Dec 3rd, 2012 at 10:00AM:
Before Iraq was conquered by the Arabs in the seventh century, it was one of the oldest centers of Christianity in the world. Even after the Arab conquest, Christians made up a sizable minority of the population – sometimes tolerated, sometimes persecuted, but always surviving.
Now it's facing its biggest threat in centuries.
The Christian Community in Iraq is a lot smaller than it ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
middleages posts
Visiting The Christian Community In Iraq
Dec 3rd, 2012 at 10:00AM:
Before Iraq was conquered by the Arabs in the seventh century, it was one of the oldest centers of Christianity in the world. Even after the Arab conquest, Christians made up a sizable minority of the population – sometimes tolerated, sometimes persecuted, but always surviving.
Now it's facing its biggest threat in centuries.
The Christian Community in Iraq is a lot smaller than it ...10 Minutes Of Terror On Vacation In Iraq
Nov 19th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
I'm in Samarra, in the heart of the Sunni Triangle, the birthplace of the insurgency and a hotspot for sectarian tension in war-torn Iraq. My heart is racing and my mouth is dry. This is the most frightened I've been in months.
But I'm not scared of the Sunnis, I'm scared of plummeting to my death.
I'm climbing one of the famous spiral minarets of Samarra, a pair of towers with a narrow ...Naughty Women, Leafy Men And Shameful Anti-Semitism: Church Art The Church Would Rather Forget
Oct 9th, 2012 at 5:00PM:
Historic European churches and cathedrals are high on many travelers' to-see lists. People admire the soaring vaulted ceilings and richly colored stained glass windows. Look closer, though, and you'll see things you weren't expecting.
Like this lovely lady at the Romanesque church of Saint Mary and Saint David in Kilpeck, Herefordshire, England, shown here courtesy Wikimedia Commons. Yes, ...London Construction Reveals Medieval Graves, Bronze Age Road
Oct 7th, 2012 at 2:00PM: London is built on layers of its own past. Occasionally they poke through to the present, like the old Roman walls and the Temple of Mithras. Now two current construction projects have revealed glimpses of the city's previous epochs.
Work to build a leisure center at Elephant and Castle has uncovered some 500 medieval skeletons, the London Evening Standard reports. They were interred in 25 ...Uppsala, Sweden: A University Town With Viking Roots
Oct 7th, 2012 at 12:00PM:
Uppsala University in Sweden is 535 years old today, having been inaugurated on this date in 1477. As one of the older universities in Europe, it has quite a few sights to see and is located in a town of ancient importance.
The city started as a religious center for the pagan Vikings and the location of their Thing, a general assembly. An ancient temple at Uppsala was said to have had statues ...Want To Buy An Irish Castle? Now's Your Chance!
Sep 19th, 2012 at 5:00PM:
If you're in the market for a new home, why not think big and buy a castle? There are several for sale in Ireland and now that middle income has been defined as up to $250,000, many are within the means of the middle class.
Take Cloghan castle, shown above. It's in Banagher, County Offaly, and comes with 157 acres of woodland and riverside. The original castle was built in 1336, making it one ...Have Archaeologists Found The Lost Tomb Of Richard III?
Sep 12th, 2012 at 12:00PM:
Back in August, we covered a new excavation in the English city of Leicester searching for the lost tomb of King Richard III. Now the University of Leicester reports that their team has discovered bones in the church where he is said to have been buried.
Richard III was the last of the Plantagenet kings and fought an epic struggle with the Tudors during the War of the Roses for control of ...Archaeologists Search For Lost Grave Of King Richard III
Aug 28th, 2012 at 3:00PM: Archaeologists in Leicester, England, are looking for the grave of a king – in a parking lot.
The grave of Richard III is believed to be beneath the parking lot of a local government building, according to analysis by the University of Leicester.
Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the decisive battle of the War of the Roses. The victor was Henry Tudor, who became ...A Drive Through Rural Oxfordshire And Buckinghamshire
Aug 25th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
England is so much more than its cities.
Most itineraries take in London and one or two more: Oxford or Cambridge, Brighton or Bath. While I love all these places, and live part time in Oxford, it's the countryside that I truly enjoy. Glimpsed from the motorway it makes a pretty backdrop, but get off onto the country lanes and you'll find villages filled with history, old inns with great ...Amazing 3-D Laser Scan Of Lalibela Rock-Hewn Churches In Ethiopia
Aug 23rd, 2012 at 9:00AM:
Of all the incredible monuments in Ethiopia, the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are by far the most impressive. Starting in the 12th century A.D., Ethiopian rulers dug a series of churches out of the solid bedrock.
