Believed to originate in Paradise and set apart in their chastity, bees were potent religious symbols in medieval Christianity and Islam. This was of great economic consequence: beeswax candles were necessary for the Mass, and honey was a highly sought after commodity in Muslim lands. This project explores how cultural ideas of the bee drove a far-flung and expansive trade in wax and honey, encouraging beekeeping on a vast scale, and revealing the impact of religious consumption on economy and environment in the pre-modern world.
This project is funded by a Leverhulme Research Project Grant, and held at King’s College London.
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Honey and honeyed treats at the imperial abbey of Ellwangen*
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Apiculture and its ecological setting in the Mediterranean during the late middle ages
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Bees in the medieval world 