Shining in the dirt was a chunk of a medieval coin, cut from a full circle ... coins were minted in Muslim regions, including the Middle East, and occasionally in Central Asia, historians said.

However, medieval readers did not understand or perceive ... and they're interested in learning and stories from North Africa and the Middle East – so their imagination encompasses these areas." ...

The medieval Mongol archive, dating from the 13th century, had a profound influence on French maps and exploration.

Walter Ward studies the history and archaeology of the Mediterranean/Near East during antiquity and the early medieval period, with a primary focus on the role of the Roman Empire in the Middle East.