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Classical Wisdom
Homer Vs Hesiod Poets of War and Peace
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Socialism vs. Capitalism: What’s the Difference? As philosophy, politics, and economics evolve, the debate between socialism and capitalism becomes...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
As philosophy, politics, and economics evolve, the debate between socialism and capitalism becomes increasingly important. These ideologies differ in how they distribute resources and structure society. Socialism aims for more equality by having shared ownership. Capitalism...
TheCollector
A Guide to the Best Historic Sites in South Korea Though many visit South Korea for its K-Dramas and K-Pop, the peninsula and islands also feature...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Though many visit South Korea for its K-Dramas and K-Pop, the peninsula and islands also feature numerous cultural charms and historic sites as well. South Korea has an expansive history, and tales of monks, soldiers, indigenous peoples, and royalty linger in these locations....
TheCollector
Who Are the Pharisees in the Bible? The New Testament presents the Pharisees as a group that vehemently opposed the ministry of Jesus....
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
The New Testament presents the Pharisees as a group that vehemently opposed the ministry of Jesus. Yet, a select few among the Pharisees were open to considering what Jesus taught and even defended his ministry. The Pharisees played a significant role in Jewish society and...
Res Obscura
Onfim's world Child artists in history
3 weeks ago
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...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks 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...
TheCollector
Pope Francis Dies at 88 Today, the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, at age...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Today, the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, at age 88. The pope’s death comes just one day after he addressed a crowd of thousands in St. Peter’s Square following Easter Sunday Mass.   “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome,...
Trying to Understand...
The End? There must be some way out of here ... surely?
2 weeks ago
Open Culture
William Faulkner’s Review of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea (1952) Images via Wikimedia Commons In the mid-20th century, the two big dogs in the American literary...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Images via Wikimedia Commons In the mid-20th century, the two big dogs in the American literary scene were William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. Both were internationally revered, both were masters of the novel and the short story, and both won Nobel Prizes. Born in Mississippi,...
A Collection of...
Collections: The Siege of Eregion, Part V: What Tactics? This is the final part of our five part (I, II, III, IV) series on the Siege of Eregion in Amazon’s...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
This is the final part of our five part (I, II, III, IV) series on the Siege of Eregion in Amazon’s Rings of Power. Last time, we looked at the orc siege and marveled at both their lack of works and also their nonsensical siege engines, concluding that Adar had launched a siege...
Hidden History
A Closer Look at: Sahelanthropus Sahelanthropus may be the earliest human ancestor that we know about, but it is mired in...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Sahelanthropus may be the earliest human ancestor that we know about, but it is mired in controversy. In the 1980s, French paleontologist Michel Brunet and his partner David Pilbeam were searching for hominin fossils in Cameroon, in deposits formed along an ancient shoreline when...
History Today Feed
How the Roman Empire Lost its Gods How the Roman Empire Lost its Gods JamesHoare Thu, 04/24/2025 - 09:19
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
Eos: Goddess of the Dawn in Greek Mythology In Greek mythology, Eos was the goddess of the dawn. Though, like other primordial gods, she was not...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
In Greek mythology, Eos was the goddess of the dawn. Though, like other primordial gods, she was not widely worshiped by the ancient Greeks, Eos was nevertheless essential to the Greek understanding of the universe, playing an important role in mythology. Perhaps one of the most...
African History...
Online resources for African history: links to African collections held at 33 Western Museums Up to 90% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s material cultural legacy is kept outside of the continent,...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Up to 90% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s material cultural legacy is kept outside of the continent, according to a French government-commissioned 2018 report by Senegalese economist Felwine Sarr and French historian Bénédicte Savoy.
Hidden History
Submarine USS Dolphin The submarine USS Dolphin was specially built as a test-bed for deep-diving designs. At the outbreak...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
The submarine USS Dolphin was specially built as a test-bed for deep-diving designs. At the outbreak of the Second World War, a typical submarine or u-boat was capable of diving to a maximum depth of round 250 feet. By the time the war ended, advanced models like the...
History Today Feed
The Fall of Saigon The Fall of Saigon JamesHoare Wed, 04/23/2025 - 09:51
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
Titus: The Roman Emperor Who Conquered Jerusalem Titus Caesar Vespasianus ruled Rome for just two years from 79-81 CE after the death of his father...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Titus Caesar Vespasianus ruled Rome for just two years from 79-81 CE after the death of his father Vespasian, the founder of the Flavian Dynasty. His younger brother and successor, Domitian, implied that Titus was just a historical footnote and that he was his father’s true...
Classical Wisdom
The Brightly Colored Past Burn Ivory, Melt Wax... just like the Ancient Artists
2 weeks ago
Wrong Side of...
Rallying around the (Progress Pride) Flag The European Right must learn to hate Trump
4 weeks ago
Trying to Understand...
What Is This "War" Of Which You Speak? Do we mean what they mean?
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
A Stroll Through Amsterdam’s Red Light District by Huub Prickaert in the 1990s Huub Prickaerts was walking around the De Wallen area of Amsterdam’s red light district between 1993...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Huub Prickaerts was walking around the De Wallen area of Amsterdam’s red light district between 1993 and 1996. Prickaerts moved to the Dutch capital in the early 1990s after a client agreed to let him stay in his home in exchange for keeping an eye on his restaurant. Things have...
CrimethInc.
Retailiation: Robin Hood in the Workplace : Steal Something from Work Day 2025 Every year, like many other people, we observe April 15 as Steal Something from Work Day. This year,...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Every year, like many other people, we observe April 15 as Steal Something from Work Day. This year, April 15 finds a new cast of authoritarians in control of the United States government, recklessly overhauling it to spread terror and fill their pockets. But this will not put an...
Open Culture
What Was Smoot-Hawley, and Why Are We Doing It Again? Anyone? Anyone? When most Americans think of the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs, they think of economic disaster. But if you...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
When most Americans think of the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs, they think of economic disaster. But if you ask why, most Americans may need a short refresher course. Below, you will find just that. Appearing on Derek Thompson’s Plain History podcast, Douglas Irwin (an economist and...
TheCollector
How Did the Seljuks Pave the Way for the Ottoman Empire? In 1071, a small nomadic dynasty—named the Seljuks after their founder—fought a battle against...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
In 1071, a small nomadic dynasty—named the Seljuks after their founder—fought a battle against Byzantine forces under the command of Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes. The Seljuk victory in this battle opened up Anatolia to nomadic Turkic settlers, including the likes of Osman, founder...
TheCollector
Painting vs. Sculpture: The Renaissance Battle for Supremacy in Art It seems like humans always need to know who or what is the best in any category. Renaissance people...
2 weeks ago
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It seems like humans always need to know who or what is the best in any category. Renaissance people were no different. A quest to find the superior art between painting and sculpture led to lengthy discussions about the purpose of art and the limits and qualities of each medium....
TheCollector
How South Sudan Won Its Independence South Sudan, which split from Sudan in 2011, is one of the youngest countries in the world and the...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
South Sudan, which split from Sudan in 2011, is one of the youngest countries in the world and the youngest in Africa.   It represents one of a handful of cases in which an independence movement has actually succeeded and generated a fully sovereign state recognized by the United...
Flashbak
Soviet Caviar Harvest by Carl Mydans, Astrakhan 1960 “The cream and hot butter mingled and overflowed separating each glucose bead of caviar from its...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
“The cream and hot butter mingled and overflowed separating each glucose bead of caviar from its fellows, capping it in white and gold.” — Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited     In 1960, American photographer Carl Mydans (May 20, 1907 – August 16, 2004) journeyed behind the Iron...
TheCollector
Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus: Key Similarities and Differences Life in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century was unstable; wars, economic crises, a...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Life in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century was unstable; wars, economic crises, a pandemic—it was hard not to feel humanity was facing one “existential crisis” after another. One philosophical response to this historical context was the philosophy of...
Wrong Side of...
The Times They Have Changed The Transition #3
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
5 Quotes by Plato Explained Plato, the most intelligent of Socrates’ students, laid the foundations of ethics, aesthetics,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Plato, the most intelligent of Socrates’ students, laid the foundations of ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, and early forms of science.   When Socrates was sentenced to death by the Athenian government, Plato decided to travel to learn all he could about philosophy,...
History Today Feed
What was the Industrial Revolution? What was the Industrial Revolution? JamesHoare Thu, 04/24/2025 - 09:22
2 weeks ago
Flashbak
Found Portraits from Steenbergen in The Netherlands – 1970s These found photographs are from Steenbergen in the south of The Netherlands. The find holds 220...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
These found photographs are from Steenbergen in the south of The Netherlands. The find holds 220 negatives from different families from Steenbergen. The photos were taken by professional photographer Van Mechelen. We like them because of their bold colours and the subjects’...
History Today Feed
Stalin’s Man in Belgrade Stalin’s Man in Belgrade JamesHoare Tue, 04/22/2025 - 08:06
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
9 Myths About the Greek Goddess Demeter Demeter was one of the twelve Olympian gods believed by the ancient Greeks to rule over the cosmos....
2 weeks ago
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Demeter was one of the twelve Olympian gods believed by the ancient Greeks to rule over the cosmos. She was the sister of Zeus and patron goddess of agriculture. She was commonly depicted wearing a veil and carrying a torch or sheaves of wheat. One of her major centers of worship...
History Today Feed
Sex Workers and Salvation in the Renaissance Sex Workers and Salvation in the Renaissance JamesHoare Tue, 04/22/2025 - 08:02
2 weeks ago
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
2 weeks ago
Overcoming Bias
Can Humanity Choose Its Future? For all my lifetime, futurists have had a dream, of humanity coming together to consciously decide...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
For all my lifetime, futurists have had a dream, of humanity coming together to consciously decide its fate.
TheCollector
Typhon: The Monster Who Threatened Olympus in Greek Mythology Typhon, or Typhoeus as he was also called, was a monstrous, serpentine creature with a hundred heads...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Typhon, or Typhoeus as he was also called, was a monstrous, serpentine creature with a hundred heads that could shoot fire from his eyes. He spoke with a myriad of sounds and voices, sometimes bellowing like a bull, barking like a dog, or roaring like a lion. He was the greatest...
History Today Feed
‘Scholars and Their Kin’ review ‘Scholars and Their Kin’ review JamesHoare Mon, 04/14/2025 - 09:00
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Who Was Jan Smuts & Why Is He Important to World History? Jan Smuts is well known in South Africa as a major historical figure. He helped establish South...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Jan Smuts is well known in South Africa as a major historical figure. He helped establish South African autonomy while still a subject of the British crown and was vital to the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.   His influence, however, spread far beyond the...
Overcoming Bias
Adaptive Status Markers As polls and asking LLMs didn’t give me much insight into which status markers are more adaptive,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
As polls and asking LLMs didn’t give me much insight into which status markers are more adaptive, let me try to think the issue through myself.
Classical Wisdom
Enheduanna A VERY Ancient Snapshot
2 weeks ago
Overcoming Bias
Should I Be Clearly Conservative? A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it. ― William F.
TheCollector
You Cannot Step Into the Same River Twice: What Was Heraclitus Trying to Say? Heraclitus, a mysterious philosopher from ancient Greece, said something that has stuck with people...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Heraclitus, a mysterious philosopher from ancient Greece, said something that has stuck with people for centuries: “You can’t step into the same river twice.” It sounds like a pretty straightforward observation about the world we live in. But is it? What did Heraclitus mean when...
TheCollector
6 Terrible Historical Facts About Typhus Epidemic typhus is one of the oldest diseases known to affect humankind, and despite advances in...
2 weeks ago
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Epidemic typhus is one of the oldest diseases known to affect humankind, and despite advances in modern medicine, it continues to be a contemporary concern. Often infiltrating human existence hand in hand with disasters such as war and weather phenomena, typhus has demonstrated a...
Open Culture
Hear the World’s Oldest Known Song, “Hurrian Hymn No. 6” Written 3,400 Years Ago Do you like old timey music? Splendid. You can’t get more old timey than Hurrian Hymn No. 6, which...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
Do you like old timey music? Splendid. You can’t get more old timey than Hurrian Hymn No. 6, which was discovered on a clay tablet in the ancient Syrian port city of Ugarit in the 1950s, and is over 3400 years old. Actually, you can — a similar tablet, which references a hymn...
TheCollector
Puebla: Where Mesoamerican and Spanish History Collide In a region packed with historically important cities, few can claim to have played such a long and...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
In a region packed with historically important cities, few can claim to have played such a long and pivotal role as Puebla. Long before the Aztec, it was the Vatican of Mesoamerica, where priests and pilgrims flocked to the largest pyramid in the world. It was the site of one of...
TheCollector
What Do Pentecostals Believe? The Pentecostal Movement exploded onto the ecclesiastical scene in 1906, and the growth of this...
2 weeks ago
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The Pentecostal Movement exploded onto the ecclesiastical scene in 1906, and the growth of this movement has been remarkable. The origins of Pentecostalism can be traced to Topeka, Kansas, and the ministry of Charles Parham, but it was not until a student of Parham moved to Los...
