LUCAS Explains #4: How to break the glass ceiling?

Throughout history, women have been at the forefront of solving crises. Joan of Arc fought the English, Greta Thunberg fights climate change. But what allows some women to raise their voices while others are silenced?

Lieke Smits • April 14, 2020

The Crux of the Matter: The Truths and Fictions of Crucifixions

How did Roman crucifixions work? And did medieval artists depict the Crucifixion accurately? An ancient historian and a medievalist combine forces to shed their light on matters of the cross.

Lieke Smits and Renske Janssen • October 17, 2019

Medieval ASMR?

Physical sensations were and important part of medieval religious experience. Can we compare this tot he sensations of ASMR?

Lieke Smits • December 06, 2018

Dolls for Adults

Dolls as devotional aids, liturgical props and objects of desire: on the various ways medieval adults interacted with dolls and lifelike sculptures.

Lieke Smits • November 23, 2017

Exploring the Game of Thrones Citadel's library: Knowledge repositories in history and fantasy

Knowledge is power, and libraries are its centres of preservation, both in history and in fiction. How closely does the fantastic Game of Thrones' Citadel Library mirror equivalents from history?

Fleur Praal and Andrea Reyes Elizondo • September 07, 2017

No Sex Allowed and Other Downsides to Growing Old in Early Medieval England

What was it like to grow old in the Middle Ages? Were white hairs a guarantee for respect or were they a pitiable token of endured hardship? Did medieval people long to grow old or did they fear their ever-growing tally of years?

Thijs Porck • April 25, 2016

leidenartsinsocietyblog

Medieval Studies

Blogs