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TheCollector
Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves: “I Like Her Not” The annulled marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves has become known as the marriage that...
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The annulled marriage of King Henry VIII to Anne of Cleves has become known as the marriage that ended because Anne was too ugly for Henry. But this narrative glosses over the true circumstances of a politically motivated marriage, which was successful in some ways despite its...
Flashbak
Harry Clarke’s 24 Sinsiter Illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination,... By the time Harry Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) came to illustrate Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales...
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By the time Harry Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) came to illustrate Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1919, the work first published in 1902 had already been illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Gustave Doré. Those were tough acts to...
Flashbak
Harry Clarke’s 24 Spellbinding Illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination,... By the time Harry Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) came to illustrate Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales...
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By the time Harry Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) came to illustrate Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1919, the work first published in 1902 had already been illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Gustave Doré. Those were tough acts to...
TheCollector
How Augustus’s Golden Heirs Met a Tragic Fate Augustus infamously had a difficult time securing an heir. Each man he chose died before his time...
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Augustus infamously had a difficult time securing an heir. Each man he chose died before his time until the old emperor had to “settle” for his stepson Tiberius. Augustus’s favorite heirs seem to have been his grandsons Lucius and Gaius Caesar, whom he groomed from infancy, but...
Patterns in Humanity
How many are criminals? Probably more than you think...
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Classical Wisdom
The Lost Psychedelic Cult of Ancient Greece Where Fasting, Feasting, and Visions Collided
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TheCollector
Why Nathan Bedford Forrest Remains One of America’s Most Divisive Figures Nathan Bedford Forrest is one of the most controversial figures from the Civil War Era. He was a...
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Nathan Bedford Forrest is one of the most controversial figures from the Civil War Era. He was a self-made millionaire who made a fortune from the slave trade. During the war, he earned a reputation as an aggressive and successful cavalry commander. However, his actions before...
TheCollector
The Doctrine of Ahimsa (Non-violence) in Jainism Non-violence, or ahimsa, gained global prominence with Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. He...
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Non-violence, or ahimsa, gained global prominence with Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. He employed it in his struggle against colonialists. However, Jains had been advocating for ahimsa for centuries. The religion believes in loving every animistic form, be it animals,...
TheCollector
The Story of Robin Hood in the Middle Ages As far as English folk tales, myths, and legends go, few figures have held as much sway in the...
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As far as English folk tales, myths, and legends go, few figures have held as much sway in the imagination as Robin Hood. The tale of a figure who stole from the rich and gave to the poor has captured the hearts of many over the centuries and has been told and re-told, time […]
TheCollector
How Did Arthur Schopenhauer Become Known as the Philosopher of Pessimism? Arthur Schopenhauer was a prominent German philosopher during the 19th century. Known as the...
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Arthur Schopenhauer was a prominent German philosopher during the 19th century. Known as the philosopher of pessimism, he distinguished himself from post-Kantian philosophers with his unique take on idealism, free will, and human nature. Adherents of his philosophy believe that...
TheCollector
Why Caesar’s Battle of Alesia Is Still a Military Masterclass In 52 BCE, Julius Caesar’s army was vastly outnumbered and trapped between two massive Gallic forces...
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In 52 BCE, Julius Caesar’s army was vastly outnumbered and trapped between two massive Gallic forces at the city of Alesia. How did Caesar manage to turn the tide against overwhelming odds? Read on to discover how his Roman army conquered Gaul (modern-day France) and set a new...
History Today Feed
‘The Blood in Winter’ by Jonathan Healey review ‘The Blood in Winter’ by Jonathan Healey review JamesHoare Mon, 08/11/2025 - 08:55
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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...
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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
How Ancient Writing Was Developed for Use in Religion & Magic Why did human cultures develop systems of writing? Was it for purely pragmatic reasons, to keep...
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Why did human cultures develop systems of writing? Was it for purely pragmatic reasons, to keep track of things like taxes and sales? On the contrary, in many cases, writing systems were developed to record religious beliefs and practices, and then found applications in more...
TheCollector
9 Historical Sites & Towns You Cannot Miss in Romania Romania is Europe’s 12th largest and 6th most populous country. The region, which features the...
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Romania is Europe’s 12th largest and 6th most populous country. The region, which features the Carpathian Mountains and Danube River, has been settled since the Lower Paleolithic. Over the centuries, Romania was part of the Roman, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires. Between...