Flashbak
Nudes With Attitude from Vienna’s Studio Manasse (NSFW) Actress Olga Solarics (1895-1969) and her husband, a former Austro-Hungarian army officer with an...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Actress Olga Solarics (1895-1969) and her husband, a former Austro-Hungarian army officer with an artistic background, Adorja’n von Wlassics (1893-1946) ran the Studio Manasse Foto-Salon in Vienna, Austria, from 1922 til 1938. The studio was big on nudes and left a fabulous...
Overcoming Bias
Status Marker Polls In an attempt to learn more about status, I asked some polls comparing status markers.
2 weeks ago
African History...
A forgotten African empire: the history of medieval Kānem (ca. 800-1472) A century before Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage, the political and cultural landscape of medieval...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
A century before Mansa Musa’s famous pilgrimage, the political and cultural landscape of medieval West Africa was dominated by the empire of Kānem.
Classical Wisdom
Happy Birthday Rome! The Violent Birth of Civilization
2 weeks ago
History Today Feed
VE Day: The Quiet After the Peace VE Day: The Quiet After the Peace JamesHoare Mon, 04/21/2025 - 13:35
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
Iron Age Necropolis Discovered in Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that the first major Iron...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that the first major Iron Age necropolis in the United Arab Emirates has been unearthed in the Al Ain region of Abu Dhabi. According to archaeologists, the discovery offers rare insights into the region’s...
TheCollector
Zeno’s 4 Paradoxes About Motion and Time Can you imagine a speedy Achilles never overtaking a tortoise crawling at a snail’s pace? Or an...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Can you imagine a speedy Achilles never overtaking a tortoise crawling at a snail’s pace? Or an arrow in mid-flight frozen stiff? These are just some of the mind-bending conundrums Zeno of Elea set out over two thousand years ago. And they’re still vexing philosophers and...
Global Inequality...
Intelligentsia in power On Bukharin's critique of the Austrian school and John Bates Clark
4 weeks ago
Flashbak
David the Dreamer: Ralph Bergengren’s Children’s Book Illustrated by Tom Seidmann-Freud, 1922 ‘The earth is heavy and opaque without dreams.” – Anaïs Nin     Published in 1922 with illustrations...
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‘The earth is heavy and opaque without dreams.” – Anaïs Nin     Published in 1922 with illustrations by Tom Seidmann-Freud, Ralph Bergengren’s David the Dreamer: His Book of Dreams tells the story of a boy’s dreams for his pet dog Fido’s third birthday. David finds himself in a...
Dreams of Space -...
Space Explorer (1960) A promotional comic from 1960 called Space Explorer. It was part of the comic series Boys’ and...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
A promotional comic from 1960 called Space Explorer. It was part of the comic series Boys’ and Girls’ March of Comics, #202. These promotional comics were distributer to retailers who would brand them with their name and give them away to customers to attract them to shop at that...
History Today Feed
Death of Zaga Christ Death of Zaga Christ JamesHoare Mon, 04/21/2025 - 13:38
2 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
The Secret of the Roman Pantheon Watch now | Spotlight on one of Rome's greatest buildings
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Great Seljuk Empire: History, Culture, Facts In the late 10th century, a nomadic chief named Seljuk broke away from his Khazar overlords in the...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
In the late 10th century, a nomadic chief named Seljuk broke away from his Khazar overlords in the north of the Caspian Sea. Thus began his tribe’s migration from the lands of modern-day Kazakhstan down to Iran and Azerbaijan.   The Great Seljuks (ca. 1038-1194), a nomadic people...
Classical Wisdom
The Original Great Gatsby Ancient Inspiration
4 weeks ago
TheCollector
How Did the Crusades Reintroduce the Classical Tradition to the West? Intellectual life in the modern West traces its origins to the ancient Greeks and Romans. However,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Intellectual life in the modern West traces its origins to the ancient Greeks and Romans. However, by the launch of the First Crusade, Latin Christendom had lost touch with large parts of the classical tradition. During the crusading period, Western Christian nations came into...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Gatsby and the Greek Miracle
3 weeks ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Why Celebrimbor Fell but Boromir Conquered: the Moral Universe of Tolkien This week (and probably next) I want to talk a bit more Tolkien, but in a somewhat different vein...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
This week (and probably next) I want to talk a bit more Tolkien, but in a somewhat different vein from normal. Rather than discussing the historicity of Tolkien’s world or adaptations of it, I want to take a moment to discuss some of the themes of Tolkien’s work, which express...
Overcoming Bias
Songs Regulate Emotion The point I make in this post is quite unlikely to be original.
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
5 Quotes by Aristotle Explained The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, one of antiquity’s greatest thinkers, was a student of...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, one of antiquity’s greatest thinkers, was a student of Plato and a tutor to Alexander the Great. Aristotle had insights far ahead of his time; his understanding of human psychology wasn’t much worse than modern scientists. Only a quarter...
History Today Feed
Coronation of Bolesław the Brave Coronation of Bolesław the Brave JamesHoare Tue, 04/15/2025 - 09:14
3 weeks ago
History Today Feed
Bismarck’s Britain Bismarck’s Britain JamesHoare Wed, 04/16/2025 - 08:56
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
Beatrix Potter’s Illustrated Peter Rabbit Letters The Peter Rabbit letters were written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter on 4th September 1893. What...
2 weeks ago
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The Peter Rabbit letters were written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter on 4th September 1893. What would become The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first told in a letter to Noel Moore, the five-year-old son of Beatrix’s former governess Annie Moore (née Carter). Noel was ill in bed...
TheCollector
Crusading Against Crusaders: Clement V’s Persecution of the Templars On March 18th, 1314, Jasque de Molay, the 23rd Grand Master of the monastic order of the Knights...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
On March 18th, 1314, Jasque de Molay, the 23rd Grand Master of the monastic order of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake on an island in the middle of the river Seine. After years and years of torture, confessions of heresy, and trial, the 23rd Grand Master of one of...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Homer, Heroes, and Hesiod
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
What Is the Book of Jasher and Why Is It Not in the Bible? The Bible mentions the Book of Jasher twice. The Book of Jasher was lost sometime in antiquity, and...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
The Bible mentions the Book of Jasher twice. The Book of Jasher was lost sometime in antiquity, and no mention of it appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls, early Jewish or Christian tradition, or early Rabbinic writings. During the Middle Ages, a time notorious for people passing off...
TheCollector
10 Historic Towns in Queensland Worth Exploring Australia’s story stretches back over 60,000 years, beginning with its First Nations peoples and...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
Australia’s story stretches back over 60,000 years, beginning with its First Nations peoples and evolving through waves of colonial exploration, gold rushes, wars, and modern nation-building. While major cities reflect this layered past, Queensland in particular holds a distinct...
TheCollector
Skara Brae: The Mysterious Neolithic Village of Scotland Nestled in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, Skara Brae is a prehistoric village that has intrigued...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Nestled in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, Skara Brae is a prehistoric village that has intrigued archaeologists and historians for generations. Built over 5,000 years ago, it predates even the Egyptian pyramids. The village, perfectly preserved under layers of sand for...
Global Inequality...
The stock market fetish The most recent turmoil in the stock market caused by Donald Trump’s ill-considered policy to impose...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
The most recent turmoil in the stock market caused by Donald Trump’s ill-considered policy to impose tariffs on the entire world, has brought up one legitimate question: what is the correct attitude towards stock market declines and crashes?
Flashbak
Street Style from 1970s and 80s London by Al Vandenberg American photographer Al Vandenberg (1932-2012) is arguably best known for his art direction of The...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
American photographer Al Vandenberg (1932-2012) is arguably best known for his art direction of The Beatles’ album cover for Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. But here we look at his street photographs of 1970s London. Born in 1932 to Dutch parents, Vandenberg was raised in...
Wrong Side of...
The Transition The Great Awokening and the end of the cultural revolution
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Assembly Line, February 1958 In February 1958, production was underway on the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL open-topped sports car. Made...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In February 1958, production was underway on the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL open-topped sports car. Made between May 1955 and February 1963, and known by the company as W121, the 190 SL roadster made its debut at the 1954 New York Auto Show at Madison Square Garden (February 6 – 14,...
Wrong Side of...
What would Rosa Parks do? Modern activists are defeated by their lack of restraint
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
Lascaux Cave Paintings: Secrets of Prehistoric Art Amid the Second World War, four young boys unearthed a Paleolithic masterpiece when they stumbled...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Amid the Second World War, four young boys unearthed a Paleolithic masterpiece when they stumbled upon a cave in southwest France. The boys were entranced by the vivid hues of red, yellow, and black that formed vast scenes of animals appearing to move across the cave walls....
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Small Towns in Minnesota Minnesota’s history is filled with defining moments that left a lasting imprint on the land, from...
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Minnesota’s history is filled with defining moments that left a lasting imprint on the land, from its early Indigenous heritage and fur trading posts to the formation of the state itself in the mid-19th century. Key events such as the 1848 territorial convention in Stillwater...
Open Culture
What the World Will Look Like in 250 Million Years: Mapping the Distant Future Most of us now accept the idea that all of Earth’s continents were once part of a single, enormous...
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3 weeks ago
Most of us now accept the idea that all of Earth’s continents were once part of a single, enormous land mass. That wasn’t the case in the early nineteen-tens, when the geologist Alfred Wegener (1880–1930) first publicized his theory of not just the supercontinent Pangea, but also...
Flashbak
A Prisoner of War Stitched A Secret Message To The Nazis: God Save the King – Fu*k Hitler! At the prisoner of war camp in Spangenberg castle, Germany, Major Alexis Casdagli began to stitch....
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
At the prisoner of war camp in Spangenberg castle, Germany, Major Alexis Casdagli began to stitch. Using a piece of canvas handed to him by a fellow inmate, thread from an old jumper and a hidden needle, Casdagli created a border of dots and dashes around a frame of swastikas and...
Flashbak
Whose Streets? Our Streets! New York Protests 1980 – 2000 “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” ― Henry David...
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“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” ― Henry David Thoreau,    Photographs of demonstrations in New York City between 1980 and 2000 are at the Whose Streets? Our Streets! exhibition at the Bronx Documentary Center. The show explores New...
Open Culture
How Chinese Characters Work: The Evolution of a Three-Millennia-Old Writing System Contrary to somewhat popular belief, Chinese characters aren’t just little pictures. In fact, most...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
Contrary to somewhat popular belief, Chinese characters aren’t just little pictures. In fact, most of them aren’t pictures at all. The very oldest, whose evolution can be traced back to the “oracle bone” script of thirteenth century BC etched directly onto the remains of turtles...
TheCollector
What Is the Holy Spirit in Christianity, and Its Significance? The doctrine of the Trinity identifies the Holy Spirit as the third person in the Godhead. This...
4 weeks ago
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The doctrine of the Trinity identifies the Holy Spirit as the third person in the Godhead. This teaching was established at the First Council of Nicaea (325 CE) and defined the Godhead more clearly than ever. The books of the New Testament were foundational in developing the...
Classical Wisdom
The World of Homer Classical Wisdom Litterae
3 weeks ago
Overcoming Bias
AI Is GPT, & GPTs Go Slow Back in the dot-com boom of the late 90s, many said a new economy loomed that invalidated all the...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Back in the dot-com boom of the late 90s, many said a new economy loomed that invalidated all the old rules, and would soon cause big fast change.
TheCollector
12 Unexpected Facts About Samuel Johnson There are many basic but essential facts to be learned about Samuel Johnson. For example, he was...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
There are many basic but essential facts to be learned about Samuel Johnson. For example, he was born in 1709 and died in 1784. His life spanned the reign of four British Monarchs: Queen Anne (1702-1714), King George I (1714-1727), King George II (1727-1760), and King George III...
TheCollector
Why Is the Gospel of Mark so Short? Of the four gospels in the Biblical canon, the Gospel of Mark is the shortest by a significant...
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Of the four gospels in the Biblical canon, the Gospel of Mark is the shortest by a significant margin. The writer of John had a different approach to compiling and describing the message he wished to convey, so a difference in length would be understandable. With Matthew and...
Overcoming Bias
Efficiency Is Sacred We all see some things as sacred.
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Prince William Forest Park: The National Park That Trained WWII Spies Just south of Washington DC lies a 15,000-acre oasis of piedmont forest that, despite being less...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Just south of Washington DC lies a 15,000-acre oasis of piedmont forest that, despite being less than an hour from the nation’s capital, feels like another planet. Every summer, the park’s tall trees and meandering streams welcome thousands of visitors, including hundreds of...
Flashbak
Gigs, Fights And An Alien Sex Fiend: Posters In London, c. 1990 Alien Sex Fiend played at Camden Palace on February 13, 1990, as part of the venue’s Feet First...
3 weeks ago
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Alien Sex Fiend played at Camden Palace on February 13, 1990, as part of the venue’s Feet First indie nights. Posters advertising the show went up around the area in other parts of London, featuring the faces of lead singer Nicholas Wade (aka Nik Fiend) and Christine Wade (Mrs...
TheCollector
Balto the Dog: A Famous Canine Hero In the 1920s, Alaska was one of America’s last remaining frontiers. The isolated region was one full...
