Ask a Medievalist

22/03/2025

Hey, we're back from our hiatus with an episode about weird medieval art that traveled from China to the UK.

Posted on 20250321 by AskAdminEpisode 89: The Three Hares on the Silk Road Synopsis Trade goods weren’t the only things that moved along the Silk Road. Join Em and Jesse as they trace the history of an interesting artistic motif that made it from China all the way to England! Notes 0/ Credit to Hi...

03/01/2025

Happy St. Jesse Day! Patron Saint of Surprising and Uncomfortable Historical Facts!

23/12/2024

Today in 1815, Jane Austen's novel Emma was published for the first time. Also today, a new episode in which Em interviews writer Sebastian Nothwell about writing historical and historical fantasy novels. Then they discuss the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 and its lingering effects in the 1840s.

Posted on 20241222 by AskAdminEpisode 88: The Peasants Are (Still) Revolting Synopsis In a first for Ask a Medievalist, Em sits down with Sebastian Nothwell to discuss his approach to writing historical/historical fantasy novels. In the process, they get into everything from Victorian steam power to...

15/12/2024

Today in 1799, George Washington died.

Also today, we have a new episode on persecution and resistance. From RI Moore to JP Sartre, and from Hrotsvit to Jack Cade! Check it out here: http://askamedievalist.com/2024/12/13/episode-87-resistance-is-not-futile/ or wherever you get your podcasts!

Posted on 20241213 by AskAdminEpisode 87: Resistance Is (Not) Futile Synopsis “Times are tough, but they could be worse” is the eternal message of our show. This time, we’re talking about persecution and rebellion–how certain groups were oppressed for political purposes in medieval (and earl...

27/11/2024

Today in 1968, Penny Ann Early became the first woman to play in a major professional men's basketball game (an ABA game, the Kentucky Colonels playing the LA Stars). She was also one of the first female licensed jockeys in the US. (This makes sense if you know she was the shortest person to play pro basketball--basketball and horse racing having different demands on the physique, generally speaking.)

If you're looking for a good podcast for a long drive, we have an episode on the Ramayana, one of the longest stories in Vedic literature and one of the oldest. Composed before the 6th century BCE, it has been translated into many languages across many times and cultures. Join Em and Dr. Jesse as they discuss the different versions, from Sanskrit to Tamil to Thai to English, and how the culture and priorities of a translator influence the translation.

http://askamedievalist.com/2024/11/26/episode-86-too-many-ramayanas/

This is in honor of Em's new novel, Troth, which you can get here (https://books2read.com/u/mg68Xz), or get all three books on sale here (https://itch.io/s/139217/autumn-sale).

Posted on 2024112620241126 by AskAdminEpisode 86: Too Many Ramayanas Summary The Ramayana is not the oldest story in the world, but it’s definitely in the running. Composed starting in the 700s BCE, it has been carried to all corners of the earth and translated into many languages and cultures, tr...

19/11/2024

Reposting in memory of Wrigley Njus-Kirk, The Best Puppy (May 28, 2009-November 18, 2024) 🐕💔

Posted on 20210326 by AskAdminEpisode 29: D’You Like Dags? Synopsis Dogs have long been reputed to be man’s best friend. But how long is “long”? The answer is close to 10,000 years (at least). Join Em and Jesse as they look back at the intertwined history of humanity and canine-ity, from Ody...

01/11/2024

Today in history, William Shakespeare's play Othello was performed for the first time in 1604. (In 1611, The Tempest was performed for the first time! It was a big day for our boy Bill.)

Also today in history, we have a new podcast about the Bronze Age Collapse! It's actually one of my favorites that we've done. Check it out!

Posted on 20241101 by AskAdminEpisode 85: It’s (not the) End of the World as We Know It Synopsis One time, Em got drunk and started texting Jesse about the bronze age collapse. This is the result. Notes 1/ Em studied abroad in Tianjin, China. It was very educational. I learned that black vinegar i...

22/10/2024

Today in 1962, Kennedy addressed the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis for the first time.

Also today in 2024, we have a new episode about Middle Eastern/North African Trade Routes!

Posted on 20241022 by AskAdminEpisode 84: Trans-Saharan Trade Synopsis We talked about trade moving across Asia and into Europe, but what about trade going North–South? Like the Silk Road, there was a lot of Trans-Saharan trade going back a long time. Goods like salt, ivory, gold, beads, and metal...

20/09/2024

Today in 1982, the first documented emoticons were posted to the Carnegie Mellon University bulletin board system. (For the kids out there, an emoticon is an emoji made with text, like : - ). A bulletin board system is a message board.)

Also today, we have a new episode on the Silk Road! Not just a weird Tor thing, the Silk Road was born sometime before the year zero, lasted until the mid-15th century, and carried goods, animals, and travelers over 4,000 miles across the Eurasian continent. It's hard to think of anything quite as huge and long-lasting, honestly. Check it out on our website or wherever you get your podcasts!

http://askamedievalist.com/2024/09/19/old-silk-road-take-me-home/

31/08/2024

Today in 1984, the space shuttle Discovery took off on her maiden voyage.

