58 Items Tagged

Plague

Accusations around sex and race have caused controversy and change at a major LARP community.

Racism and Sexism Claims Shake a Modern Fantasy Village

In North America's largest medieval-style town, it’s not just architecture that needs some 21st-century renovation.

Ellery Weil November 13, 2024

Each air bubble says so much about life and death on Earth.

Gas Trapped in Antarctic Ice Recorded the Mass Death of 56 Million People

Plagues, war, and genocide were literally frozen in time.

Meg St-Esprit March 14, 2024

Vrykolakonisia (Vampire Islands)

The alleged vampires after which these islets are named may have actually been plague victims.

Romano di Lombardia, Italy

Church of San Rocco

Hundreds of plague victims were buried beneath this small, rural church.

Oratorio dei Morti

At the entrance of this chapel is a fresco commemorating the dead from the plague outbreak of 1630.

This 1833 painting by Alexandre Hesse in the Louvre in Paris depicts the funeral rites of the painter Titian after his death from plague.

Venice Is Almost One Big Plague Graveyard

A city built on water was always going to struggle with burials—especially when a deadly pandemic came to town.

Vittoria Traverso October 27, 2022

London, England

Spitalfields Charnel House

Preserved behind glass, the ruins of a medieval building used to store human remains.

East Port, Cowgate Dundee

Dundee, Scotland

Wishart Arch

Atop this arch, during the 16th-century, a sermon was given to those suffering from plague.

The mural of l'église Saint-Orien de Meslay-le-Grenet.

Meslay-le-Grenet, France

The Danse Macabre of L'église Saint-Orien de Meslay-le-Grenet

A haunting medieval mural of the Danse Macabre graces the walls of this church.

The graffiti of the <em>bastazi</em> includes recounting of historic events.

A Secret History of Venice Is Written on the Walls of Its Quarantine Stations

A look inside the Mediterranean trading power, courtesy of its hard-working 16th-century porters.

Federico Formica September 21, 2021

Podcast: Martian Meteorites and Greek Columns With the AO Places Team

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team September 21, 2021

Ritual of Periarosis Column

Ritual of Periarosis Column

According to legend, this ancient column contains healing properties.

Pilgrims traveled a long way to seek protection.

Medieval Pilgrims Apparently Tried to Ward Off the Plague With Bawdy Badges

Metal phalluses and vulvas were thought to protect against disease.

Olivia Campbell January 29, 2021

The Odiham pest house.

Odiham, England

Odiham Pest House

A rare survivor from the age of plagues.

These woodcuts are from the <em>Decameron</em>, a collection of novellas in which young people fleeing plague-ridden Florence tell stories that often provide accounts of life during the pandemic.

In 14th-Century Florence, Some Residents Socially Distanced While Others Hit the Bars

A contemporary debate would feel familiar to Europeans alive when the Bubonic plague arrived.

Rachel Ashcroft August 19, 2020

Hob Moor and Plague Stones

Hob Moor and Plague Stones

When the plague struck York, this stone was used to leave supplies for the sick.

Babae’s wine window was the first of Florence's put into use—even before the pandemic.

The Coronavirus Is Bringing Back Florence's Wine Windows

This isn't the first time they've come in handy during a pandemic.

Matthew Taub August 11, 2020

Ever a dutiful student, Isaac Newton took notes to learn about the plague.

Sold: Isaac Newton’s Notes About the Bubonic Plague

His scribbles—which mention the curative power of toad vomit—sold for $81,000.

Jessica Leigh Hester June 15, 2020