Buzz
The European Middle Ages spanned a thousand years, approximately from AD 500 to AD 1500. This era was full of remarkable events, though textbooks sometimes fall short of bringing the past to life in the same way that tangible artifacts do.
Certain objects reveal that some things remain unchanged—people still cheated in games, carried lethal weapons, and had a love for cheese. Medieval relics also captured the oddities of the time, like the three-person toilet and the nun who escaped her convent by pretending to die.
10. The Medieval Peasant's Diet
When it comes to medieval cuisine, the diets of the English elite are well-documented. However, the food of the peasantry was so poorly chronicled that researchers were uncertain about what they ate. Pottages and stews were likely staples, but there was no direct evidence to confirm this.
In 2019, 73 cooking pots underwent chemical testing for food residues. The 500-year-old vessels were discovered in a medieval village named West Cotton. Fat was found in many of the jars, verifying that ceramics played a crucial role in medieval kitchens and that peasants likely relied on stews and pottages as a dietary foundation.
The analysis revealed ingredients such as mutton and beef. There were also remnants of leafy vegetables like cabbage and leek. The meat-and-cabbage stew was a notable find—nothing of the sort had been discovered in elite kitchens.
The biggest shock was the absence of fish, yet the pots revealed the villagers' fondness for dairy. Nearly a quarter of the pots had been used for milk-based products. When this information was combined with animal remains found at West Cotton, scientists were able to piece together a “cookbook” detailing meals, butchery methods, preparation techniques, and the disposal of waste.
9. The Aberdeenshire Game Board
The oldest known Scottish manuscript is thought to be the Book of Deer. Penned by monks in the 10th century, this illuminated manuscript contains Scotland’s earliest Gaelic text. Archaeologists have been searching for the authors' monastery since 2008. The monastery, aptly named the Monastery of Deer, was located somewhere in Aberdeenshire.
In 2018, a team uncovered a gaming board while excavating newly discovered ruins. The object itself was rare, crafted from stone and shaped like a disk. Its motifs suggested it was used for playing various games that were popular in medieval Ireland and Scandinavia.
What particularly thrilled archaeologists were the layers discovered beneath the artifact. These layers were dated to the 7th and 8th centuries, aligning with the age of pieces of charcoal found at the site. This confirmed that some of the ruins were occupied—and used for playing games—during that period.
8. The Disappearing Nun
Recently, historians pored over the Registers of the Archbishops of York. These volumes documented the actions of archbishops from 1304 to 1405. A new initiative to digitize the registers led researchers to stumble upon an intriguing letter.
Dated 1318, the letter was penned by Archbishop William Melton, who shared a “scandalous rumor” he had been told. The rumor claimed that a nun named Joan had escaped her convent, even going so far as to fake her own death. She reportedly created a body double to stand in for her at a funeral.
Given that people were buried in shrouds during this time, Joan may have stuffed a shroud and shaped it to resemble a corpse. The reason for her escape was cited as “carnal lust,” which could have meant anything from a desire to experience the outside world to a wish to marry.
The letter was addressed to the Dean of Beverley, who was stationed in Yorkshire, about 64 kilometers (40 miles) from York. The dean was tasked with finding the runaway nun and returning her to her convent in York. So far, there's no indication of whether Joan successfully evaded the dean.
7. The Sword from the Sewer
In early 2019, engineers and construction workers were busy laying pipes in Aalborg, Denmark. However, instead of pipes, they uncovered a double-edged sword. The weapon, measuring 1.1 meters (3.6 feet), was handed over to archaeologists for examination.
The findings were exciting. Not only was the sword discovered in an unexpected location, but it was also likely the property of an elite soldier. In the 1300s, only the wealthy nobility could afford such costly, high-quality weapons.
The unusual location of its discovery had no relation to the sewer itself. The sword was found on some of Aalborg’s oldest pavements. Still sharp and lethal, the weapon bore signs of at least three battles, indicating that it had likely been forged centuries before it ended up on the street.
Its exact age remains a topic of debate—though it is certain that it belonged to an elite warrior in the 1300s. Aalborg was often the target of invading forces, and the sword was likely lost during an attack or defense of the city.
6. The Dice of Bergen
In 2018, archaeologists were digging in Bergen, Norway, when they unearthed a wooden cube near an ancient street in the Vagsbunnen district. The cube had dots on each side, quickly identifying it as a die (or dice).
Bergen had already yielded over 30 medieval dice, so the find was not initially surprising. However, as the researchers examined it further, they realized this die was unusual. At 600 years old, the artifact was missing the sides for 1 and 2. Instead, it had additional 4 and 5 sides, making it a truly one-of-a-kind discovery.
