Monthly Archives: June 2016

Medieval Pet Names

La Somme le Roy, France ca. 1290-1300.
La Somme le Roy, France ca. 1290-1300.

People in the Middle Ages did keep pets – dogs, cats, birds, monkeys and many other kinds of animals. Although they often had particular duties – i.e. hunting or catching rats – there are many accounts that showed affection and love between these pets and their owners. Scattered in various texts and remains from the Middle Ages, and the research by Kathleen Walker-Meikle has uncovered several examples of medieval pet names: Continue reading Medieval Pet Names

The 1,300 year-old mummy and her intimate tattoo

Hospital scans help British Museum discover the secrets Egyptians took to their grave, including one woman’s intimate tattoo

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Wrapped in bandages and caricatured as figures of terror in Hollywood movies, Egypt’s mummies have long captivated and bewildered scientists and children alike.

Now an exhibition at the British Museum has disclosed the human side of the mummies of the Nile. Continue reading The 1,300 year-old mummy and her intimate tattoo