TheCollector
Edom’s Fall & God’s Restoration Plan in the Book of Obadiah The Book of Obadiah is the shortest of the Minor Prophets, consisting of 670 words in Hebrew and 613...
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The Book of Obadiah is the shortest of the Minor Prophets, consisting of 670 words in Hebrew and 613 words in the King James Version. It has common ground with the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, declaring judgment against Edom. Obadiah focuses on Edom’s gloating about the...
TheCollector
What Were the Aboriginal Nations of Pre-Contact Tasmania, Australia? In September 1803, when Aboriginal Tasmanians first encountered British colonists and Tasmania was...
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In September 1803, when Aboriginal Tasmanians first encountered British colonists and Tasmania was still known as Trouwunna, Aboriginal society was organized into nine separate nations. The term “nation” was first used in 1875 by colonial ethnographer G.A. Robinson (1791-1866),...
TheCollector
Hector of Troy, Troy’s Greatest Hero Hector, the firstborn prince of Troy, is celebrated as the greatest of the Trojan heroes in Homer’s...
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Hector, the firstborn prince of Troy, is celebrated as the greatest of the Trojan heroes in Homer’s Iliad. He is admired for his exceptional skills as both a warrior and a military strategist. For nearly a decade, Hector successfully led the Trojans in their efforts to resist the...
Flashbak
Sometimes Overwhelming: New York City People in the 1970s and 80s by Arlene Gottfried “My mother used to say ‘Arlene – just don’t wander!’ Then I started wandering, but I got a camera...
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“My mother used to say ‘Arlene – just don’t wander!’ Then I started wandering, but I got a camera because it gave it a little more meaning…a life of wandering is really what it all is.” –  Arlene Gottfried New Yorker Arlene Gottfried (August 26, 1950 – August 8, 2017) walked...
TheCollector
Where Did Native Americans Originate From? The Native American story began some 15,000-plus years ago. Using a now-submerged Arctic land...
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The Native American story began some 15,000-plus years ago. Using a now-submerged Arctic land bridge, they crossed from Siberia to Alaska. The land bridge, now known as Beringia, emerged during a period of low sea levels during the last Ice Age. Connecting North America and Asia,...
TheCollector
The Rich and Fascinating History of the Song Dynasty Of all the mighty Chinese dynasties—from the Shang to the Tang and the Ming to the Qing, few have...
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Of all the mighty Chinese dynasties—from the Shang to the Tang and the Ming to the Qing, few have rivaled the power and cultural impact of the Song. For over 300 years, the Song Dynasty ruled medieval China, overseeing huge expansion efforts and foreign policy changes before...
TheCollector
Chimera, the Three-Headed Fire-Breathing Monster of Greek Mythology The three-headed Chimera is one of the most distinctive monsters in Greek mythology. It has the...
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The three-headed Chimera is one of the most distinctive monsters in Greek mythology. It has the front parts of a lion, the torso of a she-goat, and the hindquarters of a draconic serpent, with a snake for a tail. This patchwork monster devastated the land and was thought...
TheCollector
The Great Greek Revolt Against Macedonia After Alexander’s Death More than a decade after Greek freedom was said to have died at the hands of the Macedonians at the...
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More than a decade after Greek freedom was said to have died at the hands of the Macedonians at the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BCE), a new Greek alliance challenged Macedonian dominance. A Greek revolt was triggered by events shortly before Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BCE,...
TheCollector
10 Must-See Historic Sites in South America South America may not be the oldest inhabited continent (that’s Africa), but it is arguably the most...
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South America may not be the oldest inhabited continent (that’s Africa), but it is arguably the most rewarding for history lovers. It was home to advanced civilizations like the Inca, Tiwanaku, and Nazca, who left behind a spectacular array of ruins, artifacts, and even entire...
TheCollector
Where Are Montezuma’s Aztec Descendants Now? Montezuma II, also known as Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, ruled the Aztec Empire when the Spanish...
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Montezuma II, also known as Moctezuma Xocoyotzin, ruled the Aztec Empire when the Spanish conquistadors arrived. It was not only his power that intrigued the conquistadors, but also the fact that, according to some chroniclers, he had produced over 100 children. These children...