Also today in history, we get back to the Mabinogion. Listen to a fun discussion of branches three and four!

16/08/2024

Today in 1057, King Macbeth was defeated at the Battle of Lumphanan (by the forces of Malcolm III, rather than in singles combat by Macduff, sadly). Also today: an episode about the Paris Olympics closing ceremony that asks why does the Nike of Samothrace look so much like the angel of Fra' Angelico, and what's with all these apples in Mediterranean mythology anyway?

Posted on 20240815 by AskAdminEpisode 81: Angel of the Morning Synopsis Did you see a headless (possibly satanic) angel rising from the stage during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, or Winged Victory? Or did you wonder, as we did, how the two happen to be so similar, when angels in the bi...

01/08/2024

Today is Lughnasadh (or it will be in two hours). We're dropping an emergency podcast on the Olympics opening ceremony! Spoiler alert: Dr. Jesse had some thoughts.

Posted on 20240731 by AskAdminEpisode 80: Emergency Olympics Episode Synopsis Last week, the 2024 Summer Olympics started in Paris with an opening ceremony that featured nods to several musicals, a heavy metal band named after Godzilla, a bit of an aria from Carmen, and of course, a tableau of drag....

12/07/2024

Today (July 11th) in history (in 1804), Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr fought a duel that left the former treasury secretary mortally wounded, as immortalized in this 1993 commercial directed by Michael Bay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gkqzxss8Ss

My favorite fact about that is that when he was VP, Dick Cheney had a photo of Aaron Burr in his office.

Also today in history: OUR LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE IS OVER. A new podcast episode appears! Enjoy!

http://askamedievalist.com/2024/07/11/episode-79-branching-out/

The Original "Got Milk" TV Commercial From 1993 Who Shot Alexander Hamilton Radio Phone In Commercial Directed by Michael Bay. Aaron BurrFor more information...

03/05/2024

Today in 1715, there was a total solar eclipse across Northern Europe and Asia. Edmond Halley had predicted it to within four minutes of accuracy.

Also, several years later, Ask a Medievalist co-host Em Lupton was born.

Today we have the first of three episodes on the Mabinogion, a medieval book of Welsh mythology. We recorded these in support of the release of Old Time Religion, which references the first branch.

Posted on 20240503 by AskAdminEpisode 78: Ma-Ma-Ma-Mabinogi Synopsis Paul: Look, it’s a school of whales. Ringo: They look a little bit old for school. Paul: University then. Ringo: University of Wales. (From Yellow Submarine, 1968) Ever wonder what Wales is, on a mythological level? That strange ...

12/04/2024

I have been forgetful and not posted about our latest episode! Today in history, the American Civil War began when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

Also (earlier this week in history), we released a belated episode about Carnival and Lent. https://askamedievalist.com/2024/04/07/episode-77-carnival-and-lent/

Also, if you missed it, Em's book Dionysus in Wisconsin got shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award!

10/03/2024

Scenes from the Podcast Reunion Tour 2024!

In honor of all this, check out our new episode on plumbing and perfume. We talk about irrigation in ancient Chengdu, plumbing in Tenochtitlan, and water management in Machu Picchu. Then we talk about perfume.

http://askamedievalist.com/2024/03/09/episode-76-pipe-dreams/

10/02/2024

Today (Feb 9) in 1964, the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan for the first time. Also today, by the time you read this (Feb 10) is Tet! Chuc mung nam moi, Viet Nam!

ALSO also today, new podcast on toothbrushing and plumbing: http://askamedievalist.com/2024/02/09/episode-75-plumb-as-in-full-of-lead/

And finally, my novels are buy one, get one free on Kobo for the entire month of February in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. So if you are a Kobo user and you have been putting off reading Dionysus in Wisconsin and/or Old Time Religion, wait no longer. https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dionysus-in-wisconsin (There's a link to book 2 from there.)

Also I have paperback copies--DM me if you want one, seventeen dollarydoos (in the US; you definitely don't want me to ship overseas).

Wow, can I squeeze the word "also" into this post one more time?

Posted on 20240209 by AskAdminEpisode 75: Plumb as in Full of Lead Summary After a brief discussion of how people brushed their teeth, we move on to the question of where the water they used came from. And yeah, Rome had aqueducts–but so did a lot of places! And the Romans didn’t even build the ...

15/01/2024

Today, in 1967 in San Francisco, the Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park launched the Summer of Love. Also today, a new episode about cleanliness and bathing. And on Tuesday, Em has a new book out. Wooo hooo we have had a busy winter break, guys! Stay tuned!

Posted on 20240114 by AskAdminEpisode 74: Bath House (in the Middle of the Street) Summary When Em was a kid, she was told that knights in shining armor didn’t bathe, that Elizabeth I had bathed only three times in her life, and various other assertions. But we know that soap is not a modern inven...