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In the 1920s, Alaska was one of America’s last remaining frontiers. The isolated region was one full of hardship but offered a quiet existence. After a mining boom that waned in the early 20th century, Nome, on the Western coast, became a city occupied by brave souls. Driving, or...
TheCollector
What Is the History of Utopian Societies? The term Utopia is derived from Sir Thomas More’s 1516 literary work titled Utopia. The book...
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2 weeks ago
The term Utopia is derived from Sir Thomas More’s 1516 literary work titled Utopia. The book described an ideal fictional island nation that used a communal social system. He got the term from the Greek word ou-topos which meant nowhere. The satirical book was More’s attempt to...
History Today Feed
The Ghosts of Gaelic The Ghosts of Gaelic JamesHoare Thu, 04/17/2025 - 09:07
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Was Lancelot Really a French Invention? The Arthurian Legend Explained In the Arthurian legends, Lancelot is one of the most famous and popular characters. He was one of...
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In the Arthurian legends, Lancelot is one of the most famous and popular characters. He was one of Arthur’s best and most powerful knights. However, despite his initial loyalty, he eventually turned on Arthur, engaging in an affair with the king’s wife, Guinevere. This dramatic...
TheCollector
Beyond Human: Supernatural Beings in Medieval England In our secular age, most of us scoff at the supernatural. Consequently, it is difficult to put...
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In our secular age, most of us scoff at the supernatural. Consequently, it is difficult to put ourselves in the mindsets of our medieval counterparts who still lived in a world of unexplored wilderness and unexplained phenomena. God’s natural creation was potentially infinite,...
TheCollector
Ulrich Zwingli: A Forgotten Pillar of the Reformation When discussing the Reformation, names like Martin Luther and John Calvin are often at the...
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When discussing the Reformation, names like Martin Luther and John Calvin are often at the forefront. However, Ulrich Zwingli, a Swiss reformer, also played a pivotal role in shaping Protestant theology and influencing religious history. Zwingli was instrumental in the Swiss...
TheCollector
What Is the Song of Solomon About? The Song of Solomon is different from any other book in the Bible. Some people are surprised at its...
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The Song of Solomon is different from any other book in the Bible. Some people are surprised at its content. It seems like letters two lovers wrote one another where the male and female describe the other from their perspective. The poems express excitement at the thought of the...
TheCollector
10 Best Places to Visit in Mexico for History Buffs Mexico might be renowned as a beach lover’s ideal destination, yet the allure for history lovers is...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
Mexico might be renowned as a beach lover’s ideal destination, yet the allure for history lovers is even greater. With a capital city built atop the ruins of ancient empires, a head-spinning array of sensational pre-Columbian ruins, world-famous pyramids, enchanting colonial...
TheCollector
What Do Reformed Churches Believe? John Calvin is one of the most recognized names among the reformers, and for good reason. Calvinism...
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John Calvin is one of the most recognized names among the reformers, and for good reason. Calvinism is named after this theologian and the Reformed Churches have the doctrines that he espoused at their core. Though there are several similarities between Reformed Churches and...
TheCollector
Agatha Christie: Discover the Woman Behind the Mystery Known as the “Queen of Crime,” Agatha Christie was a prolific novelist and playwright from England....
3 weeks ago
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Known as the “Queen of Crime,” Agatha Christie was a prolific novelist and playwright from England. Some of her most-known works include books like And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. She invented beloved fictional detectives like the iconic Hercule Poirot...
TheCollector
Eye of Horus Symbol: Meaning & Myth Egyptian religion was filled with magical symbols, amulets, and totems. The Eye of Horus, often...
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Egyptian religion was filled with magical symbols, amulets, and totems. The Eye of Horus, often called the Wadjet or Wedjat Wye, was one of the most significant. Sometimes seen as a distinctive goddess, it was also represented as an aspect of the sky god, Horus, and seen as a...
CrimethInc.
The Vanguard of Fantasy : A Poster in Homage to Up Against the Wall Motherfucker We’ve prepared a poster in homage to Up Against the Wall Motherfucker, the self-styled “street gang...
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We’ve prepared a poster in homage to Up Against the Wall Motherfucker, the self-styled “street gang with an analysis” active in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the late 1960s. Up Against the Wall Motherfucker gained notoriety participating in the occupation of Columbia...
TheCollector
Mexican Muralism: Defining a Nation’s Post-Revolution Identity After the Mexican Revolution, the country was left fragmented and impoverished. In this context, the...
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After the Mexican Revolution, the country was left fragmented and impoverished. In this context, the construction of a new national identity based on revolutionary ideals—such as social justice and inclusion—was necessary to unify the country and legitimize the ruling party,...
TheCollector
What Technological & Cultural Advances Were Achieved During the Gupta Empire? The Gupta Empire is widely regarded as India’s Golden Age. Although it existed for only about 230...
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The Gupta Empire is widely regarded as India’s Golden Age. Although it existed for only about 230 years (from the 3rd century AD to 543 AD), it had a profound influence on many areas of Indian society, including arts and science. The empire was established by Sri Gupta who came...
Wrong Side of...
The Sacred Fetish of Academic Freedom The Transition #2
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Battle of Raban, 958: The Byzantine Empire Breaks the Hamdanids In 944, Sayf al-Dawla established himself as the head of the independent Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo....
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In 944, Sayf al-Dawla established himself as the head of the independent Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo. Sayf’s rule over his emirate and his entire reputation rested on jihad against the infidels. In his case, the Byzantine Empire with whom he shared a border. He quickly became the...
TheCollector
Who Was Saint Paul? A Short Biography Saint Paul authored more epistles in the New Testament than any other apostle. Most of Christian...
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Saint Paul authored more epistles in the New Testament than any other apostle. Most of Christian theology builds on his writings at least in part. Few people who knew Saul (Paul) as a young man would have thought he would make such a significant impact on Christianity seeing that...
TheCollector
Monet Landscape Could Fetch Over $30 Million at Auction Next month, Claude Monet’s 1891 landscape Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule will hit the...
3 weeks ago
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Next month, Claude Monet’s 1891 landscape Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule will hit the auction block at Christie’s New York. The iconic Impressionist’s painting of a poplar tree-lined riverbank at sunset carries a pre-sale estimate of $30 million to $50 million.   Monet...
TheCollector
Escaping the Void: What Is the Human Paradox? The intellect has crowned the human being at the summit of the animal kingdom. With their...
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The intellect has crowned the human being at the summit of the animal kingdom. With their unprecedently refined ability to rationalize, analyze, and self-reflect, humans could manipulate and control their environment like no other species. However, such an extraordinary gift of...
TheCollector
How Did Apostle Paul’s Letters Shape Thessalonica’s Heritage? With a long history stretching back to ancient Greece, Thessalonica (known today as Thessaloniki) is...
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With a long history stretching back to ancient Greece, Thessalonica (known today as Thessaloniki) is Greece’s second-largest city. The church of Thessalonica was the last congregation of the New Testament era to which the apostle Paul wrote two of his epistles. What were these...
TheCollector
Was the New Testament Canon Chosen at the Council of Nicaea? Thanks to Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, and its film adaptation, many people think that the...
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Thanks to Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, and its film adaptation, many people think that the books that constitute today’s New Testament (NT) were first chosen in the 4th century at the Council of Nicaea. However, early in the 2nd century, Church Fathers had already...
TheCollector
Bikers, Outlaws, and Mobsters: A Brief History of New Hollywood By the end of the 1950s, Hollywood studios were verging on economic disaster after forty years of...
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By the end of the 1950s, Hollywood studios were verging on economic disaster after forty years of ruling U.S. and world cinema. Much of their core audience had grown up and moved to the suburbs, away from the grand city theaters but infinitely closer to their new living-room TVs....
TheCollector
La Tène Period: The Flourishing of Celtic Art When people think of the historical “Celts,” they are really thinking of the various peoples that...
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When people think of the historical “Celts,” they are really thinking of the various peoples that lived across the European continent adjacent to the ancient Greeks and Romans and in Britain during the Iron Age who belonged to the La Tène culture. “La Tène” refers to the last...
TheCollector
What Do Mormons Believe? Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), have a unique faith in...
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Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), have a unique faith in Christendom. Where most Churches hold scripture in high regard, they have other sacred sources that inform their faith and practice. They are a late development on the Christian...
TheCollector
10 Must-See Historic Sites in Tennessee Tennessee’s story is built on moments that shaped the course of American history. It was the last...
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Tennessee’s story is built on moments that shaped the course of American history. It was the last state to secede and the first to rejoin the Union after the Civil War. It witnessed the birth of country music, the struggle for civil rights, and the presidency of Andrew Jackson....
TheCollector
What Is the Voynich Manuscript? History is full of manuscript books, scriptures, and codex collections that are preserved in...
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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...
TheCollector
Christian Views on Limbo Explained: Definition & History The concept of Limbo is a theological view that many Roman Catholics held from the time of the...
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The concept of Limbo is a theological view that many Roman Catholics held from the time of the Church Fathers until recently. The “Limbo of the Infants” was never an official doctrine of the Catholic Church, while the Limbo of the Fathers and Patriarchs was. Limbo refers to a...
Classical Wisdom
The Odyssey Begins Thoughts on the New Translation?
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TheCollector
5 Discoveries That Made Archaeologists Question the Origins of Art Discoveries in the archaeological record have sparked debate about how we should define art. Some...
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Discoveries in the archaeological record have sparked debate about how we should define art. Some researchers argue that art must go beyond simple representations and instead convey symbolic ideas, beliefs, or concepts that transcend what was immediately visible to the artist....
TheCollector
The Truth We Need: What Is Motivated Reasoning? We may think that our search for objective truth is divorced from our emotions, but evidence from...
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We may think that our search for objective truth is divorced from our emotions, but evidence from cognitive psychology shows that our logical conclusions can be determined by our emotional need for something to be true, whether or not it actually is.  Motivated reasoning, also...
TheCollector
Deadly Earthquake Unearths Forgotten Monument in Myanmar A major earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, claiming thousands of lives and causing...
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A major earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, claiming thousands of lives and causing extensive damage across the Southeast Asian nation. Amidst the devastation, new fissures in the earth revealed long-buried ruins near Inwa, where the Burmese imperial capital of...
TheCollector
Understanding Philip Glass in 5 Compositions Philip Glass’s music is often labeled as minimalist. Minimalism is an art movement that erupted in...
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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...
TheCollector
The Roman Kings Who Ruled Rome Before the Republic Rome was famous for rejecting the idea of kingship. For almost 500 years, Rome was a staunch...
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Rome was famous for rejecting the idea of kingship. For almost 500 years, Rome was a staunch Republic, with rules in place to prevent any one man from gaining too much power. When Julius Caesar found himself king in all-but-name in 44 BCE, he was killed for it by his fellow...
TheCollector
Who Are the Philistines That Appear in the Bible? The Bible presents the Philistines as notable enemies of Israel and they are involved in some iconic...
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The Bible presents the Philistines as notable enemies of Israel and they are involved in some iconic scenes from the Old Testament. Among these are the narratives of David and Goliath, the Philistine giant warrior who was defeated by a shepherd boy, and the time when the Ark of...
TheCollector
Who Was Leo Strauss? (Bio and Philosophy) Leo Strauss was not just an ordinary philosopher or political thinker; his influence spanned...
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Leo Strauss was not just an ordinary philosopher or political thinker; his influence spanned continents and still generates discussion long after he died in 1973. So, who exactly was Leo Strauss? By delving into his time at the University of Chicago, how he approached classic...
TheCollector
Derrida vs. Saussure: Structuralism’s Criticism of Logocentrism Jacques Derrida is one of the foremost thinkers associated with “poststructuralism,” a tendency in...
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Jacques Derrida is one of the foremost thinkers associated with “poststructuralism,” a tendency in the latter half of the twentieth century to overturn structuralism. The disjuncture between the two hinges on a whole constellation of theoretical and attitudinal differences, but...
Classical Wisdom
What Makes a Hero? The Ancient Ideals of Heroism: Odysseus and Aeneas
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Memories From the Mire: 5 Revealing Bog Bodies In prehistoric Northwest Europe, it was not uncommon for the dead to be deliberately placed in the...
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In prehistoric Northwest Europe, it was not uncommon for the dead to be deliberately placed in the watery pools of peatlands. It was not the customary burial rite at the time, and many of these people ended up in bogs after meeting a very violent end, leading archeologists to...
TheCollector
5 Great Achievements of the Roman Emperor Nerva Marcus Cocceius Nerva became emperor of the Roman Empire following the assassination of Domitian in...
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Marcus Cocceius Nerva became emperor of the Roman Empire following the assassination of Domitian in 96 CE. Chosen by the senate, he was the first in the series known as the “Five Good Emperors.” But his short reign is often overshadowed by the chaos and fear caused by his...
TheCollector
Embalming Lenin: Why Was the Soviet Founder Permanently Preserved? At the edge of Moscow’s Red Square, by the walls of the Kremlin, stands a stone mausoleum that is...
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At the edge of Moscow’s Red Square, by the walls of the Kremlin, stands a stone mausoleum that is home to the preserved body of Vladimir Lenin, the founding father of the Soviet Union. While other world leaders throughout history were embalmed and later buried, Lenin’s remains...
