Thank You Absolute History!

Sometimes you want a character to sit in a chair and eat something; seems simple enough, right? But then you think about your very vague time period and start to wonder: chair or stool? What is it made of? Does it have padding? Are the bowls wood or clay or metal? What is the spoon made of? Did common people even use spoons or did they just slurp up their food? The simple act of sitting and eating could create a sudden two hour side-jaunt of research.

Answering these types of questions eventually led me to an incredible wealth of information from the Absolute History team. What I love about these videos is how immersive and drama-free they are. Everything is period specific, from how they dress, to where they live, to the tools that they use and the food that they eat. Every episode is packed with details, explanations, social significance and historically relevant stories.

There are many videos on the Absolute History channel and I have only watched a handful so far. Most of my hours were spent watching the series about Guedelon Castle and the Tudor Monastery Farm. If you don’t know about Guedelon Castle then allow me to summarize! In France, in the year 2000, a bunch of archeologists, historians and tradespeople started to build a medieval castle, from the ground up, using only the tools and materials that would have been available to medieval builders. Masonry, carpentry, pedal lathes, cooking shingles in earthwork kilns, mixing mortar and making pigments for paint are just a few of the skills that are needed in this incredible undertaking.

I have linked the first video below. If this isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to visit youtube and the Absolute History channel and find your own rabbit hole to fall into.