By Hannah McCann Every year on 21st December the tallest stone at Stonehenge lines up with the rising sun. The midwinter solstice would have been a very important day for Neolithic people. Archaeological evidence from around Stonehenge shows us that they had immense feasts – from pork and beef to mead made from honey. They […]
Category archives: Medieval
Athelstan: The Forgotten First King of England
By Sam Skinner Which Anglo-Saxon kings feature in the popular imagination? Many know of Alfred the Great’s wars against the Vikings; of the infamy of Aethelred ‘the Unready’; of Harold’s defeat at Hastings. The chances are that King Athelstan does not resonate. Yet it was Athelstan’s achievement to ruthlessly bend an island to his will […]
The medieval beverage of choice: alcohol or water?
There is a strong misconception that people living in medieval times would primarily drink alcohol as it was believed that water was unsafe to drink.
Lady Godiva: The Woman, The Myth, The Legend
Lady Godiva – we have all heard of this legendary noblewoman in one way or another purely through cultural osmosis.