ENGL 2890: Storytelling and Oral Tradition (Tracy)

Collection of manuscripts, books and visual resources. Select a date range of interest, then use limiters to focus search on a specific geography, date range, topic or type of resource.

"Epistolæ is a collection of letters to and from women in the Middle Ages, from the 4th to the 13th century. The letters, written in Latin, are linked to the names of the women involved, with English translations and, where available, biographical sketches of the women and some description of the subject matter or the historic context of the letter."

Primary (and secondary) sources on medieval and renaissance military history. Includes the Crusades, Hundred Years' War, Anglo-Norman Warfare, and the Vikings and Norse. [Note: temporarily unavailable March 2012, but links to an archived site]

The goal of this project is to create a collaborative database on the published sources of English medieval legal documents, and to provide links to the growing number of online sources currently being developed.

Subset of the larger EuroDocs site, focusing on the medieval period.

Selected Transcriptions, Facsimiles and Translations for European countries.

On this site historical sources on the history of human societies in the continent of Africa are presented, when available, without making prejudgements about what is "African".

This resource outlines a number of primary source materials that help researchers deduce the wealth of the Kingdom of Mali. Use this resource to help you think outside the box for gathering primary source information on West Africa during the time of Sundiata.

This page is a subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks listed below, along with added texts and web site indicators. For more contextual information, for instance about Western imperialism, or the history of a given period, check out these web sites.

A digital collection of Islamic manuscripts, published texts, and maps from across Harvard's libraries and museums.

Learn about Islamic medicine and science during the Middle Ages and the important role it played in the history of Europe. This site, with its biographies, colorful images, and extensive historical accounts of medieval medicine and science is designed for students and everyone interested in the history of Islamic and European culture. For advanced scholars, the site provides a catalogue raisonné (including images) from the 300 or so Persian and Arabic manuscripts in the National Library of Medicine. Most of these manuscripts deal with medieval medicine and science and were written for learned physicians and scientists. Some of the manuscripts are richly illuminated and illustrated.

China in 1000 CE The Most Advanced Society in the World

The Heiji scrolls date from the thirteenth century and represent a masterpiece of "Yamato" style painting. They can be documented as being treasured artifacts in the fifteenth century, when nobles mention viewing them, but they now only survive in fragmentary form. The scene appearing here, entitled "A Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace" is the property of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and provides a rare and valuable depiction of Japanese armor as it was worn during the early Kamakura era (1185-1333). By contrast, most surviving picture scrolls showing warriors date from the fourteenth century and show later styles of armor.

History of Iceland: Primary documents including Settlement (874–930), Commonwealth (930–1262), Norwegian and Danish Kings (1262–1944), Texts and Saga Databases, Maps, Newspapers, and Archival Collections.

All Icelandic sagas in the public domain. Choose the British flag or scroll down to find the English translations.

This virtual museum tells a regional story of Viking culture with artefacts and designs from the Viking Age in the East Midlands, and information about local place-names which were given at the time in the Scandinavian language of the Vikings.

Resources Related to American Indians at the National Archives

Native American religion, mythology and folklore are covered extensively at this site: Aztecs, Californian, Inuit, Maya, Plains, Northeastern Iroquois, Northwestern, Southeastern Cherokee, Southwestern Navajo, Zuñi, Hopi, South American, Inca.

The Duke Collection of American Indian Oral History online provides access to typescripts of interviews (1967 -1972) conducted with hundreds of Indians in Oklahoma regarding the histories and cultures of their respective nations and tribes. Related are accounts of Indian ceremonies, customs, social conditions, philosophies, and standards of living.

Online archive of primary sources on the Maya and other ancient cultures of the early Americas.

Fordham University's collection of sources on Colonial Latin America.

Sacred Texts archive on the Maya.