Category Archives: History of Medicine

Making Scents of the Past

Posted on April 7, 2022 by briansandberg

The history of perfumes, fragrances, food, and medicines in the early modern period are closely intertwined. Early modern Europeans crafted “recipes” by experimenting with different ingredients from plants, animals, minerals, and other sources. The DURARE research team questions: “Is it … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Studies, Food and Cuisine History, History of Medicine, History of Science, Manuscript Studies, Material Culture, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Seeing Race Before Race Fellowship

Posted on February 7, 2022 by briansandberg

Premodern critical race studies is a rapidly expanding field within premodern studies. Many historians of the Medieval and Early Modern World are investigating the histories and languages of race and racism in premodern contexts. The Center for Renaissance Studies is … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Globalization, Grants and Fellowships, History of Medicine, History of Race and Racism, History of Science, History of the Book, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Medieval History, Rare Books and Pamphlets, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, World History | Leave a comment

CRS Graduate Student Conference

Posted on January 27, 2022 by briansandberg

The Newberry Library’s Center for Renaissance Studies is hosting its Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference online via Zoom, beginning today. Graduate students in Renaissance studies and pre-modern History at Northern Illinois University are encouraged to participate. Here is the announcement from … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Conferences, Court Studies, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, Graduate Work in History, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Book, History of the Western World, Intellectual History, Italian History, Reformation History, Religious History, Renaissance Art and History, Warfare in the Early Modern World, Women and Gender History, World History | Leave a comment

History of Sleep in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Posted on January 11, 2022 by briansandberg

Nothing could seem more “natural” than our rhythms of sleep, yet there is a history of sleep. Historians have recognized various changes in sleeping patterns in the modern industrialized and post-industrial world, which have also been studied by scientists. Over … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, Environmental History, European History, Globalization, History in the Media, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Western World, Italian History, Medieval History, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, Social History, World History | Leave a comment

Multiracial Ships and Maritime History

Posted on June 28, 2021 by briansandberg

Maritime historians have recognized that premodern ships represented diverse onboard communities, composed of multicultural—and often multiracial—crews. The social spaces of ships brought together officers, navigators, sailors, soldiers, artisans, and slaves recruited or coerced from very different population groups. But, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantic World, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History in the Media, History of Medicine, History of Race and Racism, History of Science, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Maritime History, Museums and Historical Memory, Renaissance Art and History, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Renaissance Fairs and Pandemics

Posted on June 28, 2021 by briansandberg

En garde ! Renaissance fairs are reopening across the United States this summer, bringing the clanging of arms and armor back to an enthusiastic public. These festivals celebrate late medieval and Renaissance culture through costume displays and historical re-enactments—including jousts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Historical Re-enactment, History in the Media, History of Medicine, Mediterranean World, Renaissance Art and History, Social History | Leave a comment

Medieval Architecture, Early Modern Music, and Covid Vaccinations

Posted on January 26, 2021 by briansandberg

Salisbury Cathedral is currently serving as a Covid-19 vaccination site in the United Kingdom. The soaring medieval architecture provides a vast, airy space for health care providers and British citizens getting vaccinated. According to The New York Times, “patients have … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Cultural History, European History, History of Medicine, History of the Western World, Medieval History, Music History, Religious History | Leave a comment

Islamic Art History Resource

Posted on October 25, 2020 by briansandberg

A new online resource for Islamic art history has just been launched online. Northern Illinois University students in my HIST 110 History of the Western World I course are studying the expansion of Islam at this point in the semester … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Court Studies, Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Globalization, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Book, Maritime History, Material Culture, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Religious History, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

New Research on Vikings

Posted on September 21, 2020 by briansandberg

DNA studies are revealing new information on complicated ethnic backgrounds of Viking warriors and traders in medieval Europe. A research team led by a professor at the University of Copenhagen has analyzed the genomes of 443 bodies buried in Viking … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, European History, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Maritime History, Material Culture, Medieval History, Museums and Historical Memory, War and Society, War, Culture, and Society, World History | Leave a comment

Saint Sebastian and the Arrows of the Plague

Posted on September 10, 2020 by briansandberg

The Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry Library has published a new episode of its series on Learning from Premodern Plagues on “Saint Sebastian and the Arrows of the Plague.” Students in my courses on HIST 110 History of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History of Medicine, History of Science, Lectures and Seminars, Religious History, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment