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TheCollector
The Dark History Behind Repin’s “Ivan the Terrible and His Son” Painting Ilya Repin was one of the most versatile and talented artists of his day and age. More than a...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Ilya Repin was one of the most versatile and talented artists of his day and age. More than a century has passed since Ilya Repin’s Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581 was revealed to the public, and yet the work still manages to scare, provoke, and spark...
TheCollector
Who Is the Pharaoh That Appears in Exodus? Likely Candidates There is no consensus on who the pharaoh who appears in Exodus was. The debate has continued for...
5 days ago
2
5 days ago
There is no consensus on who the pharaoh who appears in Exodus was. The debate has continued for many centuries and is still not settled. Several factors complicate identifying the pharaoh, such as biblical anonymity and the Egyptian practice of damnatio memoriae. Scholars have...
Flashbak
Finding The Original Drugstore Cowboy : Los Angeles In 1980 Originally the Columbia Drugstore was next to Gower Gulch at Sunset and Gower, says Meredith...
a year ago
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a year ago
Originally the Columbia Drugstore was next to Gower Gulch at Sunset and Gower, says Meredith Jacobson Marciano. In 1980, the coffee shop was closing forever.”The term “drugstore cowboy” came from here to mean a young wannabe whippersnapper who wanted to get into Westerns but...
TheCollector
The Tomb and Body of Alexander the Great: New Clues from an Egyptologist Few historical figures have captured the imagination as much as Alexander the Great, the conqueror...
4 months ago
67
4 months ago
Few historical figures have captured the imagination as much as Alexander the Great, the conqueror of Persia who never lost a battle and whose empire stretched from Greece to India. Yet, despite his legacy, the location of his tomb and body remains one great unsolved mystery. In...
Trying to Understand...
A Strange Defeat. A failure of understanding in Ukraine.
9 months ago
Res Obscura
The (history of) spice must flow Why the spice trade is even more important for world history than you might have thought
a year ago
TheCollector
Beethoven’s 5 Most Influential Symphonies Beethoven’s nine symphonies stand out as towering giants in the symphonic world. From the humble...
2 days ago
5
2 days ago
Beethoven’s nine symphonies stand out as towering giants in the symphonic world. From the humble beginnings of the First Symphony composed in 1800 to the gravity-defying Fifth Symphony (1808) to his ninth and final symphony (1824), each offers listeners a unique soundscape. He...
Trying to Understand...
Do You Believe In Magic? In our fragile society, what other hope is there?
3 months ago
Classical Wisdom
The Greco-Roman-Indian Exchange Podcast with Professor Roberto Morales
3 months ago
TheCollector
Understanding Philip Glass in 5 Compositions Philip Glass’s music is often labeled as minimalist. Minimalism is an art movement that erupted in...
4 months ago
32
4 months ago
Philip Glass’s music is often labeled as minimalist. Minimalism is an art movement that erupted in New York during the 1960s. However, one could (and, perhaps, should), label him as an economical composer: “Every note, every movement, every gesture [is used] with purpose” as...
Flashbak
Strange And Terrible: Hunter S. Thompson And The Hell’s Angels (1965) In my own country I am in a far-off land I am strong but have no force or power I win all yet remain...
a year ago
56
a year ago
In my own country I am in a far-off land I am strong but have no force or power I win all yet remain a loser At break of day I say goodnight When I lie down I have a great fear Of falling. – Ballade du concours de Blois by François Villon     … Continue reading "Strange And...
TheCollector
Venus Cloacina: Meet the Roman Sewer Goddess Over the course of their history, the Romans built a complex and dense network of sewers in the city...
5 months ago
61
5 months ago
Over the course of their history, the Romans built a complex and dense network of sewers in the city of Rome. However, only one of them was held in the highest regard. It was the oldest sewer in the city, and it was called Cloaca Maxima (“The Greatest Sewer”). In the beginning,...
TheCollector
Joséphine Bonaparte: Empress of the French Napoleon’s impact on the world cannot be understated. He upset the entire balance of power in the...
5 months ago
45
5 months ago
Napoleon’s impact on the world cannot be understated. He upset the entire balance of power in the world and conquered most of Europe in armed conflicts that would see the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.   Behind the man who led armies into battle was his wife,...
Classical Wisdom
Should We Glorify Caesar? And Those Like Him?
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Towns in Alabama Alabama played a central role in some of the most important chapters of American history, from early...
3 months ago
13
3 months ago
Alabama played a central role in some of the most important chapters of American history, from early statehood and frontier settlement to the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Montgomery served as the first capital of the Confederacy. Birmingham and Selma became focal...
Flashbak
Once Upon a Time in Brick Lane: 1970s East London Before Gentrification Brick Lane in London’s East End is in area of flux. From the road where they used mark bricks and...
a year ago
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a year ago
Brick Lane in London’s East End is in area of flux. From the road where they used mark bricks and brew beer, the place has been sanctuary to immigrants for centuries and is now home to a large Bangladeshi community. In the 17th century, French Huguenots arrived and brought with...
