Tenture de la Dame à la Licorne / Le Toucher / 1484-1538
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Rebecca Horn / Unicorn / 1970
Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk, England
The priory is thought to have been founded in 1089 by William de Warenne the son the 1st Earl of Surrey who had founded England’s first Cluniac priory at Lewes in 1077. Originally the priory was sited within the walls of Castle Acre Castle, but this proved too small and inconvenient for the monks, hence the priory was relocated to the present site in the castle grounds about one year later. It was the home of the first Cluniac order of monks to England and the Cluniac love of decoration is everywhere reflected in the extensive ruins.
More on Castle Acre Priory…
Stunning medieval murals survive under twenty paint layers
The BBC reported today about an amazing find in a local church in Llancarfan, Wales. A thin red line was discovered some time ago and upon further investigation expert discovered numerous 15th-century wall paintings behind the 20 layers of lime wash that were added over the past five centuries. They have been restored over the past months and can now be enjoyed by everybody. It’s fascinating how these medieval paintings lay dormant - were able to survive, really - behind layers and layers of paint.
Read more about it here - including a short film. Here are many more examples. Both references via @ETreharne. My pic source here.
Loughcrew/Sliabh na Caillaigh is group of neolithic passage tombs like Newgrange. Theyre older and more technologically advanced than the pyramids at Giza and the non representational art on the tombs doesnt occur again in europe until the 19th century.
Loughcrew is different to newgrange. Loughcrew is aligned to the equinoxes rather than the solstices so for the week of the equinox sunlight travels into the heart of the passage tomb and lights up a chamber thats been dark except for those times for more than 5000 years
Loughcrew is also older than newgrange and might be the product of a different tribe of the same ethnic group. While Loughcrew faces sliabh Gullion mountain in Armagh in Ulster, Newgrange faces the Wicklow mountains in Leinster and is decorated with quartz quarried there.
Loughcrew was in use much longer than newgrange. It was occupied in the Iron Age and might have been both a slaughter site and site for workshops. There have been la tene decorated tools made from iron and bone found there that people cant figure out a use for.
Today its the home of the cultic cailleach, an expression of the feminine divine in Irish cultures that may have roots in polytheism. She shapes the landscape, The shape shifts, is ancient, supernaturally strong and fertile and a source of knowlege. Shes even immanent in grain harvests.
Everything enigmatic and man made in the landscape is built by her. Theres a story that the Cailleach was building a round tower until a little boy looking up at her shouted haha I can see your bum. Then she dropped to the ground giving out to the kid that she wouldve built it to the sky if he hadnt been so cheeky.
http://aclockworkireland.blogspot.ie/
So, as a budding medieval historian, I’ve taken a special interests in two areas. Scotland, and archery. In regards to archery, I usually am a little annoyed at how anachronistic and just ignorant (not in a negative way, just truthful) people’s views of medieval archers…
Amazing Ancient Ruins of the Pueblo People
Ancient Pueblo people were an ancient Native American culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the United States, comprising southern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado. Archaeologists still debate when this distinct culture emerged but the current consensus is around 12th century BC.
They lived in a range of structures, including pit houses, pueblos, and cliff dwellings designed so that they could lift entry ladders during enemy attacks, which provided security. The pictures above feature some of the amazing pueblos and cliff dwellings of these people. The most photographed ruin is the “House on Fire” (picture 1). This ruin, when captured at certain times of the day, resembles a dwelling on fire and is a favorite among photographers.
- “House on Fire” ruin in Mule Canyon, South Fork, Utah
- Petroglyph with the prehistoric symbol, flute player Kokopelli
- Multistory dwellings at Bandelier. Rock wall foundations and beam holes and “cavates” carved into volcanic tuff remain from upper floors
- Laguna Pueblo dwellers posing for a picture
- Doorways, Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
- Casa Rinconada, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
- Ancestral Pueblo ruins in Dark Canyon Wilderness, Utah
- Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park
I definitely recommend going here. It’s so incredibly beautiful.
(Source: Wikipedia)
The Weeping Angels aren’t half as creepy as The Screaming Mummies. #CrackedClassic
Ughhhhh so FASCINATING GIMME MORE.
Did you know Egyptian mummies have cocaine in their hair, skin, and bones?
not exactly medieval, but whatevs
Dryhope Tower was a peel tower or a watchtower along the borders of Scotland and England. It defended the north-eastern end of St Mary’s Loch. The site itself was protected on two sides, to the east by the Dryhope Burn and to the west by the Kirkstead Burn.
Dryhope has all the appearance of a 16th century tower. In 1592 an order was made for its destruction but was rebuilt later.
The castle belonged to the Scotts of Dryhope, and a daughter of the House, Mary Scott was known as the “Flower of Yarrow” and was also an ancestor of Sir Walter Scott. Mary was given in marriage to Wat Scott of Kirkhope, a notorious Border Reiver.
There is a panel at the castle that is carved with the date 1613 cut below two sets of initials, P.S. and M.S. for Philip and Mary Scott, parents of the ‘Flower of Yarrow’.
Dryhope Tower is in the valley of the Yarrow Water, in the historic county of Selkirkshire, now part of the Scottish Borders.
Witch Bottle. Found in a house in March, Cambridgeshire, England. Now in the March town Museum.
These are common in England in the 16th and 17th Century, especially in East Anglia where this one was found. They were countermagical objects intended to see off spells by Witches and other magical attacks. Usually buried under the floor, often near a fireplace, or sometimes plastered into a wall.
They would often be filled with a liquid (often urine) and pins and needles. A spirit would be drawn into the bottle and drown in the liquid or become impaled on the nails and pins.
Photo taken by myself in March Museum.
The mosaic inside the Lescar Cathedral, which dates back to when the cathedral was originally built (12th century).
Yes that is a Moor with a prosthetic leg.
Lescar Cathedral (12th century)
Lescar, France
Today I got to visit Lescar, an ancient town in the Aquitane region of France. I’m uploading a few pictures, mainly of the cathedral which is gorgeous.
The remains of what it is thought could be a member of early Pictish royalty have been discovered during an archaeological dig in Aberdeenshire.
The discovery at Rhynie was made by teams from the universities of Aberdeen and Chester.
The remains were found in a carefully made sandstone…
