealed the top half of a skeleton, a pillow, fabric and unidentified objects.

Carbon dating could be used to determine the age of the skeleton, the report said, while scientists will also be able to identify its gender and former health.

https://www.cnet.com/science/mystery-sa ... very-soon/
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Time_Traveller
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Lost 700-year-old ship found just five feet beneath street by construction workers

Wednesday 20 Apr 2022

Image
This 13th-century ship was discovered barely five feet beneath an Estonian street after being lost 700 years ago.

Construction workers building offices in Tallinn were brought to a halt when the rare 80ft-long vessel was stumbled upon.

It’s believed to be a Hanseatic cog once owned by the Hanseatic League, a powerful merchant alliance spanning several European nations.

The whole area used to be undersea, with the ship sinking close to the Härjapea river mouth.

Surviving vessels belonging to the confederation are few and far between, with the most famous example being the Bremen Cog, discovered in Germany in 1962.

But the new discovery is said to be 82 years older and in even better condition.

Dated to 1298, it was built with 24-metre long massive oak logs and sealed with animal hair and tar.
https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/20/tallinn- ... i=16498703
"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

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R8Z
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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There's this misconception that food was bad in the middle ages (e.g. add salt to cover the 'rotten meat'). Probably comes from the Renaissance era, but unsure, some good explanation here which I embed below as well.

TL;DR: the food, at least for nobles, was more varied and detailed, had more courses, had more delicacies and spices that what we have today. Probably pretty good too.

And, as always, bye bye.
Tadasuke
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

Post by Tadasuke »

What % of people in the Middle Ages could afford good food? 3%? 4%?
Global economy doubles in product every 15-20 years. Computer performance at a constant price doubles nowadays every 4 years on average. Livestock-as-food will globally stop being a thing by ~2050 (precision fermentation and more). Human stupidity, pride and depravity are the biggest problems of our world.
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raklian
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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It wasn't that the food was "bad". It was not knowing spoiled food or unsanitary cooking conditions allowed for proliferation of infectious pathogens they couldn't see with their own eyes. The lack of hygiene led to a relatively high mortality rate especially among infants and youths.
To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
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Time_Traveller
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Ancient Viking burial ship belonging to ‘high status’ individual discovered underground

Image
Friday 22 Apr 2022

A lost ship marking the resting place of an important Viking has been unearthed in the path of a planned highway in Norway.

Archaeologist Jani Causevic, from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), found the ‘incredibly exciting’ discovery while probing the proposed route of the E39 highway.

Mr Causevic said the presence of a ship pointed to the grave of a person of great importance.

‘Boats were an expensive thing back in the day,’ he said.

The newly-discovered boat is nearly 30ft long (9m) with seating for six men – big enough to bury more than one person.
https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/22/ancient- ... i=16516329
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caltrek
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Ancient Objects May Have Been Explosive Hand Grenades Almost 1,000 Years Ago
by David Nield
April 27, 2022

https://www.sciencealert.com/researcher ... d-grenades

Introduction:
(Science Alert) A new analysis of ancient ceramic pots from 11th–12th century Jerusalem has backed up previous propositions that some of these vessels may have been used as ancient hand grenades during the time of the Crusades.

Sphero-conical archaeological artifacts – rounded, with a cone-like base – are found in museums around the world, and have been linked to everything from carrying liquids to acting as a smoking pipe.

Their versatility and diverse use has been well documented, and the new analysis constitutes more evidence that carrying explosives was one of their functions.

In this latest analysis of four pot sherds found in the Armenian Garden location in the walled Old City of Jerusalem between 1961–67, and held in the Royal Ontario Museum, experts were able to look at the residue inside them – finding that one vessel contained what looks to be explosive material.

"This research has shown the diverse use of these unique ceramic vessels which include ancient explosive devices," says molecular archaeologist Carney Matheson from Griffith University in Australia.
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weatheriscool
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Re: The Middle Ages (500 – 1499 AD)

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Historic graffiti made by soldiers sheds light on Africa maritime heritage, study shows
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-historic- ... itime.html
by University of Exeter
Historic graffiti of ships carved in an African fort were drawn by soldiers on guard duty watching the sea, University of Exeter experts believe.

The engravings, found in Tanzania's Zanzibar archipelago and made in the mid to late nineteenth century, open a window onto the ships that sailed on the western Indian Ocean at the time.

They were made when the area was the southern terminus of a trans-oceanic trade network that used the monsoon winds. Vessels anchored, beached and unloaded their cargoes along the length of the waterfront just outside the Old Fort, or Gereza, of Stone Town, Zanzibar's capital.

Although sometimes sketchy, the images suggest a number of vessel types, including a European-style frigate or frigate-built vessel and a number of settee-rigged ocean-going vessels often called 'dhows'. Some appear to have transom sterns, hinting at particular types of ship such as the baghla, ghanja, sanbūq or kotia. Two might also depict the prows of the elusive East African mtepe—a ship that was sewn together, rather than being nailed.
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