TheCollector
Did Jephthah Sacrifice His Daughter in the Bible? Judges 11:29-40 tells the intriguing story of a mighty warrior named Jephthah who made an...
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Judges 11:29-40 tells the intriguing story of a mighty warrior named Jephthah who made an irresponsible vow to God that was not required of him. He vowed that if God gave his enemies in his hand, he would sacrifice whatever came out of the doors of his house when he returned...
TheCollector
5 Significant Islamic Philosophers of the Middle Ages Who were the most important thinkers of the Islamic world during the Middle Ages? While there would...
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Who were the most important thinkers of the Islamic world during the Middle Ages? While there would be too many to include in a single article, there have been several Islamic philosophers from the medieval period whose influence on philosophy stands out. This article discusses...
TheCollector
What Do Adventists Believe? The Adventist Church has a unique set of beliefs on several doctrines that set them apart from other...
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The Adventist Church has a unique set of beliefs on several doctrines that set them apart from other denominations. Their theology focuses on the Hebrew Sanctuary, they keep the seventh-day Sabbath, they believe people enter an unconscious state when they die, and they highly...
TheCollector
Maria Edgeworth’s Educational Philosophy in 5 Core Concepts Maria Edgeworth was ahead of her time in educational philosophy. She supported new teaching methods...
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Maria Edgeworth was ahead of her time in educational philosophy. She supported new teaching methods that remain important today. Her interesting ideas included practical education, moral instruction, critical thinking skills, individualized learning, and more parental involvement...
TheCollector
Walking Around Vienna: Pro Tips to Understand the City and Its History A walled-in city up until the late 19th century, Vienna has expanded over the last two-plus...
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A walled-in city up until the late 19th century, Vienna has expanded over the last two-plus centuries to include 23 “districts” and to incorporate a variety of foreign influences into its architecture. Historical figures like Mozart, Beethoven, and Freud have their roots here, as...
TheCollector
Mummified Cats: Companion Cats and Feline Worship in Ancient Egypt While it is common to see cats in modern households, cats are among the most recently domesticated...
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While it is common to see cats in modern households, cats are among the most recently domesticated animals. Archaeological evidence indicates their presence among human communities from approximately 9,000 years ago, far more recent than dogs, nearly 30,000 years ago, or even...
TheCollector
The 10 Best Places to Visit in Argentina for History Buffs Argentina is one of the most captivating and varied destinations in Latin America. It is a nation...
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Argentina is one of the most captivating and varied destinations in Latin America. It is a nation enriched with centuries of fascinating history and indescribable natural beauty. Luckily, even in its remotest and most breathtaking regions, like Patagonia in the far south and...
TheCollector
The Curse Of Atreus and the House of Atreides in Greek Mythology In Greek mythology, the kings of Mycenae and Sparta, Agamemnon and Menelaus, are both members of the...
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In Greek mythology, the kings of Mycenae and Sparta, Agamemnon and Menelaus, are both members of the House of Atreus. These Atreides, or sons of Atreus, were heroes of the Trojan War but also afflicted by a hereditary curse that saw each generation succumb to murder, cannibalism,...
TheCollector
What Were the Cities Paul’s Letters Reached? The Apostle Paul, following his conversion to Christianity, became not only a literary champion for...
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The Apostle Paul, following his conversion to Christianity, became not only a literary champion for the defense of the faith, but an evangelist who travelled throughout the Roman Empire establishing and encouraging churches in major cities.  According to Acts and Paul’s writings,...
TheCollector
Remains of Ancient Roman Wall Paintings Found in Spain Spanish archaeologists unearthed over 4,000 fragments of wall paintings that once decorated the...
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Spanish archaeologists unearthed over 4,000 fragments of wall paintings that once decorated the Roman villa of Barberes Sud in the town of Villajoyosa. By restoring and reassembling the painted pieces, conservators are beginning to reveal the rich decoration of the stately Roman...
TheCollector
Ancient Egyptian Town Discovered Near Alexandria Alexander the Great famously founded the city of Alexandria in 331 BCE. It went on to be the capital...
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Alexander the Great famously founded the city of Alexandria in 331 BCE. It went on to be the capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the center of the Hellenistic world. Now, just west of Alexandria, archaeologists have unearthed evidence of a much older Egyptian settlement,...
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Towns in Maine Maine’s story begins long before statehood, with Indigenous cultures, rugged coastlines, and early...
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Maine’s story begins long before statehood, with Indigenous cultures, rugged coastlines, and early European settlements shaping its identity. Over the centuries, Maine has been home to shipbuilders, revolutionaries, fishermen, and artists, each leaving behind traces of their era....
TheCollector
What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls (and Why Do They Matter)? Many people have doubted the accuracy of Biblical transmission over the ages. Claims that it no...
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Many people have doubted the accuracy of Biblical transmission over the ages. Claims that it no longer represents a true reflection of the original texts were commonplace. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in late 1946 or early 1947, those concerns were laid to rest....
TheCollector
The Ugliest (& Most Interesting) Buildings in Beijing When you imagine Beijing, China’s characteristic architecture likely comes to mind — red walls,...
3 weeks ago
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When you imagine Beijing, China’s characteristic architecture likely comes to mind — red walls, tiled roofs, and quaint courtyard dwellings. What visitors might not expect is to see skyscrapers and fantastical modern architecture that wouldn’t look out of place in Singapore or...
TheCollector
What Do Methodists Believe? Born in England from a revival in the Anglican Church, Methodism soon jumped across the ocean to...
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Born in England from a revival in the Anglican Church, Methodism soon jumped across the ocean to become a significant denomination among American churches. It originated with the brothers Wesley, John, and Charles, though the most notable name in Methodism was Francis Asbury....
TheCollector
Christie’s to Auction Basquiat Family Portrait Christie’s announced that a triple portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat will headline the auction...
3 weeks ago
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Christie’s announced that a triple portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat will headline the auction house’s 21st Century Evening Sale on May 14 in New York. Painted at the height of the artist’s career, Baby Boom is poised to fetch between $20 million and $30 million.   “Family...
TheCollector
Long-Lost City Ruins Likely Tied to Alexander the Great Once believed to be an ancient military outpost, an archaeological site in North Macedonia may...
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Once believed to be an ancient military outpost, an archaeological site in North Macedonia may actually be the remains of Lyncus, the lost capital city of the Kingdom of Lyncestis. Settled in the 7th century BCE, Lyncus was once an important hub for the Upper Macedonian Kingdom....
TheCollector
Not Just Balto: 7 Other Heroes From Nome’s 1925 Serum Run Living in isolated Alaska has its risks. Particularly in the early days of its development, Alaskan...
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Living in isolated Alaska has its risks. Particularly in the early days of its development, Alaskan citizens had limited access to resources, especially in the winter when the snow and ice made transport by traditional means difficult. In 1925, disaster struck when an outbreak of...
TheCollector
When Did Albert Einstein Die? After fleeing Nazi Germany for the United States in 1933, Albert Einstein spent the final years of...
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After fleeing Nazi Germany for the United States in 1933, Albert Einstein spent the final years of his life in America. Though he failed to contribute any more groundbreaking scientific contributions, he used his fame and voice to address the pressing issues of his day, from...
TheCollector
What Was the Domesday Book & How Was It Produced? The Domesday Book is a record of landholding in England from the reign of the Conqueror, surviving...
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The Domesday Book is a record of landholding in England from the reign of the Conqueror, surviving in its original manuscript and kept at the National Archives. The manuscript as we have it, as well as several of its antecedents, give insight into an extraordinary process of...
TheCollector
10 Must-See Historic Sites in Siena, Italy Added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the city center of Siena is distinctive for its...
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Added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the city center of Siena is distinctive for its winding streets and medieval and Renaissance buildings. Located in the Chianti Valley in Tuscany, a region renowned for its wine production, Siena is famous for its biannual horse race...
TheCollector
First Servile War: The Prophet’s Revolt That Shook Rome All parts of the Greek and later Roman world were built upon exploiting either their conquered foes...
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All parts of the Greek and later Roman world were built upon exploiting either their conquered foes or those with the simple misfortune of being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite its supreme importance in daily life, there were several attempts by slaves to throw...
TheCollector
7 Historic Sites in Hoi An: Stunning Scenes From the Lantern City Hoi An, Vietnam, is a tourist hotspot and a must-stop for foodies and history buffs alike. Strolling...
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Hoi An, Vietnam, is a tourist hotspot and a must-stop for foodies and history buffs alike. Strolling through Hoi An is like stepping back in time with its perfectly colorful, well-preserved, UNESCO World Heritage Site old city. The hustle and bustle of the streets, combined with...
TheCollector
How Did American Trucks Help the Soviet Union During World War II? Germany’s 1941 Operation Barbarossa hit the Soviet Union like a thunderbolt. The Nazi invasion hit...
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Germany’s 1941 Operation Barbarossa hit the Soviet Union like a thunderbolt. The Nazi invasion hit the Soviet’s critical production areas-the Ukraine and Belarus. Trucks became a lesser priority behind tanks or planes. The later American Lend-Lease Agreement helped to reverse...
TheCollector
Catherine de Medici: Who Was the Real ‘Serpent Queen’? The Medici family was one of the most powerful Italian families during the Renaissance era,...
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The Medici family was one of the most powerful Italian families during the Renaissance era, particularly when Catherine de Medici married King Henry II and became the Queen of France. Now known as the Serpent Queen, she had three sons who would rule much of France. But who was...
TheCollector
Magritte Drawing Bought on eBay Heads to Auction Last year, a Surrealist drawing by René Magritte sold on eBay for the bargain price of $1,580. Next...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Last year, a Surrealist drawing by René Magritte sold on eBay for the bargain price of $1,580. Next month, the pen-on-paper work is heading to auction with a much larger price tag.   Magritte Drawing Predicted to Sell for Six Figures   New Jersey auctioneer Rago/Wright will offer...
TheCollector
What Was the Radical Reformation? As its title suggests, the Reformation was a movement in central, eastern, and northern Europe that...
3 weeks ago
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As its title suggests, the Reformation was a movement in central, eastern, and northern Europe that tried to “reform” the teachings and practices of the established church centered in Rome. Some who agreed with the need for reform, however, were persuaded that the changes this...
TheCollector
How Was King Louis XIV Involved in the “Affair of the Poisons?” Magic, poison, executions and King Louis XIV came together to create what is now known as the...
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Magic, poison, executions and King Louis XIV came together to create what is now known as the ‘Affair of the Poisons’. How did one woman’s crime lead to a hunt to root out corruption at the heart of the royal court, and what role did the king come to play?   Who Was King […]
TheCollector
The Real Robin Hoods: Two Criminal Gangs in Medieval England The first written stories about Robin Hood emerged in the late 14th century, although they likely...
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The first written stories about Robin Hood emerged in the late 14th century, although they likely stem from an older oral tradition. There are multiple theories as to where the tradition came from, but it may have been partly inspired by turmoil in the earlier part of the century...
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Small Towns in the UK From the Norman Conquest to the Tudor wool boom, from monastic power to the Industrial Age, the UK’s...
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3 weeks ago
From the Norman Conquest to the Tudor wool boom, from monastic power to the Industrial Age, the UK’s most defining moments have left their imprint on landscapes far beyond the major cities. Historic castles, abbey ruins, medieval marketplaces, and literary landmarks can all be...
TheCollector
5 Women in Artificial Intelligence You Should Know Since the dawn of computer science, the quest for artificial general intelligence (AGI) has spurred...
3 weeks ago
5
3 weeks ago
Since the dawn of computer science, the quest for artificial general intelligence (AGI) has spurred fear and enthusiasm. “Can machines think?” was the question that kept great minds like Alan Turing awake at night and later gave rise to the famous Turing test and other thought...
TheCollector
What Was Socrates’s Daemon? Socrates, the famous ancient Greek philosopher, was put to death in Athens on charges of impiety and...
3 weeks ago
4
3 weeks ago
Socrates, the famous ancient Greek philosopher, was put to death in Athens on charges of impiety and corruption. In his own defense, Socrates testified that his inner voice, often called his “daemon,” prevented impious actions. Daemons are intermediary spiritual beings like...
CrimethInc.
The Occupation of the Sha'ban al-Dalou Building : A Report-Back from the University of Washington In this anonymously submitted report, participants in the occupation of the engineering building at...
2 days ago
4
2 days ago
In this anonymously submitted report, participants in the occupation of the engineering building at the University of Washington explore their motivations and recount the events in detail. This courageous action comes as the Israeli military prepares to open a new chapter in its...
TheCollector
What Is the History of Maritime Trade in the Indian Ocean? (Pre-European) To understand the history of the Indian Ocean trade, it is important to firstly understand its...
3 weeks ago
4
3 weeks ago
To understand the history of the Indian Ocean trade, it is important to firstly understand its location and geographical coverage. The Indian Ocean derives its name from India. The water body got its name from early European explorers who named it so due to its close proximity to...
TheCollector
5 Māori Leaders Who Shaped Aotearoa’s/New Zealand’s History The opposition between the Māori, the original inhabitants of Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the Pākehā,...
