Archaeologists unearthed shards of pottery, wine jugs, floor tiles and traces of crops, among other artifacts.

Cool Finds

Sourdough Bread Oven, ‘Air Freshener’ Found at Medieval Irish Monastery

During the 13th century, French monks created a Cistercian community at Beamore in County Meath

Towers of the Stadtkirsche rise above Wittenberg, Germany. Much of the church was demolished and replaced in 1522, but the “Judensau” has remained despite controversy.

Germany May Have Banished Nazism, but Its Medieval Anti-Semitism Is Still in Plain Sight

In the city where Martin Luther revolutionized Christianity, a vile, 700-year-old sculpture openly denigrates Jews. Why is it still there?

The Knights Templar constructed the Saint Stanislaus chapel in the Polish village of Chwarszczany during the 13th century.

Cool Finds

Crypts, Tunnel Discovered Beneath Knights Templar Chapel in Poland

Last fall, an archaeological investigation revealed tantalizing structures hidden below the 13th-century building

Fragment of a 1,400-year-old chalice found near Hadrian's Wall in northern England

Cool Finds

Britain’s Oldest Example of Christian Graffiti Found Near Hadrian’s Wall

Researchers at Vindolanda unearthed a 1,400-year-old lead chalice covered in religious symbols

El Greco, The Assumption of the Virgin, 1577–79

A History of El Greco’s Masterful—and Often Litigious—Artistic Career

A 57-work retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago charts the evolution of the 16th-century painter’s distinctive style

On August 18, 2020, flood waters threatened the Leshan Giant Buddha following heavy rains in Leshan in China's southwestern Sichuan province, where thousands of residents have been displaced by rising waters.

Flooding Endangers World’s Largest Buddha Statue

Rising waters in China dampened the toes of the Leshan Giant Buddha for the first time since 1949

Bishop of Hull Alison White blesses a statue of Aslan, a character from C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, at St. Mary’s Church in Beverley, East Yorkshire.

Stone Sculptures of ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ Characters to Adorn Medieval Church

Statues of Aslan, the White Witch and other mythical beings will replace weathered carvings at St. Mary’s Church in Yorkshire

Oxburgh Hall, a moated Tudor manor house in Norfolk, England, is currently undergoing a major renovation project to fix its roof.

Cool Finds

Thousands of Rare Artifacts Discovered Beneath Tudor Manor’s Attic Floorboards

Among the finds are manuscripts possibly used to perform illegal Catholic masses, silk fragments and handwritten music

This month's picks include Caste, Veritas and The Organ Thieves.

Books of the Month

The Forged Gospel of Jesus’s Wife, Hidden Castes and Other New Books to Read

These five August releases may have been lost in the news cycle

Today, the figurative field of battle has become a literal one: Israel's Sharon Plain.

Study Identifies Site Where Crusader King Richard the Lionheart Defeated Saladin

In September 1191, the English monarch’s forces secured victory over the sultan’s army at the Battle of Arsuf

The Ghent Altarpiece's Adoration of the Lamb panel

Cool Finds

New Research on the Ghent Altarpiece Validates Restorers’ Rendering of the Mystic Lamb’s Alarmingly Humanoid Face

The animal’s soul-penetrating gaze was painted over by a second set of artists in 1550 and spent the next five centuries under wraps

This "grain mummy" honors the Egyptian god Osiris.

Cool Finds

CT Scans Reveal Miniature Mummies’ Surprising Contents

One appears to hold the skeleton of a bird, while the other contains a tightly packed lump of grain and mud

A fire at Nantes Cathedral destroyed stained-glass windows and a 17th-century organ.

Arsonist Confesses to Starting Nantes Cathedral Fire

The July 18 blaze, which inflicted less damage than the devastating April 2019 inferno at Notre-Dame, destroyed the French church’s organ, stained glass

Reconstruction of the Sanctuary of Asclepius in Epidauros

Did the Ancient Greeks Design Temples With Accessibility in Mind?

Study suggests ramps found at ancient sites may have been used by people with disabilities, but some scholars remain skeptical

Aerial view of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia

Turkey Controversially Converts Hagia Sophia From Museum Into Mosque

The move has attracted criticism from Unesco, Pope Francis, the Russian Orthodox Church and others

The York Guildhall, which sits on the banks of the River Ouse in northeastern England, is currently undergoing a major renovation.

Renovations at Historic York Guildhall Reveal Human Remains, Roman Artifacts

Ongoing work at the 15th-century municipal building has yielded an array of archaeological finds

This 200-year-old Hindu temple in India was rediscovered by locals after being buried for some 80 years.

Cool Finds

Centuries-Old Hindu Temple Unearthed in India

The 200-year-old structure had been buried by sand for 80 years until local miners rediscovered it

A fisherman happened upon a statue depicting the Virgin Mary and child in a river near Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Cool Finds

Fisherman Finds Suspected Medieval Statue in Spanish Riverbed

Researchers think the religious icon, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, is about 700 years old

This 1484 copy of Tuhfat al-Ahrar was produced during the lifetime of Jāmī, considered Iran's last great mystical poet.

The National Library of Israel Will Digitize 2,500 Rare Islamic Manuscripts

The cultural institution estimates that the process will take three years to complete

The prayer book is written in Latin and French and features 40 miniature illustrations.

A Prayer Book Owned by Mary, Queen of Scots, Is Up for Sale

The ill-fated monarch inscribed the gift from her great-aunt with an affectionate inscription

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