Demons and exorcism have been topics of discussion across many cultures and times. In Christianity’s first four centuries, exorcism became associated with marginalized or vulnerable people, providing many implications for cultural and political thinking. In this video, Dr. Jonathan Henry explains what people of the past thought about demons, the steps they took for managing problems attributed to demons, and most crucially, what all of this can tell us about people themselves. This knowledge offers a window for understanding human nature and the practical impact of abstract beliefs. 

The Life of Thecla is the first English translation, with introduction and notes, of a fifth-century writing of a popular second-century noncanonical text (the Acts of Thecla), which tells the story of a young woman who leaves behind her life and family, and risks martyrdom twice, to follow the ascetic message of the apostle Paul. The Life gives readers insight into how this popular story was reimagined centuries later, at the lively shrine to St. Thecla. Gospel Thrillers explores conspiratorial fantasies about the Bible in U.S. cultures through dozens of modern novels that invent fantastic new gospel discoveries that plunge protagonists (and readers) into a world of danger and intrigue.

A gynocentric podcast on the ancient world, Women Who Went Before shares quality scholarship on ancient women in a creative and accessible form. Organized in thematic seasons, each episode interviews one scholar about their work. Hosts Rebekah Haigh and Emily Chesley introduce the topic to listeners, frame an array of primary and secondary sources, and draw creative connections to modern concerns in episode introductions and conclusions. The majority of each episode presents the conversation with the guest expert. 

This video introduces a rebellion against the abbess of Sainte-Croix, Poitiers, Frankia in 590 described by Gregory of Tours. Factions of nuns debated who has the right to lead: women born to elite families or anyone from the community. Rebels protested mismanagement and corruption, and took violent action to draw attention to their grievances.

This video focuses on how medieval Christians use mythical animals to tell their stories. It discusses how people of the Medieval world related to animals and why they would use beasts for symbolism. Beasts were used to represent the battle of good vs evil, as guides, and  allegorically. 
 

Kalila and Dimna is a book containing a collection of fables, translated into Arabic during the Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century. The fables contain many animals as main characters as the stories explore various subjects, lessons, and morals. This video delves into specific fables, analyzing portrayals of good and bad rulers to understand medieval conceptions of effective leadership.

The Kammavācā is a highly ornamental book, made from cloth, clay, gold, and pigments and lacquered to a high shine. The one examined here is used in the Buddhist ordination ceremony for new monks entering the monastery within the Theravāda tradition in Myanmar. These two videos are part of the digital exhibit, "Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads."

This video examines the production and use of Qur’ans of the Swahili Coast, and an Ethiopian Qur’an from Harar. Long overlooked as peripheral to African manuscript culture, Islamic manuscript production of eastern Africa demonstrates deep transnational connections to trade and religious networks across the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Europe, and other regions of Africa." 

This video explores the beautiful "Blue Qur'an," one of the most recognizable examples of this sacred text. This video is part of the digital exhibit, "Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads."

In this video, Princeton Curator of Numismatics Alan Stahl introduces a new and growing collection of coins from the medieval African kingdom of Axum, in the area that is now Ethiopia.

This video is a discussion of item 27 in Islamic Manuscripts, Garrett Additional Box no. 20 at the Princeton University Library. This document of sale was written in 980 CE on behalf of the Coptic Christian Yuhānnis ibn Suqayna and his wife Maria, residents of the small town in the Fayyum called Buljusuq. They were buying a house from Maria’s father, Ibn al-Ḥillī. The document was registered by the notary Shuʿayb ibn Zakariyā and witnessed by several Muslims, including Muḥammad ibn Ḥisān ibn Dāwud who made a noticeable typo while writing his testimony. 

Skjærvø, Prods Oktor. The Spirit of Zoroastrianism. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2011.

The Multimedia Yasna: https://muya-film.soas.hasdai.org/yasna/

Boyce, Mary. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs…

This collaborative website is devoted to epics from across the globe, including epic narratives in theatrical dramatizations, puppetry arts, music, visual art, and film. It aims likewise to showcase websites and teaching resources developed by colleagues featuring both oral and literary epics, from the ancient world to today.

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View a page of general information, useful tools, and further resources that are useful for studying the New Testament from the vantage point of late antique and medieval history. 

View a collection of digitized manuscripts found in Leiden University Libraries Digital Collections. 

Listen to a weekly podcast show featuring interviews with some of the world’s top medieval scholars and public historians in a friendly, informal format.

View lectures by leading Syriac scholars contextualizing the important Syriac theologian and church leader Jacob of Serugh. 

Access a resource that catalogues the people, places, and practices of the Medieval Middle East.

Access a reference sheet for understanding common symbols found in early medieval Latin manuscripts. 

Access publications in the field of medieval manuscript studies.