Medieval workday and working hours
Understanding the medieval workday We are taught to believe that our current 40 hours workday is much better than the 19th century 80 hour weeks which, acco
Medieval Inn and Tavern
At some point in every medieval fantasy movie or game, the heroes end up to an inn or tavern to rest their bones, fill their bellies with ale, and gorge on ridiculous amounts of food. In this article, I’m going to discuss the history of the medieval inn...
Medieval Gambling Games: Dice & Street Games
Medieval gambling, the favourite pastime There’s no doubt that gambling – on all sorts of games – was in the heart of a great many medieval lives. Even if you weren’t playing yourself, most of the people you knew were. Medieval gambling games,...
Water in the middle ages and the beer controversy
Did medieval people drink beer instead of water? Ok, let’s first get this out of the way. Did they? The answer is no. Water was mostly clean, and readily available. In fact, medieval settlements, like those in antiquity, were usually built close to sources of...
Unusual Medieval Professions
An article about unusual medieval professions, with some hooks and tips for using them in your own stories and writing. Part 1 of a Lost Kingdom Series, great for writers, storytellers, RPG or DnD players.
Status symbols through the ages and their importance in culture
Throughout history, status symbols – often bizarre ones – have cropped up in art, texts, and archaeological finds, and have puzzled people from later cultures. As in nature, humans are driven by biological imperative (as well as personal desire) to show themselves as the best, and to advance their authority and power. Humans have found a wide variety of ways to display their “superiority” within a community, ranging from fancy dressing, to the erection of wondrous structures, to the acquisition of rare commodities. Enter the status symbol.
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