4 days ago
4
4 days ago
The opposition between the Māori, the original inhabitants of Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the Pākehā, the European newcomers, has been central to New Zealand’s recent history. Some Māori chiefs were open to dialogue with the Europeans and even fought alongside them. However,...
Flashbak
International Graffiti Times – 1884-1994 Dedicated to New York City street art, International Graffiti Times – IGTimes (aka: Subway Sun,...
3 days ago
4
3 days ago
Dedicated to New York City street art, International Graffiti Times – IGTimes (aka: Subway Sun, InterGalactic Times, GetHip International Times, Tight and IGT) announced itself with an image of the city’s Mayor Ed Koch covered in tags. After Koch, the arch enemy of “graffiti”,...
Classical Wisdom
The Forgotten Pyramids of Africa Uncovering the Majesty of Ancient Nubia
6 days ago
Overcoming Bias
Details Avoid Bias Long ago I noted:
3 days ago
Flashbak
Miners Strike, Bob Dylan Acts and ‘Iran Kills Children’: Posters in 1980s London Back to the 1980s now, to look at some of the posters stuck on walls in London captured by Peter...
4 days ago
4
4 days ago
Back to the 1980s now, to look at some of the posters stuck on walls in London captured by Peter Marshall as he walked around the city. There are posters calling for Iran and the country’s leader Ayatollah Khomeini (1900-1989) to ‘stop killing children’. Another tells passersby...
Overcoming Bias
Elite Confidence Rob Henderson has a great essay summarizing the expert vs elite distinction I discussed in 6 prior...
6 days ago
4
6 days ago
Rob Henderson has a great essay summarizing the expert vs elite distinction I discussed in 6 prior posts (1 2 3 4 5 6):
TheCollector
What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe? The Jehovah’s Witnesses have only been on the theological scene for just over 150 years, and the...
3 days ago
4
3 days ago
The Jehovah’s Witnesses have only been on the theological scene for just over 150 years, and the name has only been in use for less than 100 years. In that time, they have established themselves in many countries across the globe. In this relatively short period, the denomination...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, May 9, 2025 (On Lighter Bows) Fireside this week! First off, it seems like last week’s post on the Hollywood myth of archery...
2 days ago
4
2 days ago
Fireside this week! First off, it seems like last week’s post on the Hollywood myth of archery volley fire really got out there, so if you are a new reader just joining us, welcome! If you are in to discussions of historical tactics with an eye towards correcting common myths in...
Wrong Side of...
A nation’s rebirth after Nazism Germany’s integration miracle and other stories
3 days ago
Overcoming Bias
Surprisingly Blind You might expect us to understand our romantic couple breakups very well.
a week ago
Patterns in Humanity
The Assimilation Myth Across the world, ethnic socioeconomic disparities are here to stay
2 days ago
TheCollector
What Did the Romans Think of the Celts? The term “Celtic” often serves as an umbrella term for the “barbarian” people of Europe living...
3 days ago
3
3 days ago
The term “Celtic” often serves as an umbrella term for the “barbarian” people of Europe living outside the Greco-Roman cultural sphere. The Celts varied ethnically but have historically been grouped together based on similarities in language and customs. Much of what we now know...
TheCollector
How the Nopal Cactus Bridges Culture and Climate in Mexico Nopal cactus grows where others wouldn’t dare. Resilient, versatile, and adaptive, it is one of the...
2 days ago
3
2 days ago
Nopal cactus grows where others wouldn’t dare. Resilient, versatile, and adaptive, it is one of the most widely recognized endemic plants of the Americas. Yet the cactus’s symbolism is especially deep-seated in Mexico, where its importance to national identity is reflected in...
TheCollector
What Are the Differences Between the Different Bible Translations? There are more than 100 different bible translations available in English today, and scholars have...
3 days ago
2
3 days ago
There are more than 100 different bible translations available in English today, and scholars have translated parts of the Bible into more than 3,000 languages. Many claims that the Bible has been corrupted reference different translations rather than differences in ancient...
Classical Wisdom
The Rage of Achilles The Ultimate Hero?
2 days ago
Flashbak
Toxic Clowns, Grandpa’s Underwear and Matchbox Cars: Found Kodachrome Photos from the 1970s These found Kodachrome photograph from the 1970s are the second instalment from collector Thomas...
a week ago
2
a week ago
These found Kodachrome photograph from the 1970s are the second instalment from collector Thomas Hawk. His 1960s Kodachrome pictures were a treat, and now we move on a decade. We’ve started with the above picture of a circus clown. The effect of the lurid colours, that little...
Classical Wisdom
Learn Like an Ancient Egyptian Who did it better: Egypt or Greek?
4 days ago
TheCollector
Frieze New York Starts Strong With $3 Million Jeff Koons Sale Frieze New York 2025 opened its doors to collectors, museum leaders, artists, and other VIP guests...
3 days ago
2
3 days ago
Frieze New York 2025 opened its doors to collectors, museum leaders, artists, and other VIP guests on Wednesday, May 7. The thirteenth edition of the famed contemporary art fair brings together 67 exhibitors from over 25 countries at The Shed in New York City’s Hudson Yards...
TheCollector
Are We Prediction Machines? Predictive Processing & Brain Science Traditional neuroscience has reached an impasse, a plateauing in understanding. Mainly relying on...
3 days ago
2
3 days ago
Traditional neuroscience has reached an impasse, a plateauing in understanding. Mainly relying on technological advancements to further its understanding of the brain’s neurology, it is now severely lacking in theory. Pure data gives little insight without theory, yet...
TheCollector
What Is the Story Behind Van Gogh’s “Café Terrace at Night”? One of the first works that come to mind when thinking about Van Gogh is his signature ink-blue sky...
2 days ago
2
2 days ago
One of the first works that come to mind when thinking about Van Gogh is his signature ink-blue sky dotted with dazzling stars. Not content with painting a traditional night scene in austere dark paints, Van Gogh used color, movement, and contrast to bring life into his Café...
Flashbak
Dorothy Pulis Lathrop’s Illustrations For Walter de la Mare’s The Three Mulla-Mulgars “Long long is Time, though books be brief: Adventures strange ay, past belief…” – Walter de la Mare,...
a week ago
2
a week ago
“Long long is Time, though books be brief: Adventures strange ay, past belief…” – Walter de la Mare, The Three Mulla-Mulgars illustrated by Dorothy Pulis Lathrop   Soon after Dorothy Pulis Lathrop (April 16, 1891–December 30, 1980) was hired to illustrate a book of experimental...
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Egypt Classical Wisdom Litterae
4 days ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Cleopatra, Alexander, Socrates
a week ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Why Archers Didn’t Volley Fire This week we’re looking at a specific visual motif common in TV and film: the arrow volley. You know...
a week ago
2
a week ago
This week we’re looking at a specific visual motif common in TV and film: the arrow volley. You know the scene: the general readies his archers, he orders them to ‘draw!’ and then holds up his hand with that ‘wait for it’ gesture and then shouts ‘loose!’ (or worse yet, ‘fire!’)...
A Collection of...
Collections: How Gandalf Proved Mightiest: Spiritual Power in Tolkien This week, I want to keep unloading my Tolkien-related thoughts, turning from last week’s character...
2 weeks ago
2
2 weeks ago
This week, I want to keep unloading my Tolkien-related thoughts, turning from last week’s character study to a look at the way ‘magic’ and spiritual power work in Tolkien’s legendarium and in particular to how contests between fundamentally magical beings in Middle-earth are...
Wrong Side of...
The Bards of the Second Reformation 'John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs' by Ian Leslie
a week ago
TheCollector
Agatha Christie: Queen of…Theater? Renowned as the “Queen of Crime” for her iconic detectives such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple,...
3 days ago
2
3 days ago
Renowned as the “Queen of Crime” for her iconic detectives such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, many readers never learn that Christie was also an avid fan of theater and quite the playwright herself. Lovers of Christie’s work are missing a significant aspect of the author’s...
Wrong Side of...
Reflections on the Turquoise Revolution in England Wrong Side of History Newsletter #62
22 hours ago
TheCollector
Gustave Courbet Masterpiece Undergoes Public Restoration Completed in 1850, A Burial at Ornans made Gustave Courbet an enemy of the French art establishment....
2 days ago
2
2 days ago
Completed in 1850, A Burial at Ornans made Gustave Courbet an enemy of the French art establishment. Now, the life-sized masterwork is undergoing restoration work at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.   “This painting is a manifesto of the Realist movement,” said the museum in a...
Hidden History
The Japanese Fugo Balloon Bomb During the Second World War, the Japanese launched thousands of incendiary bombs against the United...
a week ago
2
a week ago
During the Second World War, the Japanese launched thousands of incendiary bombs against the United States that were carried by top secret balloons. In April 1942, the United States launched a daring raid on Japan using 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers under the command of Lt Col Jimmy...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for April 2025 Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of...
a week ago
2
a week ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of April. 100r.co, updated water, ditch bag, woodstove installation, and added new photos and information on first-aid kit. Rabbit Waves, updated Triangular Bandages with animated gifs,...
Overcoming Bias
Sincerity Adds To Drift The 2008 book Ritual and Its Consequences: An Essay on the Limits of Sincerity is hard for me to...
4 days ago
2
4 days ago
The 2008 book Ritual and Its Consequences: An Essay on the Limits of Sincerity is hard for me to understand, but I’ve been trying to figure it out, as the concepts it considers seem interesting and important:
Flashbak
Found Studio Portraits of Children – 1970-71 We’re back to the late mid-Century in this album of found photographs from Steenbergen in the south...
2 days ago
2
2 days ago
We’re back to the late mid-Century in this album of found photographs from Steenbergen in the south of The Netherlands. Last time going through this haul we focused on weddings. Now we look at studio portraits of children. The photos were taken by professional photographer Van...
TheCollector
Japan’s 1931 Invasion of Manchuria: Here’s What Happened On September 18, 1931, the explosion of the Japanese-owned railway track near the city of Mukden,...
2 days ago
2
2 days ago
On September 18, 1931, the explosion of the Japanese-owned railway track near the city of Mukden, Manchuria in northeastern China, marked the beginning of a full-scale Japanese invasion of Manchuria. With minor resistance from the Chinese army, Japanese troops occupied the region...
Flashbak
Summer in Nags Head, North Carolina, 1975 “I was working on my own, and I was wrestling with what the highest and best use of the photograph...
15 hours ago
2
15 hours ago
“I was working on my own, and I was wrestling with what the highest and best use of the photograph in color could be. Eventually, I came up with a formulation for myself that went something like, “in the good or successful color photograph, the definition or the meaning of the...
African History...
The currencies and monetary systems of pre-colonial Africa A bewildering variety of currencies circulated freely in the various states and societies of Africa...
a week ago
2
a week ago
A bewildering variety of currencies circulated freely in the various states and societies of Africa during the pre-colonial period.
Trying to Understand...
The Day After. And the day after that.
4 days ago
Flashbak
Show Us Your Knickers: Vintage Snapshots Of People And Their Underwear Underwear. Comfy apple catchers, snaggy thongs or reassuring Y-fronts? In this gallery from Robert...
6 days ago
2
6 days ago
Underwear. Comfy apple catchers, snaggy thongs or reassuring Y-fronts? In this gallery from Robert E. Jackson’s photograph collection, we see some of the vast range of undies – those designed to be seen and other ‘unmentionables’ Victoria really should keep secret.    “Made you...
TheCollector
Everything You Need to Know About Hieronymus Bosch: Life, Art, Legacy For most who hear the name “Hieronymus Bosch,” their thoughts go to The Garden of Earthly Delights...
4 days ago
2
4 days ago
For most who hear the name “Hieronymus Bosch,” their thoughts go to The Garden of Earthly Delights or the fantastical figures birthed from the artist’s imagination. When considering the number of works cataloged in museums around the world, it stands to reason that viewers often...
TheCollector
What Happened to the Celts? The various Celtic peoples living across the European continent during the Iron Age experienced a...
4 days ago
2
4 days ago
The various Celtic peoples living across the European continent during the Iron Age experienced a cultural peak around the same time as the expansion of the Roman Empire. But what happened to them after the fall of Rome? Did they die out, or were they conquered by other invading...
TheCollector
Can Science Change How Humanity Views Itself? Our understanding of who we are, our place in the world, and the very nature of our being is an...
4 days ago
2
4 days ago
Our understanding of who we are, our place in the world, and the very nature of our being is an intricate tapestry woven from the threads of knowledge, culture, and personal experience. Yet, throughout history, perhaps the most transformative influence on this ever-evolving...
History Today Feed
The Hidden Death in the Victorian Wallpaper The Hidden Death in the Victorian Wallpaper JamesHoare Wed, 05/07/2025 - 08:50
4 days ago
History Today Feed
Real Monks Cry: Masculinity in the Monastery Real Monks Cry: Masculinity in the Monastery JamesHoare Tue, 05/06/2025 - 08:55
5 days ago
Wrong Side of...
Labour’s demographic crisis Will they lose the 'green wall'?
a week ago
Hidden History
Florida’s Barker Gang Shootout In January 1935, gangster “Ma” Barker and her son Fred were killed by the FBI in a multi-hour...
