From November 18, 2006 through January 21, 2007, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is presenting an exhibition on Joan of Arc (ce 1412-1431). There aren’t many historical figures with a more interesting resume than Joan of Arc. What’s more fun than a cross-dressing religious fanatic warrior who is burned at the stake [...]

If you watched CBS Sunday Morning today you saw a segment entitled “The Art of the Cookbook” that featured “The Apicus”. There are two known copies of “The Apicius”. The Vatican holds the oldest copy. The manuscipt shown on CBS is from the 9th century and is owned the The New York Academy of Medicine. [...]

In 1439, Fra Angelico, a monk and well respected Renaissance artist, painted two panels depicting a pair of medieval saints. They were part of the alter of the convent and church in San Marco, Italy. In all, there were eight panels in the alterpiece. The paintings were dispersed during the Napolenoic wars. Since then, six [...]

Earlier this year a medieval mystery story from the 15th century made headlines in the popular press. From the BBC: A mysterious medieval wall painting found beneath the floor of the Bishop of Bath and Wells’ bedroom has given up its secrets. The painting, which shows a partly-clad woman wearing a transparent dress, dates from [...]

Scientists are working out methods to use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to learn more about the origins of medieval manuscripts. Notable in this effort is Christopher Howe at Cambridge University. From Howe’s webpage: There are striking parallels between how mutations accumulate in DNA sequences as they evolve, and how changes were incorporated into manuscripts [...]

Heloise Suggested Reference for further study; Furlong, Monica, Visions and Longings; Medieval Women Mystics, Shambhala Publications, 1996. Heloise was an exceptional women who was educated beyond virtually all but a select few. She read and wrote in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. This is rare in today’s world and all but unheard of in her day. [...]