Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions
39 results for "medieval history"
A stunning medieval ring discovered by a metal detector enthusiast in 1997 has been saved for the Dutch people after the government purchased it for €83,150. The 9th-century treasure will remain in the Netherlands for everyone to enjoy.
Workers fixing floors at an 800-year-old church in France accidentally discovered secret stairs leading to burial vaults and layers of history stretching back a millennium. What started as a simple repair job became a window into centuries of community life and devotion.
Construction workers in Germany discovered a perfectly preserved medieval notebook in a 13th-century latrine, complete with legible wax pages and an ivory writing stylus. The rare find offers a remarkable window into the daily life of an educated merchant from 800 years ago.
Archaeologists in western Germany have rediscovered Echene, a medieval settlement that disappeared 500 years ago but lived on in old documents and field names. The find reveals wooden houses, stone cellars, and wells from a thriving 10th-century farming community.
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered massive water cisterns and ancient buildings at Aydhab, a medieval port that once connected three continents through trade and pilgrimage. The find reveals sophisticated infrastructure that sustained thousands of travelers crossing the Red Sea during the Middle Ages.
Archaeologists have uncovered massive water cisterns and buildings at a 1,000-year-old Red Sea port, revealing how Egypt connected three continents through trade and pilgrimage. The discovery shows the remarkable engineering that kept this desert crossroads thriving.
Two women buried in an embrace 800 years ago at a prominent Polish cathedral have puzzled researchers for years. New DNA analysis just confirmed they're Poland's first known medieval same-sex burial, opening questions about forgotten forms of kinship.
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F19%2Ffb%2F19fb5134-3672-4430-a414-e93a74af2312%2F112598.jpg)
Archaeologists in Germany pulled a perfectly preserved 800-year-old leather notebook from a medieval toilet, its wax pages still showing legible Latin writing. The discovery offers a rare glimpse into daily life from centuries ago, proving that ancient latrines are time capsules waiting to be opened.
Archaeologists in Germany discovered a perfectly preserved medieval notebook in the most unexpected place: an old latrine. The 700-year-old wax tablet still shows readable Latin text after centuries underground.
Researchers discovered a missing copy of the oldest known English poem hidden in a 9th-century manuscript at a Rome library. The find reveals how medieval monks preserved and spread English literature across Europe centuries ago.
Builders discovered a lost medieval church and 317 burial sites beneath an old Debenhams store in Gloucester, England. The site, now becoming a university campus, reveals 1,000 years of history from Roman times through the English Civil War. #
A medieval Scotsman underwent remarkable dental work 500 years ago, receiving a gold wire bridge that held a replacement tooth in place. The discovery shows people have cared about their smiles for centuries.
A 68-year-old man just returned three 700-year-old floor tiles to an English monastery after finding them in his attic, nearly six decades after he stole them as a nine-year-old boy. His father had encouraged the theft, and the guilt finally inspired him to make things right.
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F41%2F1a%2F411a6e6c-c7fb-4c76-9ecf-ab68073ce49f%2Fthe_medieval_floor_tiles_were_kept_hidden_for_60_years_in_an_old_tin_credit_english_heritage.jpeg)
A 68-year-old man discovered medieval floor tiles in an old toffee tin and realized he'd stolen them from an English monastery 60 years ago. His mother's detailed diaries helped him solve the mystery and return the artifacts home.
Archaeologists in Belgium just discovered something that might be a world first: 450 medieval cannonballs stacked together in one location. The cache, dating back as far as 1350 A.D., was found beneath a construction site in the historic coastal city of Nieuwpoort.
A quick-thinking university student in Israel stopped suspected artifact thieves and then discovered a rare 12th-century Crusader sword hidden in the seabed. The three-foot weapon offers new insights into medieval warriors and coastal life during the Crusades.
Archaeologists in Valence, France just uncovered a stunning 1,400-year-old cemetery with over 200 graves and a lost Christian building. The discovery is rewriting what we know about medieval communities in southeastern France.
Archaeologists in southern Russia may have found Magas, the legendary capital of the powerful Alanian kingdom that vanished from history a thousand years ago. The massive 350-hectare site could rewrite what we know about medieval trade and culture across Europe and Asia.
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F16%2F1d%2F161d64cf-85a6-409b-b69f-f5c06be0ee20%2F592323049_1679038773414645_3852865209754894103_n.jpeg)
Archaeologists have discovered the hidden remains of Stolzenberg, a medieval Polish town that mysteriously vanished centuries ago. The site revealed over 400 artifacts spanning thousands of years, from Bronze Age relics to medieval coins.
A routine sewer dig in the Netherlands just unearthed what could be part of a Viking-era ship from 700-800 A.D. The 10-foot wooden beam is now heading to the lab for tree ring analysis that will unlock its ancient secrets.
Showing 20 of 39