Medieval Era Expert Available to Speak on 'Kingdom of Heaven' Fact and Fiction

Medieval Era Expert Available to Speak on 'Kingdom of Heaven' Fact and Fiction

WPI professor will demonstrate swords and armor from the Crusades

WHO: Jeffrey L. Forgeng, Ph.D, is an adjunct associate professor of Medieval Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) who focuses on the cultural history of violence in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Era. Forgeng is also the head of the curatorial department at the Higgins Armory Museum, the only museum in the Western Hemisphere entirely devoted to the study and display of arms and armor. As head of the department, Forgeng oversees the acquiring, researching, preserving and displaying of more than 4,600 armory artifacts, including those dating from the Crusades, which make up the permanent collection of the museum.

TOPIC: As a Medieval Studies expert, Forgeng can talk about the historical context of the new Hollywood movie "Kingdom of Heaven," starring Orlando Bloom. Forgeng can discuss the authenticity of props used in the film, identify other arms and armor consistent with the time period, as well as discuss their evolution. http://www.higgins.org/Research/combat.shtml

VISUALS: For those looking for a visual component, Forgeng can go behind the scenes at the Higgins Armory Museum to examine swords and other artifacts from Christian Europe and the Islamic Middle East, and how they embody both parallels and contrasts between the rival cultures of medieval Christendom and Islam.

SCHOOL AFFILIATION: Founded in 1865 as one of the nation's first technological universities, WPI (http://www.wpi.edu/) is renowned for its innovative project-based undergraduate curriculum and global projects program. With 2,770 undergraduates and 1,040 full- and part-time graduate students, WPI offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 30 disciplines in engineering, science and the management of technology. Working in more than 30 research institutes, centers and laboratories, the university's faculty and students are engaged in cutting-edge research in a broad range of fields.

CONTACT: WPI Media Relations P: 508-831-5706 and/or 617-520-7084 media@wpi.edu

PRNewswire -- May 6

Source: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Web site: http://www.wpi.edu/

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