In a scholarly dispute that seems straight out of a medieval drama, two historians are fighting over the number of male genitalia depicted in the iconic Bayeux tapestry. Oxford professor George Garnett caused a stir when he claimed to have counted 93 penises, with most attached to horses and a few to human figures. Now, historian Dr. Christopher Monk has found what he believes to be a 94th penis on a running man in the tapestry’s border. While Garnett insists it is a scabbard, Monk argues it is indeed male genitalia.
The Bayeux Museum describes the tapestry as an epic poem and moralistic work, but the historians see deeper meanings in the design. Garnett believes the unknown designer used literary allusions to comment on the Norman conquest in a coded way, while Monk sees the embroidery as a serious attempt to understand medieval minds.
Both scholars stress that their work goes beyond the humorous aspect of counting penises in a historical artifact, with Garnett pointing out the significance of size differences in depicting the two leaders of the battle – Harold Godwinson and Duke William of Normandy. Monk argues that the newly discovered genitalia adds another layer to the tapestry’s mysterious symbolism.
Dr. David Musgrove, a Bayeux tapestry expert hosting the HistoryExtra Podcast where the dispute was aired, finds the interaction between the historians fascinating and highlights the complexity of the embroidery that continues to intrigue scholars almost a millennium after its creation.
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