Hacker News with Generative AI: Medieval History

The Lost Towers of the Guelph-Ghibelline Wars (exurbe.com)
Looks fake, doesn’t it? This implausible Medieval forest of towers, as dense as Manhattan skyscrapers, is our best reconstruction of the town of Bologna at its height, toward the end of the Medieval Guelph-Ghibelline wars.

Medieval History, Architecture, Italy, Reconstruction, Wars

117 points by wallflower 34 days ago | 36 comments

Legacy of the Angels (aeon.co)
When medieval scholars sought to understand the nature of angels, they unwittingly laid the foundations of modern physics

Medieval History, Physics, Philosophy, Angels

4 points by benbreen 34 days ago | 0 comments

14th century Spanish Food before tomatoes and chili (theguardian.com)
Forget gazpacho, patatas bravas or the tang of paprika in your chorizo. Such dishes may be considered staples of the Mediterranean diet but a new exhibition celebrating Spain’s oldest surviving cookbook suggests medieval Spanish cuisine was nothing like its modern successor.

Food History, Spain, Medieval History, Culinary History

25 points by 4ndrewl 71 days ago | 1 comments

A tale of demonic possession predicted the decline of an early medieval empire (smithsonianmag.com)
A new book examines the rise and fall of the Carolingian dynasty, discussing how people across social classes understood the momentous history of their day

History, Medieval History, Carolingian Dynasty, Books

52 points by diodorus 136 days ago | 74 comments

Colour in the Middle Ages (medievalists.net)
Every society harbours unique and intriguing perspectives on colours—what they symbolize, which ones are deemed more aesthetically pleasing, and which should be avoided.

Medieval History, Color Theory, Culture

154 points by Pamar 137 days ago | 106 comments

D&D is Anti-Medieval (blogofholding.com)
You can be forgiven for thinking that OD&D is a medieval European fantasy game. After all, Gary Gygax himself says so. He describes the original D&D books as “Rules for Fantastic Medieval War Games” (on the cover) and “rules [for] designing your own fantastic-medieval campaign” (in the introduction). However, in the game itself, there’s precious little to suggest feudalism, Europe, chivalry, a post-imperial dark age, or even the existence of a monarchy at all.

D&D, Fantasy Games, Medieval History, Game Design

306 points by bookofjoe 223 days ago | 404 comments

Reassessing William the Conqueror (2016) (historytoday.com)
In the popular imagination, William the Conqueror is, without doubt, the villain, yet the sources we have for his life are ambivalent.

History, Biography, Reassessment, Medieval History, England

7 points by pepys 224 days ago | 0 comments

Remembering a Medieval Polymath Who Paved the Way for the Renaissance (worldsensorium.com)

History, Renaissance, Medieval History

70 points by dnetesn 256 days ago | 38 comments

Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master: The Medieval Guild (2018) (philosophicalsociety.org)

History, Medieval History, Society, Guilds

111 points by squircle 265 days ago | 67 comments

The medieval 'New England' on the north-eastern Black Sea coast (2015) (caitlingreen.org)

Medieval History, Geography, Black Sea, Archaeology

118 points by Thevet 269 days ago | 21 comments

Giving Life to Æthelstan (historytoday.com)