TheCollector
What Is the Voynich Manuscript? History is full of manuscript books, scriptures, and codex collections that are preserved in...
4 months ago
29
4 months ago
History is full of manuscript books, scriptures, and codex collections that are preserved in historical institutions for future generations to enjoy and study. The Voynich Manuscript is unique, because it is written in an undecipherable language, one which has been baffling...
Flashbak
Lee Balterman’s Chicago in the 1950s Lee Balterman (1920 – March 16, 2012) was born in Chicago, took night classes in drawing and...
a year ago
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a year ago
Lee Balterman (1920 – March 16, 2012) was born in Chicago, took night classes in drawing and painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago – the only formal training of his career – and until his death lived and photographed almost daily in Chicago for newspapers,...
Flashbak
Street Shots of New York City in 1978 “Every day was like being in a scene from a movie set in the city” – George Wright     In ‘New York...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
“Every day was like being in a scene from a movie set in the city” – George Wright     In ‘New York 1978’, British photographer George Wright shows us the city. Having trained as a graphic design at London’s Wimbledon School of Art in the early 1970s, Wright took a class taught...
TheCollector
Medieval Battles Where Archers Ruled the Field Medieval battles were dominated by armored cavalry, but history reveals cases where archers were...
a month ago
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a month ago
Medieval battles were dominated by armored cavalry, but history reveals cases where archers were able to outsmart their rivals. Changing tactics only took them so far. New bow types, like the English longbow and the nomadic composite bow, increased the archer’s lethality....
African History...
On Hegel's ignorance of African History *my article for ROAPE journal
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
How to Save Democracy The Importance of the Civic Bargain
over a year ago
Flashbak
16 Characters From A Film Never Made : Found Photos From The American Dream Film noir was coined in 1946 by the Italian-born French critic Nino Frank to describe the crime...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
Film noir was coined in 1946 by the Italian-born French critic Nino Frank to describe the crime thrillers laced with smoky cynicism, femme fatales and amoral ambiguity first produced by Hollywood in the 1940s. “These ‘dark’ films, these films noirs, no longer have anything in...
History Today Feed
‘Epic of the Earth’ by Edith Hall review ‘Epic of the Earth’ by Edith Hall review JamesHoare Wed, 04/23/2025 - 09:52
4 months ago
Hidden History
The Assassination of Malcolm X Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference based their strategy on two...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference based their strategy on two ideas; the idea that nonviolent civil disobedience, in the tradition of Thoreau and Gandhi, was the only method that the civil rights movement should use, and the idea that white...
Classical Wisdom
On Seneca: Anger, Fear, and Sadness Event News
over a year ago
TheCollector
Once-Stolen Egon Schiele Work Set to Fetch $1.9 Million at Auction Fritz Grünbaum, a Viennese art collector, acquired dozens of works by the enigmatic expressionist...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Fritz Grünbaum, a Viennese art collector, acquired dozens of works by the enigmatic expressionist Egon Schiele in the early 20th century. Grünbaum was murdered under Nazi Germany’s occupation of Austria, and his art collection was seized and dispersed. Now, a Schiele watercolor...
TheCollector
African Americans in Art: A Legacy of Creativity and Resistance For a long period of American history, art created by African Americans was considered irrelevant...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
For a long period of American history, art created by African Americans was considered irrelevant and unworthy of appreciation. Still, even in the conditions of slavery, segregation, and oppression, African American creatives managed to build and preserve artistic tradition. Some...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Lost and Found
over a year ago
TheCollector
Justinian I’s Surprising Recapture of Rome: What Happened? The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I came close to uniting the former Roman Empire less than a century...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I came close to uniting the former Roman Empire less than a century after its fall. However, popular discontent, foreign war, and a plague all combined to bring his dream of reestablishing Roman glory to an end, despite remarkable successes.   Rome...
Res Obscura
Kikkuli! Why do some people from the distant past become memes?
a year ago
TheCollector
How Chinese Porcelain Became a Symbol of Power and Taste For over a thousand years, Chinese porcelain has been admired for its unique beauty. However, it has...
a week ago
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a week ago
For over a thousand years, Chinese porcelain has been admired for its unique beauty. However, it has a deep history that transcends just utilitarian and decorative purposes. At one point in history, the white gold, as it was once called, symbolized power and an exotic taste. Its...
Wrong Side of...
A continent led by donkeys Europe’s independence from the US will be hard and expensive
6 months ago
TheCollector
4 Fashion Designers Who Celebrate Craftsmanship The unsettlingly rapid development of ultra-fast fashion altered our relationship with clothes and...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
The unsettlingly rapid development of ultra-fast fashion altered our relationship with clothes and the cost of their creation. With thousands of items of clothing available at just one click, fashion historians, anthropologists, and environmental activists are concerned about the...
Classical Wisdom
Tolkien and the Classics Plato, Cicero... Bilbo?
a year ago
TheCollector
The Mythology Behind Avatar and the Sacred Planet Trope In 2009, James Cameron’s Avatar was released in theaters around the world and garnered critical...
