#trade-networks

#trade-networks

The research traces how dozens of prized white falcons appeared at the court of the caliphs in Baghdad during the late 800s and early 900s. According to the authors, many of these birds were likely gyrfalcons captured in Scandinavia and Iceland before being transported thousands of kilometres south through Viking and Rus' trade routes.

This integration of the biological sciences into the study of historical manuscripts not only provides a clearer picture of the material culture of medieval Europe, but also illustrates the extensive trade networks that Cistercian monasteries were part of.