TheCollector
How Many People Died From the Black Plague? The Black Plague, also referred to as the Black Death, stands as one of the deadliest pandemics ever...
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The Black Plague, also referred to as the Black Death, stands as one of the deadliest pandemics ever recorded in history. It started to spread in Europe and Asia in the mid-14th century and killed millions of people before it finally subsided. Because medieval records are...
TheCollector
Was King Arthur Based on the Roman Officer Lucius Artorius Castus? One of many modern theories about the origin of the legends of King Arthur is that they can be...
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One of many modern theories about the origin of the legends of King Arthur is that they can be traced back to the activities of a Roman officer in Britain. His name was Lucius Artorius Castus. He lived long before the traditional Arthurian period, but some theorists argue that he...
Global Inequality...
Dr. Morell and the Patient A A review of Normal Ohler’s "Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany"
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Flashbak
Rampant Women On Sex Strike: Aubrey Beardsley’s 8 Erotic Illustrations For Lysistrata, 1896 As for old flames and lovers  they’re none left. And since Milesians went against us, I’ve not seen...
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As for old flames and lovers  they’re none left. And since Milesians went against us, I’ve not seen a decent eight-inch dildo. Yes, it’s just leather, but it helps us out. So would you be willing, if I found a way, to work with me to make this fighting end? – Lysistrata prepares...
TheCollector
How the Women of the Gothic Revival Inspired Christina Rossetti’s Poetry Beginning with Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, literature and architecture began...
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Beginning with Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, literature and architecture began to develop a unique relationship in Great Britain. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, British authors wrote poetry, novels, and short stories that evoked the mystery and drama...
Flashbak
Irving Penn and Missy Miyake’s Creative Matchup, 1986-1999 “Through his eyes Penn-san reinterprets the clothes, gives them new breath, and presents them to me...
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“Through his eyes Penn-san reinterprets the clothes, gives them new breath, and presents them to me from a new vantage point” – Issey Miyake on Irving Penn   From 1986 til 1999, Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake (22 April 1938 – 5 August 2022) and American photographer...
Flashbak
Irving Penn and Issey Miyake’s Creative Matchup, 1986-1999 “Through his eyes Penn-san reinterprets the clothes, gives them new breath, and presents them to me...
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“Through his eyes Penn-san reinterprets the clothes, gives them new breath, and presents them to me from a new vantage point” – Issey Miyake on Irving Penn   From 1986 til 1999, Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake (22 April 1938 – 5 August 2022) and American photographer...
TheCollector
5 Sufi Orders That Changed the World Sufism began as an ascetic and mystical movement in the early centuries of Islam. However, over the...
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Sufism began as an ascetic and mystical movement in the early centuries of Islam. However, over the centuries, the movement developed into an intricate system of philosophy, ethics, and practices that Muslims could follow to experience the fullest depth of the Prophet Muhammad’s...
A Collection of...
Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IIIb: Children and Childrearing This is the back half of the third part of our series (I, II, IIIa) discussing the patterns of life...
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This is the back half of the third part of our series (I, II, IIIa) discussing the patterns of life for the pre-modern peasants who made up the great majority of humans who lived in the past. Last week, we started looking at family formation through the lens of marriage, this...
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...
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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
Did China Really Outlast Every Other Civilization? China’s claim to over 5,000 years of continuous civilization raises a powerful question. With...
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China’s claim to over 5,000 years of continuous civilization raises a powerful question. With ancient empires like Egypt and Mesopotamia now gone, is China the world’s longest-lasting civilization? Read on to explore the concept of civilizational continuity and whether China’s...
TheCollector
How the Pazzi Family Conspired to Overthrow the Medicis On April 26, 1478, during the Holy Easter Sunday Mass in the cathedral of Florence, a group of...
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On April 26, 1478, during the Holy Easter Sunday Mass in the cathedral of Florence, a group of conspirators led by the Pazzi family murdered Giuliano de Medici and wounded his older brother Lorenzo. Known as the Pazzi Conspiracy, the assassination was the first step in a coup...
TheCollector
10 Paintings by Leonardo da Vinci You Should Know The oeuvre of the fascinating Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci is full of controversies and...
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The oeuvre of the fascinating Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci is full of controversies and inconsistencies. The famous artist left only a small number of painted works, each of which is disputed by art historians. Read on to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci’s famous...
