Essays on Medieval World

Abstract

'Gothic' term represents medieval art that carries a strange history. The style of art developed in Northern France and spread to the rest of Western Europe. Late Gothic art expanded well into the 16th century before getting consumed by the Renaissance art. Gothic period carries splendid examples of sculptures, stained glass, fresco, panel painting, ivories and illuminated manuscripts. The essay offers a perspective on the popularity of Gothic ivories and how they encouraged the devotional practice. The ivory diptychs were used as sophisticated tools and were seen as physical vestiges of the divine. Gothic ivories were the visual cues ...

In Kedar’s sculptural analysis of the early Romanesque corbels, he focused on the small wall reliefs depicting intense human emotions which he claimed that art historians often neglected due to their insignificant roles and monstrous appearance. As a result, their meanings remained secluded from society for many centuries. The corbels jutting from the walls of Romanesque French churches illustrate not only the social caste of marginalized members of the medieval society but also their grotesque and frank style was a silent protest from the neat religious iconography of the church. The visual justification of the author’s argument ...

Abstract

Ranked among the top 7 heritage sites around the world by UNESCO, Stonehenge is one of the most picturesque marvels of the medieval world. Standing isolated in Wiltshire, England, the prehistoric monument has been a destination for well over 800,000 tourists from all over the world every year. With many theories surrounding its construction and purpose, architects and archeologists have put their minds together in trying to come up with a scientifically acceptable explanation of the monument’s coming into being. Today, many questions surround Stonehenge, with hundreds of documentaries giving different accounts, and crediting different people for its construction ...

Abstract

Ranked among the top 7 heritage sites around the world by UNESCO, Stonehenge is one of the most picturesque marvels of the medieval world. Standing isolated in Wiltshire, England, the prehistoric monument has been a destination for well over 800,000 tourists from all over the world every year. With many theories surrounding its construction and purpose, architects and archeologists have put their minds together in trying to come up with a scientifically acceptable explanation of the monument’s coming into being. Today, many questions surround Stonehenge, with hundreds of documentaries giving different accounts, and crediting different people for its construction ...

Moors and Their Contribution to European Culture and Life

The moors were Muslims who occupied parts of Europe in the medieval world. Some of the regions they occupied were the Sicily, Iberian Peninsula and southern Italy. The period experienced mixed reaction of other religions to the well-established Christianity, and the Muslims were not getting well with the Christians. The religious conflict was more intensified in Italy who was mainly Catholics. The conflict ended in 1942 during the fall of Granada when Christians conquer the Muslim, therefore, remaining the most influential religion in Europe.

Education System of the Moors

Before getting to Europe, the Moors travelled the world and gathered valuable knowledge from different ...

There is a natural relationship between men and women. They have their individual roles and position in the society. These roles and positions of men and women are not written in verbatim in any book of law. Instead they are manifested in the culture of the society with various external factors that can be influenced by society’s religion, political, geographical and others. These societal roles are passed on from generation to generation and reflected through literary works. The works of the writers collected from various stories are replica of the actual scenes that happen in the society. The men ...

The Enlightenment is a phase in the history of Europe which is characterized by revolutions in philosophy, society, science and politics. It is also known as the Age of Reason since it is a time when man began to use his reasoning skills to find out more about the world. Enlightenment thinkers opposed superstition, intolerance and some abuses by state and church. The thinkers casted off the fear and superstition of the medieval world. The Enlightenment phase stretched roughly from the seventeenth century over the eighteenth century. The main purpose of enlightenment was to reform society through reason, advance awareness through ...