5 days ago
2
5 days ago
In January 1935, gangster “Ma” Barker and her son Fred were killed by the FBI in a multi-hour shootout in the little town of Ocklawaha FL. Arizona “Arrie” Clark was born in the rural town of Ash Grove MO in October 1873, where she played the fiddle and sang in the local church...
Overcoming Bias
Abstraction Worsens Drift My Ph.D.
a week ago
TheCollector
Jamaican Activist: Who Was Marcus Garvey? To some, Marcus Garvey was a visionary – prophet of Pan-Africanism, pioneer of black pride, freedom...
3 days ago
2
3 days ago
To some, Marcus Garvey was a visionary – prophet of Pan-Africanism, pioneer of black pride, freedom fighter. His influence sparked black power movements from the Nation of Islam to Rastafari and inspired anti-colonial thinkers around the world. To others, his authoritarian style,...
TheCollector
Hispanic & Latino: Meaning, History, and Best Practices of the Terms In the Western Hemisphere, particularly in the United States, terms such as Hispanic and Latino have...
yesterday
2
yesterday
In the Western Hemisphere, particularly in the United States, terms such as Hispanic and Latino have been used to identify and give more visibility to people whose linguistic or cultural roots fall within the Spanish-speaking linguistic, ethnic, or cultural context: Spain, Latin...
TheCollector
Why Is Whistler’s Mother So Popular? James McNeill Whistler’s most famous painting represents his mother Anna, dressed in modest dark...
2 days ago
2
2 days ago
James McNeill Whistler’s most famous painting represents his mother Anna, dressed in modest dark attire and seated next to a gray wall. Over the years, the painting became iconic and even developed an entire mythology around it, quite far removed from the circumstances of its...
African History...
Stone towns on the Highveld of South Africa: an archaeological history of the Sotho-Tswana capitals... The eastern plateau of South Africa, known as the Highveld, is dotted with the ruins of numerous...
a week ago
Res Obscura
AI makes the humanities more important, but also a lot weirder Historians are finally having their AI debate
4 days ago
TheCollector
Military Structures and More Found at Egypt’s “Fortress of the East” Situated in the Sinai Desert, the Tell Abu Saifi archaeological site is known as ancient Egypt’s...
4 days ago
2
4 days ago
Situated in the Sinai Desert, the Tell Abu Saifi archaeological site is known as ancient Egypt’s “Fortress of the East” for its extensive military infrastructure. New excavations at the site are further illuminating the area’s strategic importance during the Ptolemaic and Roman...
History Today Feed
The Otsu Incident The Otsu Incident JamesHoare Tue, 05/06/2025 - 08:56
5 days ago
Wrong Side of...
Friends and enemies of the liberal order Bombing democracy in order to save it
5 days ago
Wrong Side of...
The 2020ers The Transition #4
a week ago
Trying to Understand...
Another Of My Essays In French. "C’est quoi cette « guerre » dont vous parlez ?"
a week ago
Trying to Understand...
Do You Believe In Magic? In our fragile society, what other hope is there?
a week ago
Dreams of Space -...
Journey to the Sun (1961) The second promotional comic I wanted to share is Journey to the Sun. It is also from Boys’ and...
a week ago
1
a week ago
The second promotional comic I wanted to share is Journey to the Sun. It is also from Boys’ and Girls’ March of Comics and the only other one I've found that is about space flight.  It was handed to customers of stores that sold Little Yankee Shoes.   Journey to the Sun is a...
TheCollector
Your Guide to Detroit’s 10 Must-See Art Attractions Michigan’s largest city is a center of culture and expression. You’ll find works by some of the...
a week ago
1
a week ago
Michigan’s largest city is a center of culture and expression. You’ll find works by some of the country’s best artists side by side with pieces created by the city’s endless local talent.   From downtown’s famous museums to up-and-coming art districts, you’ll have plenty of...
History Today Feed
Remembering South Vietnam Remembering South Vietnam JamesHoare Wed, 04/30/2025 - 09:14
a week ago
History Today Feed
‘Rot: A History of the Irish Famine’ by Padraic X. Scanlan review ‘Rot: A History of the Irish Famine’ by Padraic X. Scanlan review JamesHoare Tue, 04/29/2025 - 08:50
a week ago
Global Inequality...
‘Now, things are different, we must not look to the past’ Lenin in 1917 and 1922, applied to the present
a week ago
Classical Wisdom
Xenophon Hemingway of the Ancient World?
a week ago
TheCollector
A Guide to 5 Virtual Russian Museums for Art & History Lovers Vibrant, traditional, and modern, Russia’s two major cultural centers represent centuries of the...
4 days ago
1
4 days ago
Vibrant, traditional, and modern, Russia’s two major cultural centers represent centuries of the country’s rich and turbulent history. If you want to explore streets packed with museums and galleries, an online tour of Russia’s top five museums offers armchair travelers a perfect...
TheCollector
The Art of the Ancient Canaanites: Overview & Images The Canaanites occupied the Levant, sometimes known as Syria-Palestine, during the Bronze Age (c....
a week ago
1
a week ago
The Canaanites occupied the Levant, sometimes known as Syria-Palestine, during the Bronze Age (c. 3300-1200 BCE). They developed all the hallmarks of an advanced culture, including art, which is perhaps better categorized as “material culture” because it includes objects that...
TheCollector
Before the White House: Who Really Was America’s First President? As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, George...
a week ago
1
a week ago
As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, George Washington performed many of the functions of a chief executive and head of state. After presiding over the convention that framed the US Constitution of 1787, Washington was elected the...
TheCollector
Digging Through Detroit’s Past: A History Lover’s Top 10 As big cities go, Detroit is unlike anywhere else in the United States. From its contributions to...
a week ago
1
a week ago
As big cities go, Detroit is unlike anywhere else in the United States. From its contributions to music and art to its rapid industrialization and deindustrialization, the city continues to evolve and inspire. Below are the top 10 places to experience Detroit’s historical legacy....
TheCollector
What Is Christian Pacifism? Exploring Non-Violent Resistance Not only does the New Testament present Jesus as having refrained from using violence, he also...
a week ago
1
a week ago
Not only does the New Testament present Jesus as having refrained from using violence, he also reportedly taught his followers to love their enemies and to respond to evil with good. While Jesus taught that God would one day judge the wicked, he never suggests that humans should...
TheCollector
Rutherford B. Hayes: The 19th President & His Legacy The 19th president of the United States is often overshadowed by the giants who directly preceded...
a week ago
1
a week ago
The 19th president of the United States is often overshadowed by the giants who directly preceded him during a tumultuous time in US history, including Lincoln and Grant. However, staunch in his beliefs, Hayes brought a drastic overhaul to the federal government. A precursor of...
TheCollector
The History of Lisbon: A Guide for Visitors Lisbon is one of the oldest European cities. Founded by the Phoenicians, Lisbon was also home to the...
2 weeks ago
1
2 weeks ago
Lisbon is one of the oldest European cities. Founded by the Phoenicians, Lisbon was also home to the Romans, the Alans, and the Moors before the Christian armies of the Reconquista reclaimed the city in 1147.   This was the center of the Portuguese Maritime Expansion, the first...
Global Inequality...
A view of the world After the Global Financial Crisis, the World Bank got more much involved in South-East Asian...
a week ago
1
a week ago
After the Global Financial Crisis, the World Bank got more much involved in South-East Asian countries than before.
Classical Wisdom
In Search of Cleopatra: The Early Years Taking a Title Literally
a week ago
TheCollector
Positivism: Is it Dead? While positivism was the most defining philosophy of science in the 20th century, it is now...
4 days ago
1
4 days ago
While positivism was the most defining philosophy of science in the 20th century, it is now considered dead and has primarily been used as an oppositional term, a caricature, and a strawman easily dismissed and used for propping up ideas. Despite the derision of positivism,...
TheCollector
The 13 Original Colonies: History, Map, and Facts Achieving independence as the United States of America was a lengthy and unlikely struggle for the...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
Achieving independence as the United States of America was a lengthy and unlikely struggle for the 13 original colonies. Over the centuries, the territory of the 13 colonies was contested by several European powers before the British established control of the Atlantic coast of...
TheCollector
The Incredible Story of the Great Siege of Gibraltar and the American Revolution Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Lexington, and Yorktown are all famous battles that serve as examples of the...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Lexington, and Yorktown are all famous battles that serve as examples of the conflict of the American War of Independence. North America was, of course, the main theater of the war, and specifically, the northeast of the United States is home to virtually...
TheCollector
What’s the Best Time of Year to Visit Peru? Trying to determine the right time to visit Peru is challenging. If you have glanced at a map, noted...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
Trying to determine the right time to visit Peru is challenging. If you have glanced at a map, noted the proximity of the country to the Equator, and deduced the climate must be idyllic and glorious all year round, you’ll be surprised. Peru boasts an eclectic geography and...
TheCollector
Roman Road and Rare Artifacts Unearthed in Switzerland Excavations at the Roman settlement of Augusta Raurica in northern Switzerland revealed evidence of...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
Excavations at the Roman settlement of Augusta Raurica in northern Switzerland revealed evidence of a roadway, burial sites, and unusual artifacts—all dating back nearly 2,000 years.   What Is Augusta Raurica?   Augusta Raurica is the oldest known Roman colony along the Rhine...
TheCollector
The 25th Amendment: Presidential Succession and Removal In November 1963, US President John F. Kennedy was tragically assassinated by a sniper. His death...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
In November 1963, US President John F. Kennedy was tragically assassinated by a sniper. His death renewed questions about presidential succession and removal for incapacitation. What if both the president and vice president were killed at the same time? What if a president was...
TheCollector
Why Is the Bolshoi Ballet So Famous? A Brief History For almost 250 years, the Bolshoi Ballet has remained synonymous with the art of dance. As one of...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
For almost 250 years, the Bolshoi Ballet has remained synonymous with the art of dance. As one of the most celebrated companies, the Bolshoi Ballet has roots in eighteenth-century imperial Russia. Beloved by Romanov tsars and Soviet leaders, the Bolshoi Ballet has a reputation...
TheCollector
Before Newton: How the Islamic Golden Age Shaped the Physics We Know The rise of Islam across India, the Middle East, and Spain kindled intellectual achievements that...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
The rise of Islam across India, the Middle East, and Spain kindled intellectual achievements that are still relevant today. The Islamic Golden Age, lasting some five hundred years from the 8th to 14th centuries, saw important discoveries – especially in physics.   What Was the...
TheCollector
Napoleon’s Rise, Fall, and Legacy in History Born on the island of Corsica in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte came to prominence as a brilliant military...
5 days ago
1
5 days ago
Born on the island of Corsica in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte came to prominence as a brilliant military commander during the French Revolution. After taking power in Paris in November 1799, Napoleon made himself emperor in 1804. He led a series of victorious campaigns to dominate...
TheCollector
What Is Tantra and What Can It Teach Us About Religion and Desire? The goal of Buddhism is to reach enlightenment, in which one is supremely at peace with the nature...
6 days ago
1
6 days ago
The goal of Buddhism is to reach enlightenment, in which one is supremely at peace with the nature of reality — the highest form of pleasure. It is often posited that the fickleness of human desire hinders such a pursuit. Tantra, however, gives us a novel interpretation of such...
TheCollector
Meet the Māori: History & Culture of Aotearoa’s People The ancestors of the Māori sailed to Aotearoa/ New Zealand, “the land of the long white cloud,” from...
6 days ago
1
6 days ago
The ancestors of the Māori sailed to Aotearoa/ New Zealand, “the land of the long white cloud,” from Eastern Polynesia, between 1250 and 1300 CE. They had inhabited the North and South Islands of present-day New Zealand for at least three centuries before the coming of Dutch...
TheCollector
What Is Provenance & Why Is It Important for Someone Buying Art? Provenance can be summarized as the documented history of an artwork’s ownership. In auction...
6 days ago
1
6 days ago
Provenance can be summarized as the documented history of an artwork’s ownership. In auction catalogs and even online auction lot descriptions, there’s always a brief description of an artwork’s prior ownership. This usually comes with various documents proving the past sales and...
TheCollector
Celtic Cosmology: Creation Myths, Pantheon, and the Mysterious Otherworld The term “Celtic” is a nebulous one and refers to a broad, heterogeneous group of people spread...
6 days ago
1
6 days ago
The term “Celtic” is a nebulous one and refers to a broad, heterogeneous group of people spread across time and space. Nevertheless, similarities in religious beliefs and practices are some of the elements that unite the disparate group known as the Celts. This article attempts...
TheCollector
Lucas Horenbout: The Highest Paid Artist at the Court of Henry VIII Lucas Horenbout, also known as Lucas Hornebolt, was a Flemish painter who worked in England as the...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
Lucas Horenbout, also known as Lucas Hornebolt, was a Flemish painter who worked in England as the king’s painter. He was taught to illuminate manuscripts and paint miniatures by his father, alongside his sister, who also became an artist at the English court. Lucas Horenbout...
TheCollector
What Did Karl Marx Say About Climate Change? Karl Marx didn’t say anything specific about climate change yet in many ways predicted it. Living...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
Karl Marx didn’t say anything specific about climate change yet in many ways predicted it. Living through the rise of the Industrial Revolution, he witnessed the emerging ecological consequences of rapid industrialization. In this context, he believed that the exploitation of...
