Explore 686 Medieval Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Esgos, Spain

Monasterio de San Pedro de Rocas

An abandoned 6th-century monastery features a medieval map of the known world.
Elche, Spain

Arab Baths

Hidden underground, a remarkable 10th-century bath complex survives virtually unaltered.
The Bore Stone
Edinburgh, Scotland

The Bore Stane

This ordinary-looking rock may have played an important role in a 16th-century Scottish battle.
Varallo, Italy

Sacro Monte di Varallo Sesia

A 15th-century park that recreates a bit of the Holy Land in Italy.
In 11th-century England, people used more than half a million eels in rental payments.
medieval

To Pay Rent in Medieval England, Catch Some Eels

The “Surprised Eel Historian” has mapped every eel rent recorded in medieval England.
Leah Hudson May 18, 2023
rare books

Podcast: Voynich Manuscript

A strange medieval document, housed in a stunning modern library.
The Podcast Team May 16, 2023
A view of the 14-century towers.
Saint-Geniez-ô-Merle, France

Towers of Merle

Explore an eerie, abandoned medieval citadel.
Peyrusse le Roc
Peyrusse-le-Roc, France

Peyrusse le Roc

The evocative ruins of a medieval village.
Dating back to the 11th century, San Severino di Centola was abandoned in the 1970s.
abandoned

How to Keep a Medieval Ghost Town Ghostly

Step 1: Buy it. Step 2: Maybe a poetry reading?
Vittoria Traverso May 3, 2023
The Gloucester Cathedral–shaped lamprey pie for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.
medieval

5 of Our Favorite Odd Traditions of English Royalty

From a coronation pie made of lampreys to someone to chat with you in the loo.
April White April 26, 2023
Ljubljana, Slovenia

Gornji trg Preduh Tunnel

In between two buildings in Ljubljana, medieval tunnel to nowhere.
Medieval buildings at Songa Mnara, one of many coastal Swahili ports and settlements that connected East Africa to Arabia, Persia, China, and Southeast Asia.
science

Ancient DNA Restores the Origin Story of the Swahili People

New research complicates both modern and colonial-era ideas about the medieval East African civilization.
Chapurukha Kusimba and David Reich April 24, 2023
Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery
Rostushe, North Macedonia

Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery

St. John the Baptist's forearm is housed in this remote 11th-century monastery.
Port Eynon, Wales

Port Eynon Salt House

The seaside ruins of an ancient salt production facility.
The trove of spices was found in the stern of the ship by Brendan Foley and a team of archaeologists.
science

How Did a Medieval Spice Cabinet Survive 500 Years Underwater?

Exotic saffron, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and more offer a look into how Scandinavian royalty lived.
Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing March 28, 2023
Talaytula written in Arabic in the lower part of the window
Toledo, Spain

The Smallest Window in the World

At least according to the Guinness World Records.
For the Banū Sāsān, a famed group of 12th-century thieves, turtles were useful accomplices.
crime

The Medieval Thieves Who Used Cats, Apes, and Tortoises as Accomplices

The Banū Sāsān were known for turning animals to lives of crime.
Ramsha Zubairi March 3, 2023
Fontaine de la Croix-du-Trahoir.
Paris, France

Fontaine de la Croix-du-Trahoir

Executions were once held near this beautiful 18th-century fountain.