This architecture-in-reverse creates a bizarre and otherworldly scene. As you walk along the exposed rock, you come across giant holes in the stone filled with churches. Narrow ...
Eynhallow: Visiting Orkney's Haunted Isle
Jul 29th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
Orkney is an ancient land where prehistoric monuments still dominate the landscape, along with the wide sky and surrounding sea. Plenty of strange stories have grown up about certain places. Some of the strangest have to do with a little island called Eynhallow.
Eynhallow has been deserted since 1851. Considering that it's a little less than 200 acres of treeless grass and rocky cliffs ...Kelburn Castle To Lose Psychedelic Art, Going Old School
Jun 25th, 2012 at 1:00PM:
Kelburn Castle isn't your typical 13th century Scottish castle and aristocratic estate. It's an example of some of the best street art in the world.
As you can see, it's pretty trippy, the product of a group of Brazilian street artists in 2007. It was allowed by the local council on the understanding that it would be up for no more than three years. Generally, there are strict rules in the UK ...Poland's Wieliczka Salt Mine: An Underground Wonder
Jun 18th, 2012 at 4:00PM:
There's something alluring about underground spaces. Whether it's the ancient subterranean cities of Cappadocia in Turkey or the alternative art galleries of the Paris catacombs, humanity's works underground take on a strange and mysterious feeling.
Perhaps there is no underground space more strange and mysterious than the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow, Poland. This UNESCO World Heritage ...
Archaeologists Analyze John the Baptist's Bones
Jun 18th, 2012 at 2:00PM: The Black Sea port of Sozopol has been making the news quite a bit lately. First, Bulgarian archaeologists uncovered two vampire skeletons there, and now its relics of John the Baptist have been submitted to scientific analysis.
Back in 2010, archaeologists uncovered six bone fragments from a marble sarcophagus in the ruins of a medieval church on the island of Sveti Ivan, "Saint John," near ...Vandals Break Stone of Destiny, Sacred To High Kings Of Ireland
Jun 18th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
Ireland's famed Lia Fáil Standing Stone, better known as the "Stone of Destiny," has been vandalized.
The stone, which stands upon the Hill of Tara in County Meath, was smashed with a hammer on all four sides. Chips broke off from it but were not found, suggesting that the culprits took them.
The stone is the traditional coronation site for the ancient High Kings of Ireland, ...Vampire Skeleton On Display In Bulgaria
Jun 16th, 2012 at 10:00AM: Last week we brought you the story that archaeologists had discovered two vampire graves in Bulgaria. Now one of those skeletons, complete with an iron spike through his chest, is going on display at the National History Museum in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
The medieval skeleton will be revealed to the public this Saturday. No word yet on how long it will be on view.
Museum head Prof. ...Church Of The Nativity In Bethlehem May Become Palestine's First World Heritage Site
Jun 15th, 2012 at 2:00PM:
The government of Palestine is applying to put the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It would be the first such site for the emerging nation.
The government of Palestine is eager to increase its recognition among the community of nations. While 130 countries recognize it as a country, a few don't, most notably the United States and Israel. When Palestine ...Shroud Of Turin One Of 40 Fakes, Historian Says
Jun 13th, 2012 at 12:00PM: The Shroud of Turin has been causing controversy for centuries now. The linen cloth, measuring 14 feet by 4 feet, has what appear to be bloodstains on it. Also, the image of a wounded man can be seen, an image that becomes clearer when looked at as a photographic negative.
Now historian Antonio Lombatti of the Università Popolare in Parma, Italy, says the Shroud of Turin is a fake, and ...Urquhart Castle: The Other Attraction On Loch Ness
Jun 9th, 2012 at 12:00PM:
Today the Olympic torch is crossing Loch Ness by boat. While locals are hoping for Nessie to make an appearance, one attraction will definitely be on view: the spectacular Urquhart Castle.
This castle sits on Strone Point, a headland jutting out into the loch. It's unclear when the castle was built. It was certainly there by the 13th century but there may have been a fort there as far back as ...The Viking Ship Museum In Oslo, Norway
Jun 7th, 2012 at 1:00PM:
Norway is famous for its breathtaking fjords and Viking heritage. A hundred years ago at the Oseberg fjord, archaeologists discovered a Viking ship burial containing the bodies of two women. The ship was so well preserved that it could be entirely reconstructed. Now it's the centerpiece of Oslo's Viking Ship Museum and one of the country's most popular attractions.
The Oseberg ship is 21.58 ...
