European History

This month we begin coverage on the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, an event that changed the history of Western Europe permanently. We've got an article on the background, one on William the Conqueror, an overview of the whole Norman Conquest, a look at the Battle of Hastings, and quick snapshots on the battles of Fulford Gate and Val-ès-Dunes. Next month we'll tackle some of the lesser known events. We've also got a few quick pieces on Tsars and Red Guards.  

I have to give full credit to website Boing Boing for introducing me to Got Medieval's pop culture explanation of medieval manuscripts, because they used the headline 'Using Super Mario to explain the internal logic of Gothic manuscript illuminations.' I dream of being able to use a headline like that. But Carl Pyrdum's discussion of gravity in marginalia is fascinating whether you were a childhood gamer or not.

War Horse is proving hugely successful, but I have to admit I've never read it. In fact I don't remember reading any of the many children's books which mix animal and war, unless you count the battles in Watership Down. So I'm pleased to link to this piece from the Children's Books section of the Guardian in which Megan Rix lists her "top 10 wartime animal books." My niece may well be getting a few of these in the future...

Europeana 1914 - 1918 is a roadshow travelling Europe in an attempt to find new material on World War One. This BBC article explains how the experts who accompany the show have been shown a bible which still has the shrapnel it stopped and other items. But what's really made the news was a collector who came in with a postcard from one Adolf Hitler. Material relating to Hitler's early life is rare, and obviously vitally important, and so this find is interesting. Hitler wrote it to Karl Lanzhammer, a dispatch runner from Hitler's regiment, and it reveals a surprising desire to get back to the frontlines. The postcard has now been recorded and returned to the collector. So far 45,000 items have been recorded by Europeana, including precious firsthand accounts passed down through families.

As red blood cells degrade quickly, they're hard to find in most of the targets archaeologists dig. However Oetzi, whose 5,300 year old body was found preserved in an Alpine glacier, has provided the world with the oldest ones we have. Since Oetzi was found science has probed his body to discover how he lived and how he died - he appears to have been killed by his wounds - and now scientists have found red blood cells around those wounds. If you want to probe more into the science, the BBC has an explanation, but I should warn you they also have a picture of Oetzi as he is now, and some people don't like that sort of thing.

Work is progressing in Romania on the Orastie-Sibiu highway, and the construction has been planned in association with the Romanian National History Museum. According to 'Romania Insider', eleven sites of archaeological interest have been identified, and work has begun on excavating them. One key discovery is two hundred pieces of bronze and iron which date to the ninth to eighth centuries BC. They're parts from jewellery, weapons and equipment, and are being billed as one of the most important finds in the country to date.

Five years ago, I had to report on a fire on Britain's famous 'tea clipper' ship the Cutty Sark. The initial pictures suggested severe damage, but due to good fortune, hard work and a £50 million conservation project, the ship has now reopened to resume its place as one of London's leading landmarks. The BBC has a video report, but I'm not sure if there's any geographical restrictions on viewing.

I could begin this report with a selection of quotations from neighbours who find moles, those little creatures who dig through the ground and leave their distinctive hills above it, less than helpful. And when you have moles digging through the ground surrounding historic monuments, you have a problem, as the creatures do not respect archaeology.

But English Heritage has moles at the Roman Fort at Epiacum, and the organization has decided to be pro-active, organising a team of thirty seven volunteers to sift through molehills in search of artefacts. So far they've found earthenware, Samian pottery, and even part of a jet necklace. Quite whether this is all useful seems to depend on which report you read, but the Guardian has quotes from the landholder.

Six months ago a Roman era shipwreck was recovered by archaeologists from the shore near Trapani. Among the finds were jars containing a range of food and drink, including olives, fish sauce and wine. But they also found a large number of 'fictiles', tubular tiles were interlocked and were used in building. These were commonly smuggled into Rome from North Africa, where they could be bought at a quarter of the price, and so experts have concluded the Trapani ship was also engaged in smuggling. MSNBC has some great photos, and quotes from experts.

I love headlines like 'Medieval fragments found sewn into Latin bible'. The titular news story concerns an expert in New Zealand who was reading a fifteenth century bible when they realised that pieces of an older manuscript had been cut up and sewn into the books' bindings. Now, the medieval re-use of manuscripts isn't a surprise as it's a well established phenomenon, but finding a Carolingian manuscript fragment is always a nice surprise. New Zealand's Stuff website has a picture of the finder, and plenty of quotes from her.