TheCollector
How Did Hadrian’s Wall Shape British History? The Roman Empire stretched throughout Europe, expanding into the British Isles and establishing a...
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The Roman Empire stretched throughout Europe, expanding into the British Isles and establishing a significant presence that helped bring civilization to England and Scotland and greatly influenced their history.  One emperor, Hadrian, constructed a wall in the north of England,...
TheCollector
The 7 Best Historic Sites in Ho Chi Minh City Beneath the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, lies countless...
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Beneath the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, lies countless fascinating sites. Visitors usually overlook Vietnam’s most populated city and financial center in favor of Hanoi or the country’s countless beach destinations. However, Ho Chi Minh City...
TheCollector
Dune and Greek Mythology: What’s in Common? Dune, a science-fiction novel written in 1965 by Frank Herbert, follows the story of Paul Atreides,...
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Dune, a science-fiction novel written in 1965 by Frank Herbert, follows the story of Paul Atreides, a young man whose family accepts stewardship of the planet Arrakis for the interstellar empire. The planet is a harsh desert wasteland that is sparsely populated. It is the only...
Flashbak
The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche, 1923 The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche And Child Life in Town and Country (1909) is a collection...
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The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche And Child Life in Town and Country (1909) is a collection of short stories set in the 1400s by French writer and Noel Laureate Anatole France (1844 – 1924). The 1923 edition contains illustrations from woodcuts by the British artist Marcia...
TheCollector
Tantra’s Complicated Relationship With the Modern Western World Tantra is a concept at once familiar and utterly foreign. It is everywhere and nowhere. Most of us...
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Tantra is a concept at once familiar and utterly foreign. It is everywhere and nowhere. Most of us would imagine that we have a clear idea of what Tantra is and yet many of us would be surprised about how much history and complexity lies in the philosophy and the practice. In the...
TheCollector
Why Were Jacquetta and Elizabeth Woodville Accused of Witchcraft? Accusations of witchcraft weren’t exactly rare in the 15th century, but for the Woodville women,...
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Accusations of witchcraft weren’t exactly rare in the 15th century, but for the Woodville women, being clever, influential, and—heaven forbid—good-looking, seemed to seal the deal. Jacquetta of Luxembourg and her daughter Elizabeth Woodville learned that a little charisma and a...
TheCollector
How the Chinese General Yuan Shikai Tried to Make Himself Emperor Yuan Shikai is one of the most controversial figures in the history of modern China. Riding the...
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Yuan Shikai is one of the most controversial figures in the history of modern China. Riding the coattails of the general and statesman Li Hongzhang, Yuan built an expansive patronage network that enabled him to control the Chinese military at the turn of the 20th century. His...
TheCollector
The Secret Service of Ancient Rome (Frumentarii and Agentes in Rebus) The Roman Empire was vast and may have contained more than 100 million people at its height in the...
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The Roman Empire was vast and may have contained more than 100 million people at its height in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. To monitor this expansive territory, enforce policy, exact taxes, and spy on prominent personages, the emperors developed what has been called a “Roman...
TheCollector
How Do Hestia and Vesta Differ in Greek and Roman Mythology? Almost every famous Greek God or Goddess has a Roman counterpart, many of whom were used to name the...
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Almost every famous Greek God or Goddess has a Roman counterpart, many of whom were used to name the planets in our solar system, like Jupiter (Zeus) and Neptune (Poseidon). The Romans adopted much of Ancient Greek religion, renaming deities while retaining their core attributes...
TheCollector
Why Ancient Greeks Wrote Without Spaces or Punctuation To modern eyes, ancient Greek writing looks like an impenetrable code—an unbroken wall of capital...
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To modern eyes, ancient Greek writing looks like an impenetrable code—an unbroken wall of capital letters across stone or parchment without a single space or discernible punctuation mark.   This format is called scriptio continua, Latin for “continuous script.” There is no...
History Today Feed
How Important was the French Revolution? How Important was the French Revolution? JamesHoare Thu, 08/07/2025 - 08:38
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TheCollector
Taoism, the Philosophy of Flow & Embracing Effortlessness The struggle for control over every aspect of life is common in modern Western society. However,...
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The struggle for control over every aspect of life is common in modern Western society. However, this approach can be juxtaposed with the ancient Chinese religious and philosophical ideas of Taoism. Taoism offers a guide for living a free-flowing life that is guided by the...