̽»¨Ö±²¥"empericum that never fails" in the margin of the Compendium of Gilbertus Anglicus. ̽»¨Ö±²¥instructions are for making and applying an amulet for conception.

Remedies for infertility: how performative rituals entered early medical literature

24 January 2016

A study of one of the most important medieval texts devoted to women’s medicine has opened a window into the many rituals associated with conception and childbirth. Research into the shifting communication of knowledge contributes to a wider project looking at the history of reproduction from ‘magical’ practices right through to IVF.

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Derge iron water bottle.

Where to find a dragon in Cambridge

24 June 2015

°Õ³ó±ðÌýCambridge Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, D is for Dragon. Watch out for fire-breathers among the treasures of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, in Anglo-Saxon proverbs, and in fantasy literature from medieval Scandinavia to the present day.

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 ̽»¨Ö±²¥ghostly faces under UV light

Ghosts from the past brought back to life

01 April 2015

One of the UK’s most important medieval manuscripts is revealing ghosts from the past after new research and imaging work discovered eerie faces and lines of verse which had previously been erased from history.

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Ireland’s Troy?

23 April 2014

As Ireland marks the millennium of the Battle of Clontarf – portrayed as a heroic encounter between Irish and Vikings which defined the nation’s identity - new research argues that our main source for what happened may be more literary history than historical fact.

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Scene depicting a husband and wife accusing each other before a quadi (judge) from Les Makamat de Hariri (1054-1122). .

Encounters in medieval matrimony

17 May 2012

Scholars from five different institutions, and both Christian and Muslim backgrounds, will gather in Cambridge tomorrow to look at medieval Islamic marriage and how it was viewed by contemporary Christian travellers and polemicists.

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