Art Break: An Armchair Traveler's Guide to the Medieval World

Giant snails, dog-headed men, and ferocious dragons are just some of the marvels that appear in medieval accounts of locales far from Europe. In the Middle Ages, when long-distance travel was uncommon, many relied on stories found in manuscripts for both information and entertainment. Focusing on the written and illustrated legends of travelers ranging from Alexander the Great to Marco Polo, curator Elizabeth Morrison and scholar Mark Cruse discuss accounts of distant places that were often based on a mixture of facts, ancient folklore, and fantastic tales. Morrison and Cruse examine how looking at the world through its marvels can be revelatory for understanding society both in the Middle Ages and today.