Hacker News with Generative AI: Medieval History

Dancing Mania (wikipedia.org)
Dancing mania (also known as dancing plague, choreomania, St. John's Dance, tarantism and St. Vitus' Dance) was a social phenomenon that may have had biological causes, which occurred primarily in mainland Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries.

History, Social Phenomena, Medieval History

5 points by the_clarence 29 days ago | 1 comments

The Merovingians: 'Do-Nothing Kings'? (historytoday.com)
The Merovingians have a reputation for long hair and barbarity. Instead, the dynasty, born out of the chaos of civil war, was one of peace, diplomacy, and bureaucracy.

History, European History, Medieval History, France

10 points by Thevet 36 days ago | 2 comments

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 76 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 77 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 114 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 179 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 179 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 265 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 267 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 298 days ago | 38 comments

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

History, Medieval History, Society, Guilds

111 points by squircle 307 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 311 days ago | 21 comments

Giving Life to Æthelstan (historytoday.com)