Melissa's Medieval History Blog

Here in the U.S., a historic election looms in just a little over a month. But in the Middle Ages, monarchies were the norm, and there were no democratic societies. Right?

Not exactly. In the 9th and 10th centuries, Iceland was colonized by Norse settlers, who adopted the Norse practice of holding general assemblies. In 930, the first national parliament in the world was established in Iceland -- a single legislative assembly to govern the entire island, known as the Alþing (Althing, or Alting). Not everyone could participate, but all farmers were legally obliged to. Although there was no central executive power (like our president), the Alþing was still a form of democracy, albeit far removed from what we know today. You can find out more about it in this article at the Á�rni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.

And I'd like to remind my fellow U.S. citizens that the deadline for voter registration is drawing near. If you haven't registered to vote, please do so, and make your opinion count in a way you couldn't have done in the Middle Ages, not even in Iceland.

October is a month for tilling and sowing, and once again the Limbourg brothers show us how it was done. This detail depicts a peasant on horseback hauling a harrow, which has been weighted down with a stone to make it penetrate more deeply into the soil. Not shown here is another peasant, clad in blue, sowing seeds from a pouch he wears over his shoulders. Get a closer look, and see which splendid palace lies in the background, in the page for October in the Les Très Riches Heures Image Gallery.

Yes, it's true: humans were not the only Scandinavians to invade England and Scotland during the Middle Ages. Recent research reveals that the common house mouse, which evolved into different strains once it came into western Europe from the Middle East during the Iron Age, traveled along with Viking raiders and settlers to Britain, Iceland and Greenland. Find out more in the article by Frank Urquhart at the Scotsman and the item at AFP.

It might look like a dead bug or a piece of very old wood, but it's actually a solid silver ingot that was found last year by treasure hunters in Bedfordshire, England. Measuring 45mms long and weighing 20 grams, the ingot could have purchased two cows in the ninth or tenth century. Find out more in the article by Paul Fisher at Luton Today, and see what you think this extremely rare find looks like.

Angry Kem, a self-described "bad-tempered English prof," offers up a translation of modern comics into Middle English in this amusing new blog. In addition to the translation, Kem provides commentary relating the subject of the comic to medieval life and thought. Thanks for the grins, Angry Kem.

The John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester will digitize part of its collection of medieval manuscripts, thanks to £85,000 in funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee. Manuscripts include the complete Canterbury Tales, copies of the New Testament translated into English by John Wyclif, and a cookbook written by the personal chefs of Richard II. The article by Jack Riley at the Independent includes a selection of images, and there's additional info in the item by Claire Shoesmith at Crain's Manchester Business. There's also a piece on the recipes at Sify news.

A highly unusual find has been made in Staraya Russa, a town in the Novgorod region: an entombment of 14 horses. Because the burials appear to have been made over the course of 80 years, it's unlikely that an epidemic of disease caused their deaths. What could have prompted people to accord their horses burials? Perhaps future investigation will reveal a satisfactory answer. Find out more in the item at Russia-InfoCentre.

Recently, several archaeological discoveries involving Vikings have been made:

• Viking graves in central Sweden
  Six grave sites were found in Lännäs outside of Örebro. Check out the item at the Local.
  
  
• Viking shield near Trelleborg
  The round wooden shield may date to the 10th century. Get more info in the brief notice at the Earth Times.
  
  
• Unconventional Viking Age village
  Recent excavations at the Old Man of Hoy in the Isles of Orkney reveal that the rocky towers that pose a challenge to day's climbers were inhabited during the Middle Ages. Norman Hammond of the UK TimesOnline has an informative article.

Find out more about Vikings in these resources.

Part of a 12th-century abbey, which had fallen into disrepair after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, has been uncovered in recent excavations in Abbeytown, Cumbria, England. A team from the West Cumbrian Archeologists Society have found what may be the cloisters, and uncovered a medieval drain, some medieval pottery and a medieval midden, among other things. Find out more in the article by Sarah Newstead at The Cumberland News.

If you're fortunate enough to live in or near London, or if you have an opportunity to visit, don't miss this unique exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts. Beginning at the end of October and running through March of 2009, Byzantium: 330-1453 will focus on the history of the Eastern Roman Empire throughout its 1100 years. This is the first time since 1964 that any museum has offered such a comprehensive look at Byzantine art and artifacts, and the exhibit includes items that have never travelled outside their home nations. While the organizers didn't get all the pieces they had hoped for, the exhibition should still be phenomenal. Find out more about it in the article at AFP.