TheCollector
6 Great Political Compromises That Shaped America The American nation under the US Constitution began with a compromise that, among other things,...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
The American nation under the US Constitution began with a compromise that, among other things, quelled the founding fathers’ anxieties over slavery and racial equality before the law. As the United States grew in size and influence, the very same issue would bring future leaders...
TheCollector
Why Was Cluny Abbey Once the Heart of Western Christendom? From its foundation in the 10th century to the decline of its influence in the early 12th, a program...
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a week ago
From its foundation in the 10th century to the decline of its influence in the early 12th, a program of reform and a renewal of monastic life unfolded at Cluny Abbey that would change Latin Christendom forever.   Cluny Abbey’s Independent Origins    In the heart of Burgundy in...
TheCollector
What Remains of Roman York? A Visitor’s Guide York was originally a small Celtic settlement before the arrival of the Roman Empire, but it soon...
a week ago
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a week ago
York was originally a small Celtic settlement before the arrival of the Roman Empire, but it soon became one of the most important cities on the island. It was first a fort but quickly flourished into a vibrant regional capital. The city of York nowadays, with its narrow...
TheCollector
Is the Sign of Jonah a Contradiction in the Bible? The Gospel of Matthew refers to the sign of Jonah on two occasions and the Gospel of Luke, once...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Gospel of Matthew refers to the sign of Jonah on two occasions and the Gospel of Luke, once (Matthew 12:39-41; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29-30). Matthew 12:39-41 specifies a detail that the other two do not. In the minds of many, this detail results in a contradiction in the...
TheCollector
What Is the History of Urban Green Spaces in Cities? Throughout the history of Western towns and cities, urban green spaces have always served purposes...
a week ago
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a week ago
Throughout the history of Western towns and cities, urban green spaces have always served purposes linked to beauty, relaxation, status, and culture. The captivating Renaissance gardens which emerged in the 15th century are examples of gardens designed for cultural representation...
TheCollector
5 Incredible Historic Day Trips From Barcelona The thriving heart of coastal Catalonia, Barcelona, is a history buff’s paradise in its own right....
a week ago
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a week ago
The thriving heart of coastal Catalonia, Barcelona, is a history buff’s paradise in its own right. Venture just beyond the city limits, however, and you’ll be greeted with a kaleidoscope of sociopolitical, cultural, and art history waiting to be unpacked. These five Catalan...
TheCollector
Red Gold: How Cochineal Dye Built Mexican Cities A dye extracted from crushed bugs might sound archaic, but it is surprisingly ubiquitous....
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a week ago
A dye extracted from crushed bugs might sound archaic, but it is surprisingly ubiquitous. Cochineal—parasitic insects that live on nopal (prickly pear) cacti across Latin America—are the key ingredients in a vivid red pigment known as carmine, which colors foods, beverages,...
TheCollector
Sports in the Ancient World Before the Greeks Today, when one thinks of the origin of sports and athletic competitions, the ancient Greeks often...
a week ago
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a week ago
Today, when one thinks of the origin of sports and athletic competitions, the ancient Greeks often come to mind. Although many popular modern sports were inherited from the Greeks and Romans, the Greeks and Romans were influenced by earlier cultures. An examination of textual,...
TheCollector
What Do Christian Baptists Believe? Contrary to popular belief, Baptists did not come from the 16th-century Anabaptist Movement. Rather,...
a week ago
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a week ago
Contrary to popular belief, Baptists did not come from the 16th-century Anabaptist Movement. Rather, they grew from Puritanism in the Netherlands and England. As their name suggests, a key aspect of their faith is that baptism takes the form of immersion and only those capable of...
TheCollector
What Was Saint Augustine’s Narrative of the Two Cities? Saint Augustine’s final and most monumental work was his City of God. It spans over one thousand...
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a week ago
Saint Augustine’s final and most monumental work was his City of God. It spans over one thousand pages across twenty books. He spent thirteen years writing this from age fifty-nine to seventy-two. While it is considered by some to be the first formalized “philosophy of history,”...
TheCollector
Complete List of Roman Emperors: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome The start of imperial Rome is officially dated to 27 BCE, when Gaius Octavius Caesar was awarded the...
a week ago
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a week ago
The start of imperial Rome is officially dated to 27 BCE, when Gaius Octavius Caesar was awarded the name Augustus, signaling his position as emperor. Following his precedent, Rome would be ruled by men with the title Augustus until Germanic tribes deposed the last emperor in...
TheCollector
When Was the Bible Written? The Traditional Christian View Disclaimer: This article presents the traditional Christian view on the authorship and timeline of...
a week ago
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a week ago
Disclaimer: This article presents the traditional Christian view on the authorship and timeline of the Bible. It is important to recognize that historians typically disagree with many of the dates and authorship claims used by the Christian tradition presented below.   The Bible...
TheCollector
Can Your Expectations Shape Reality? Reality encompasses an infinite spectrum of possibilities. There are no limits to what we can...
a week ago
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a week ago
Reality encompasses an infinite spectrum of possibilities. There are no limits to what we can experience. Yet we restrict reality to what we believe should and should not happen. These beliefs constitute our conscious and unconscious expectations of the past, present, and future....
TheCollector
7 Historic Sites in Chiang Mai (Thailand’s “Rose of the North”) Chiang Mai, the second largest province in Thailand and the epicenter of education in Northern...
a week ago
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a week ago
Chiang Mai, the second largest province in Thailand and the epicenter of education in Northern Thailand, is a mashup of captivating cultural experiences, mouthwatering food, and stunning architecture. As the capital of the Lanna Kingdom until 1558, Chiang Mai intermixes its...
TheCollector
A Complete Timeline of Ancient Greece: From Mycenaean to Roman Greece For over two thousand years, successive societies forged the civilization of ancient Greece. From...
a week ago
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a week ago
For over two thousand years, successive societies forged the civilization of ancient Greece. From the early societies of the Bronze Age to its conquest by and cultural fusion with Rome, ancient Greece has had a significant impact on shaping the modern world. Understand the flow...
TheCollector
What Are the Seven Deadly Sins? The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. During early...
a week ago
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a week ago
The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. During early Christianity, some Church Fathers identified them as deadly because they damage the believer’s relationship with God and usually lead to other sins. The idea of seven deadly sins has its...
TheCollector
What is Protestantism? Beliefs and Key Ideas of a Major Christian Branch The three major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism (approx. 50%), Protestantism (approx....
a week ago
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a week ago
The three major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism (approx. 50%), Protestantism (approx. 37%), and Eastern Orthodoxy (approx. 12%). Although Protestantism has a foothold across the globe, it seems strongest in North America, Northern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa,...
TheCollector
Beyond the Diagnosis: 3 Theories of Autism & What They Get Wrong How far back do you think autism research goes? There have almost undoubtedly been autistic people...
a week ago
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a week ago
How far back do you think autism research goes? There have almost undoubtedly been autistic people as long as there have been people, but surprisingly, it was not until the 1940s that autism was discussed as its own psychiatric entity. Since then, many theories have tried to...
TheCollector
Roosevelt’s Big Stick: How America Flexed Its Muscle on the World Stage Theodore Roosevelt embraced a belief throughout his entire adult life that America was destined to...
a week ago
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a week ago
Theodore Roosevelt embraced a belief throughout his entire adult life that America was destined to be a major player in world affairs. Roosevelt was fond of saying that America should “speak softly, but carry a big stick.” Roosevelt’s Big Stick Policy not only defined his...
TheCollector
What Major Discoveries Did Isaac Newton Make? The celebrated English scientist Sir Isaac Newton was born on January 4, 1643, in a small village in...
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a week ago
The celebrated English scientist Sir Isaac Newton was born on January 4, 1643, in a small village in England named Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth. Newton later on became one of the most celebrated English scientists. He was also one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution....
TheCollector
Cinco de Mayo: An American Celebration with a Mexican Twist? The celebration of Cinco de Mayo is unique: a civic holiday from one country that emigrated and...
a week ago
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a week ago
The celebration of Cinco de Mayo is unique: a civic holiday from one country that emigrated and found a home—and a more enthusiastic crowd—in another nation. It’s not an official holiday in the United States, but it almost feels like one. How is it possible that Cinco de Mayo, a...
TheCollector
The Devaluation of the Denarius Under Augustus: What Happened? In the 3rd century BCE, the Romans began using the silver denarius as their standard form of...
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a week ago
In the 3rd century BCE, the Romans began using the silver denarius as their standard form of currency. As the Republic grew in size and stature, the denarius played an important role in the international economy, requiring more silver to mint the coins. The system continued to...
TheCollector
Charles V: The Holy Roman Emperor Who Shaped Europe Due to a unique set of circumstances at the beginning of the 16th century, a teenage monarch...
a week ago
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a week ago
Due to a unique set of circumstances at the beginning of the 16th century, a teenage monarch inherited much of Europe, including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and parts of Italy. Throughout his reign, Emperor Charles V fought to keep his empire together against his French,...
TheCollector
Baths of Caracalla: Public Baths in Imperial Rome Much of what we know about individual Roman emperors comes from what they chose to build. In the 1st...
a week ago
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a week ago
Much of what we know about individual Roman emperors comes from what they chose to build. In the 1st century CE, Nero was vilified for his greed, hoovering up great tracts of the city to turn into a private palace, the infamous Domus Aurea. A decade later, Vespasian was lauded...
TheCollector
The Ottoman Empire in World War I: An Overview While much of the focus of World War I centers on the Western and Eastern Fronts where Germany is...
a week ago
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a week ago
While much of the focus of World War I centers on the Western and Eastern Fronts where Germany is seen as having played the biggest role of the Central Powers, to the southeast, the Ottoman Empire, controlling half of the Middle East, played a vital role in combating the Entente....
TheCollector
Ancient Egyptian Tomb Art May Depict Milky Way Galaxy Ancient Egyptians appear to have depicted the Milky Way in their funerary art, according to a new...
a week ago
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a week ago
Ancient Egyptians appear to have depicted the Milky Way in their funerary art, according to a new study published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. Dr. Or Grauer, associate professor of astrophysics at the University of Portsmouth, analyzed images of the sky...
TheCollector
American Civil War Uniforms: A Visual Journey Uniforms are used for identification as well as to provide a sense of unity during any conflict, and...
a week ago
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a week ago
Uniforms are used for identification as well as to provide a sense of unity during any conflict, and the American Civil War (1861-1865) was no exception. At their most basic level, Civil War uniforms distinguished Union troops from Confederate troops: Union troops wore blue while...
TheCollector
Live Slower: What is the Slow Movement? Speed has long been synonymous with efficiency, productivity, and success. Bewitched by the promises...
a week ago
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a week ago
Speed has long been synonymous with efficiency, productivity, and success. Bewitched by the promises of speed, we now collectively find ourselves caught in a constant dizzying rush. No matter how much we hurry up, we never seem fast enough to catch up with our endless...
TheCollector
The Khmer Empire: Beyond Angkor When you hear “Khmer Empire,” your mind likely leaps straight to Angkor Wat, and who could blame...
a week ago
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a week ago
When you hear “Khmer Empire,” your mind likely leaps straight to Angkor Wat, and who could blame you? Yet the empire was far bigger and more brilliant than one temple complex alone. Stretching across centuries and much of Southeast Asia, the Khmer world was a web of cities,...
TheCollector
Geta: The Short Reign and (Tragic) Death of a Roman Emperor The life of the Roman emperor Gera is, in some ways, a tragic tale of brotherly rivalry and parental...
a week ago
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a week ago
The life of the Roman emperor Gera is, in some ways, a tragic tale of brotherly rivalry and parental miscalculation. He was also an emperor for whom we have little reliable historical information. His story is told mostly through the histories of his father, the emperor Septimius...
TheCollector
Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Two-and-a-half centuries after it was first delivered, Patrick Henry’s famous quote, “give me...
a week ago
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a week ago
Two-and-a-half centuries after it was first delivered, Patrick Henry’s famous quote, “give me liberty or give me death,” lives on in American culture as a symbol of defiance against British colonial authorities intent on oppressing the 13 colonies. From a speech at the Virginia...
TheCollector
Anne Frank: Her Life, Death, and Legacy Explained On August 4, 1944, a group of German soldiers stormed into the premises of the Frank family’s...
a week ago
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a week ago
On August 4, 1944, a group of German soldiers stormed into the premises of the Frank family’s business in Amsterdam. During the search, the soldiers discovered a secret annex behind a bookcase, arresting the eight people who had been hiding there for two years. Among them was the...
TheCollector
8 Key Battles of Napoleon Napoleon proved to be a capable military commander from a young age. From his actions during the...
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a week ago
Napoleon proved to be a capable military commander from a young age. From his actions during the Siege of Toulon to his accession as Emperor of the French to his final defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon stamped his legacy upon the continent of Europe and beyond.   The history of his...
TheCollector
The Secrets of Rome’s Capuchin Crypt: Interview with Pietro Costantini The Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (Capuchins) is one of the most fascinating...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (Capuchins) is one of the most fascinating in Rome, and is best known for its incredible crypt. The underground crypt holds the remains of Capuchin monks, crafted into symbolic works of art. The site has fascinated...