This area once hosted a variety of pubs and inns, where patrons likely enjoyed their share of gambling. In a game of chance, the presence of this die would have given its owner a distinct edge. Alternatively, it might have been used in a game that never involved the numbers 1 and 2. Nevertheless, archaeologists are nearly certain that the die was intentionally crafted for cheating purposes.
5. The Lewis Warder
In 1831, four medieval chess sets were uncovered on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. Carved from walrus tusk, the collection came to be known as the “Lewis hoard.” The intricate clothing and poses of the tiny figures provided valuable insights into medieval life, but there was something else that would have excited researchers even more.
The chess sets were incomplete, with five pieces still missing. In 1964, an antique dealer bought a small statue. The dealer described the acquisition as an “antique walrus tusk warrior chessman,” though they should have recognized it. The piece was passed down through an Edinburgh family for 55 years, before being taken to the auction house Sotheby’s for evaluation.
The piece was confirmed to be one of the missing Lewis artifacts. It was a warder, which corresponds to the rook or castle in modern chess. The figure had a frown, a sword in hand, and, curiously, appeared darker than the other pieces from the Lewis set. Remarkably, the antique dealer had purchased it for just £5, while its true value is nearly £1 million ($1.3 million).
4. The Three-Person Toilet
While toilets may not seem like rare items, a 12th-century example definitely stands out. Around 900 years ago, someone used an axe to carve three holes into a large oak plank. This three-person toilet was then positioned over a cesspit near the Thames. At the time, it was placed behind—and likely served—a building on what is now Ludgate Hill.
Researchers managed to identify some of the individuals who lived and worked in the building, which housed both residences and businesses. Among those identified were Cassandra de Flete and her husband, John, a capmaker.
The building where the toilet was found was called Helle when it was still in use. In the 1980s, some brave scientists decided to give the seat a try. While they found the axe-cut holes surprisingly comfortable, the lack of personal space was an issue. With the holes so close together, three people would have had to sit shoulder to shoulder.
3. The Royal Marriage Bed
Nearly ten years ago, an antique dealer purchased a bed online. Ian Coulson from England was drawn to the catalog description of a “profusely carved Victorian four-poster bed with armorial shields.” But when Coulson brought the bed home, he quickly realized the description was not accurate. Fortunately, he wasn't scammed.
It turned out that the dealer had unknowingly acquired one of the most significant pieces of furniture in England's history. Even more remarkably, the “armorial shields” were actually the English royal coat of arms.
Together with Coulson, many experts assert that the bed is not Victorian at all. The wood was shaped with hand tools, indicating it was crafted in a medieval workshop, not the industrialized factories of the Victorian period. Additionally, the bed displayed traces of ultramarine pigment, a luxury item more valuable than gold in the medieval era. This confirmed the bed was owned by a wealthy couple in the 15th century.
The carvings on the bed included the roses of both the houses of York and Lancashire, suggesting it belonged to King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The bed was likely commissioned before their marriage, but it disappeared during the English Civil War, when parliamentarians destroyed all royal furnishings.
2. The Traveling Book Coffer
Today, avid readers can carry entire libraries on their phones. In medieval times, however, readers didn’t have access to digital files. Instead, travelers would use a book coffer to carry their books. Only about 100 of these rare items still exist today.
In 2019, Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries acquired a book coffer from a private seller. This particular case came from France and was crafted from wood and leather in the 1400s. It also featured metal clasps and hand straps designed for carrying.
This book coffer was especially valuable for two reasons. First, most remaining book coffers date back to the 1500s, making this one of the oldest known examples. The most exciting discovery was a woodcut attached to the inside of the lid, titled “God the Father in Majesty.” It was a draft originating from a liturgical book in Paris.
The Bodleian Library suspects that the print was used as a form of spiritual protection for the coffer's contents. The woodcut itself was incredibly rare. Not only was it found in its original context, dating back to Europe’s early attempts at printing, but only four examples of this type are known to exist.
1. The Lost Govan Stones
Between the 10th and 11th centuries, gravestones were intricately carved in the Kingdom of Strathclyde, one of the many powers vying for control over the British Isles before the establishment of Scotland as we know it.
The gravestones were grand and ornately decorated. In the 19th century, 46 of them were discovered in Glasgow and became collectively known as the Govan Stones. Eventually, 31 of them were relocated to the Govan Old Parish Church, including a carved stone sarcophagus believed to have contained the remains of a saint-king named Constantine.
The remaining stones were displayed against a churchyard wall for many years but disappeared when a nearby shipyard was torn down. Historians feared the precious stones were lost forever for over four decades.
In 2019, an archaeological excavation brought together experts and volunteers to search for the missing gravestones. A 14-year-old schoolboy made a breakthrough when he discovered one of the Govan Stones while digging near Govan Parish Church. This discovery led to a more thorough search, uncovering two more stones. This offers some hope that more of the lost sculptures may eventually be recovered.