2 weeks ago
7
2 weeks ago
In 2009, James Cameron’s Avatar was released in theaters around the world and garnered critical acclaim as one of the most successful movies of all time. It introduced us to the world of Pandora, a mystical and sacred place, and a symbol of life itself. The visual spectacle was...
TheCollector
What Happened to Troy After the Trojan War? Archaeological & Mythical Evidence The city of Troy is most famous today for being at the center of the Trojan War. Its dramatic...
2 weeks ago
10
2 weeks ago
The city of Troy is most famous today for being at the center of the Trojan War. Its dramatic defeat, brought about by the deception of the Trojan Horse, reportedly led to its utter destruction. For many researchers, this story can ultimately be linked to the destruction of Troy...
TheCollector
Where Does Inspiration Come From? Prophets revered it as their channel to God, artists praised it as the source of their genius, and...
3 months ago
13
3 months ago
Prophets revered it as their channel to God, artists praised it as the source of their genius, and people from all walks of life sought to invite its gleaming impulse to color their lives. We have all intimated moments of inspiration that left us gasping, albeit unable to grasp...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plato on Political Polarization
10 months ago
Dreams of Space -...
Rockets and Space Coloring Book (1960) Some nice space pictures (to color) for you today.  Coloring books may be one of the ultimate forms...
5 months ago
54
5 months ago
Some nice space pictures (to color) for you today.  Coloring books may be one of the ultimate forms of ephemera. There were meant to be used, admired? and then thrown away. Yet many children owned them and there were at least 40 issued between 1950 and 1970 on space themes. If...
TheCollector
Who Was Legendary Pirate Captain Kidd? Captain Kidd was one of many notorious pirates that operated during the 17th century “Golden Age of...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
Captain Kidd was one of many notorious pirates that operated during the 17th century “Golden Age of Piracy.” Legend has it he hid his treasure, intending to come back to it, but was stopped short when the law caught up with him. So where is this alleged treasure, and if people...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Gatsby and the Greek Miracle
4 months ago
TheCollector
Are There Really Unicorns in the Bible? Some Bible skeptics have criticized the Bible because of references to mythical creatures like the...
a month ago
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a month ago
Some Bible skeptics have criticized the Bible because of references to mythical creatures like the unicorn. They claim it undermines the legitimacy of the Bible as a serious religious work. The question we need to ask ourselves, however, is if the references to unicorns were...
TheCollector
Francisco Goya’s Descent into Madness: The Disturbing Black Paintings Francisco Goya grew up to be a vibrant young artist in late 18th-century Spain, yet he is known for...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Francisco Goya grew up to be a vibrant young artist in late 18th-century Spain, yet he is known for some of art history’s darkest works. The Black Paintings were a series of dark, pessimistic subjects that an elderly Goya painted on the interior walls of his private home, never...
Flashbak
Street Scenes of NYC in the 1970s We’re back to New York City in the q970. Stories of that time in the city are legend. Copper Gangs...
a year ago
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a year ago
We’re back to New York City in the q970. Stories of that time in the city are legend. Copper Gangs and truants, playing on the streets of Brooklyn, big cars, tight-knit neighborhoods on the Lower East Side, subterranean fury, police on the furious beat, music and dancing with...
TheCollector
The Enduring Legacy of Suetonius, Rome’s Most Controversial Biographer Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was an ambitious imperial official under the Roman Emperor Hadrian,...
a month ago
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a month ago
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was an ambitious imperial official under the Roman Emperor Hadrian, whose name has come down through history for writing imperial biographies of Rome’s first emperors, called The Twelve Caesars. While his position at court gave him unique access to...
Wrong Side of...
Progressive realism and Perfidious Albion Britain's foreign policy is woefully naive and self-defeating
9 months ago
TheCollector
The Roman Republic’s “Career Path” That Allowed Soldiers to Become Consuls When the Romans ousted their kings and established the Republic, they established checks and...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
When the Romans ousted their kings and established the Republic, they established checks and balances to ensure that no one man could gain too much power. This system of regulation included the Cursus Honorum, which was the acceptable order in which Roman public offices should be...
TheCollector
What Is Kant’s Theory of Knowledge? One of Kant’s most distinctive contributions to philosophy is his theory of knowledge. This article...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
One of Kant’s most distinctive contributions to philosophy is his theory of knowledge. This article begins with a discussion of relevant theoretical context before addressing certain difficulties with summarizing Kant’s philosophy. The idea of transcendental idealism is then...
Flashbak
The Talking Parrot Tells All: When Madame Tussaud’s Caught Fire, 1925 “Criminals represented in the Chamber of Horrors, however, will have no feelings in the matter, as...
6 months ago
40
6 months ago
“Criminals represented in the Chamber of Horrors, however, will have no feelings in the matter, as they are all dead” – Report on the fire as Madame Tussaud’s, London 18 March 1925   The fire that tore threw London attraction Madame Tussaud’s on 18 March 1925 melted the famous...