TheCollector
Napoleon’s Life, Family, and Personal Traits While in exile on the island of Saint Helena, Napoleon remarked to a loyal follower, “What a novel...
a week ago
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a week ago
While in exile on the island of Saint Helena, Napoleon remarked to a loyal follower, “What a novel my life has been!” (Gueniffey, 1). Indeed, many aspects of Napoleon’s biography read like fiction. For example, by his mid-twenties, Napoleon was already a successful commanding...
TheCollector
Wild Bill Hickok: The Legendary Lawman of the Wild West Wild Bill Hickok’s life story was subject to huge amounts of exaggeration. His deeds were told and...
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a week ago
Wild Bill Hickok’s life story was subject to huge amounts of exaggeration. His deeds were told and retold in grandiose style to adoring audiences obsessed with tales of larger-than-life characters and their wild adventures.   Hickok, however, hardly needed the exaggeration. He...
TheCollector
Battle of Verdun: Who Won and Its Lasting Impact By the end of 1915, it was clear to the German General Staff that there was a growing discrepancy in...
a week ago
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a week ago
By the end of 1915, it was clear to the German General Staff that there was a growing discrepancy in the number of troops on the Western Front. The Entente forces were growing in size and Germany needed to keep pace. Germany sought to mitigate the growing strength of the Entente,...
TheCollector
Hidden Message Found on Paris’s Ancient Egyptian Obelisk An ancient Egyptian obelisk is revealing its long-lost secrets—all thanks to the keen eye of a local...
a week ago
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a week ago
An ancient Egyptian obelisk is revealing its long-lost secrets—all thanks to the keen eye of a local Egyptologist. After noticing something unusual about the 3,000-year-old Luxor Obelisk in central Paris, Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, a lecturer at Sorbonne University,...
TheCollector
How Is Greek Mythology Still Relevant Today? Even in ancient times, ancient Greece was recognized as a leader in culture, philosophy, and...
a week ago
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a week ago
Even in ancient times, ancient Greece was recognized as a leader in culture, philosophy, and politics. When the Romans brought Greece into their Empire, they were highly influenced by their art, literature, politics, and more. They even integrated Greek religion into their own,...
TheCollector
Pope Francis: A Pope Like No Other Pope Francis was elected pope on March 13, 2013, after Pope Benedict XVI resigned on February 28,...
a week ago
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a week ago
Pope Francis was elected pope on March 13, 2013, after Pope Benedict XVI resigned on February 28, 2013. He served as head of the papacy for 12 years, 1 month, and 1 week, during which he proved unique in several ways.   Although Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio received some votes...
TheCollector
The Pantheon of Greek Gods and Goddesses: Olympians, Titans, and More Worshiping the gods was an important part of daily life in ancient Greece. The most powerful gods...
a week ago
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a week ago
Worshiping the gods was an important part of daily life in ancient Greece. The most powerful gods were the 12 Olympians who held supreme power over the world. These gods and goddesses resided on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. From there, they oversaw human...
TheCollector
The First Independent US Intelligence Agency: What Was the OSS? The OSS, or Office of Strategic Services, came into being on President Roosevelt’s order on June 13,...
a week ago
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a week ago
The OSS, or Office of Strategic Services, came into being on President Roosevelt’s order on June 13, 1942, during World War II. The agency’s responsibilities included consolidating the nation’s intelligence efforts, collecting and analyzing strategic information, and conducting...
TheCollector
Iris: Greek Goddess and Divine Messenger Being able to pass freely between Olympus, the Underworld, and the mortal realm, Hermes fulfilled an...
a week ago
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a week ago
Being able to pass freely between Olympus, the Underworld, and the mortal realm, Hermes fulfilled an important role in Greek mythology as the messenger god. However, the Angelos Athanatôn, or “messenger of the gods,” was not the only emissary for the Olympians. The goddess Iris,...
TheCollector
5 Things to Do in Chicago if You Love History Chicago is a city that’s full of historical places and hidden mysteries everywhere you look. From...
a week ago
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a week ago
Chicago is a city that’s full of historical places and hidden mysteries everywhere you look. From Indigenous landmarks to gangster hideouts, few places in the United States of America have more history to experience. For any history lover, the Windy City is a must-see destination...
TheCollector
Sistine Chapel Closes Ahead of Conclave to Elect Next Pope Following the death of Pope Francis last week, the Vatican announced the indefinite closure of its...
a week ago
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a week ago
Following the death of Pope Francis last week, the Vatican announced the indefinite closure of its famed Sistine Chapel as preparations are made for the upcoming papal conclave.   Pope Francis was the head of the Roman Catholic Church for 12 years. His successor will be chosen...
Trying to Understand...
A Week Off And A New Language See you again soon
a year ago
CrimethInc.
2024: Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire : The Year in Review It’s time to take stock of the year have just lived through and get oriented for the year ahead....
4 months ago
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4 months ago
It’s time to take stock of the year have just lived through and get oriented for the year ahead. Here, we review the events of 2024 and our own contributions to the fight for a better world. A year that began amid genocide in Palestine and war in Ukraine and Sudan is concluding...
Res Obscura
Simulating History with ChatGPT The Case for LLMs as Hallucination Engines
a year ago
Open Culture
Binge-Watch Classic Television Programs Free: The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Lone Ranger, Dragnet, That... Earlier this week, we featured the 99-year-old Dick Van Dyke’s performance in Coldplay’s new music...
4 months ago
125
4 months ago
Earlier this week, we featured the 99-year-old Dick Van Dyke’s performance in Coldplay’s new music video, full of visual references to the sitcom that made him a household name in the early nineteen-sixties. And a household name he remains these six decades later, though one does...
Open Culture
The New York Times Presents the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, Selected by 503 Novelists, Poets... For longtime readers of American book journalism, scrolling through the New York Times Book Review’s...
4 months ago
113
4 months ago
For longtime readers of American book journalism, scrolling through the New York Times Book Review’s just-published list of the 100 best books of the twenty-first century will summon dim memories of many a once-unignorable critical fuss. At one time or another over the past 25...
Trying to Understand...
The Rise of Extractive Politics It's about having small expectations.
a year ago
Wrong Side of...
Rats! The Year of the Plague #2
3 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Sacred Flames and Divine Philosophers
a year ago
Open Culture
Francis Ford Coppola Picks His Favorite Criterion Movies & Gives Advice to Filmmakers Upon stepping into the hallowed Criterion Closet, stocked with hundreds of that cinephile video...
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99
4 months ago
Upon stepping into the hallowed Criterion Closet, stocked with hundreds of that cinephile video label’s finest releases, Francis Ford Coppola speaks of a director who “believed in a film he wanted to make, and used his entire fortune, because the financing system of the time...
Classical Wisdom
Should We Follow Silly Laws? And what happens when we don’t?
a year ago
A Collection of...
Gap Week: December 27, 2024 (Year in Review) Hey folks! Year is coming to a close, so once again I’m going to offer a bit of an end-of-year...
4 months ago
96
4 months ago
Hey folks! Year is coming to a close, so once again I’m going to offer a bit of an end-of-year reflection on the state of the project, along with a brief ‘what’s on the stove’ coverage of what may be coming up. Also, here’s a cat picture: In terms of the project itself, 2024 was,...
African History...
A history of the Majeerteen Sultanate: 1700-1927. Maritime trade and diplomacy in the northern Horn of Africa.
a year ago
Open Culture
Compare the “It Ain’t Me Babe” Scene from A Complete Unknown to the Real Bob Dylan & Joan Baez... A Complete Unknown, the new movie about Bob Dylan’s rise in the folk-music scene of the early...
4 months ago
95
4 months ago
A Complete Unknown, the new movie about Bob Dylan’s rise in the folk-music scene of the early nineteen-sixties and subsequent electrified break with it, has been praised for not taking excessive liberties, at least by the standards of popular music biopics. Its conversion of a...
weird medieval guys
An 800 year prayer book that's decorated with puns Plus a little history of manuscript illustration
a year ago
Open Culture
Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter of Advice to People Living in the Year 2088 There was a time when a company like Volkswagen could commission various luminaries to write letters...
4 months ago
94
4 months ago
There was a time when a company like Volkswagen could commission various luminaries to write letters to the future, then publish them in Time magazine as part of an ad campaign. In fact, that time wasn’t so very long ago: it was the year 1988, to be precise, when no less an...
Classical Wisdom
How To Eat: An Ancient Guide to Healthy Living Registration *NOW* Open
3 months ago
African History...
A history of the Rozvi kingdom (1680-1830) From Changamire's expulsion of the Portuguese to the ruined cities of Zimbabwe.
a year ago
Overcoming Bias
Celebrity v CEO v Politician Why are celebrities, CEOs, and politicians three different types of people who don’t overlap much?
3 months ago
Open Culture
Read J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Letter From Father Christmas” To His Young Children (1925) J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for the sweeping fantasy landscapes of Lord of The Rings and The...
4 months ago
93
4 months ago
J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for the sweeping fantasy landscapes of Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. Apart from being a celebrated author, the Oxford University professor of Anglo-Saxon was also a devoted father who doted on his children. In 1920, a few short years after Tolkien...
Overcoming Bias
When They Hear Less Than You Say Something must be done.
3 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Addenda: The Socii This week, as an addendum to our series on Roman civic governance (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV, V),...
a year ago
91
a year ago
This week, as an addendum to our series on Roman civic governance (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV, V), we’re going to take a look at how Rome handles those parts of Italy it controls but which it does not inhabit. These are Rome’s ‘allies’ (socii), a euphemistic label for the...
A Collection of...
Collections: On the Reign of Alexander III of Macedon, the Great? Part II This is the second and final part of our look at Alexander III of Macedon (Part I), who you almost...
11 months ago
90
11 months ago
This is the second and final part of our look at Alexander III of Macedon (Part I), who you almost certainly know as Alexander the Great. Last week, we looked at the sources for Alexander’s life, the historiography (that is, the history-of-the-history) of his modern reception and...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Mothers of the Ancient World
12 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: On the Reign of Alexander III of Macedon, the Great? This week, in part as a follow-on to our series on the contest between Hellenistic armies and Roman...
11 months ago
90
11 months ago
This week, in part as a follow-on to our series on the contest between Hellenistic armies and Roman legions, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about Alexander III, who you almost certainly know as Alexander the Great. But I want to discuss his reign with that title, ‘the...
Trying to Understand...
A Short Essay About A Long-Playing Record One I bought fifty years ago.
12 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Coinage and the Tyranny of Fantasy ‘Gold’ This week on the blog I want to take a brief detour into discussing historical coinage, particularly...
4 months ago
89
4 months ago
This week on the blog I want to take a brief detour into discussing historical coinage, particularly in the context of modern fantasy and roleplaying settings. In particular, the notions I want to tackle are first how did ancient currency systems work in terms of value (what...
Wrong Side of...
The Terrible Loneliness of Genius The Canon Club: Vincent van Gogh
3 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Can We Choose NOT to Be Harmed? How can we train Resilience?
a year ago
Open Culture
Explore the Newly-Launched Public Domain Image Archive with 10,000+ Free Historical Images We’ve often featured the work of the Public Domain Review here on Open Culture, and also various...
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87
4 months ago
We’ve often featured the work of the Public Domain Review here on Open Culture, and also various searchable copyright-free image databases that have arisen over the years. It makes sense that those two worlds would collide, and now they’ve done so in the form of the just-launched...
Open Culture
How Leonardo da Vinci Painted The Last Supper: A Deep Dive Into a Masterpiece When Leonardo da Vinci was 42 years old, he hadn’t yet completed any major publicly viewable work....
4 months ago
86
4 months ago
When Leonardo da Vinci was 42 years old, he hadn’t yet completed any major publicly viewable work. Not that he’d been idle: in that same era, while working for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, he “developed, organized, and directed productions for festival pageants, triumphal...
Open Culture
Hunter S. Thompson Remembers Jimmy Carter’s Captivating Bob Dylan Speech (1974) 51 years ago, Hunter S. Thompson wrote Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, which “is still...
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85
4 months ago
51 years ago, Hunter S. Thompson wrote Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, which “is still considered a kind of bible of political reporting,” noted Matt Taibbi in a 40th anniversary edition of the book. Fear and Loathing ’72 entered the canon of American political...
Flashbak
The Sun by Frans Masereel, A Story Without Words – 1919 “One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
“One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for; but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light,” – James Baldwin, Nothing Personal      The Sun (1919) by Frans Masereel (1889–1972) opens with an artist resting his head on his desk beneath an open...
Open Culture
99-Year-Old Dick Van Dyke Sings & Dances in a Touching New Coldplay Video, Directed by Spike Jonze There’s one thing right with our world, and it’s Dick Van Dyke. Appearing in a new Coldplay music...
5 months ago
85
5 months ago
There’s one thing right with our world, and it’s Dick Van Dyke. Appearing in a new Coldplay music video, Mr. Van Dyke dances barefoot and sings knowingly a little off-key—before reflecting on a century of life on this planet. What is love? Is he afraid of dying? What does luck...
weird medieval guys
Explore medieval life and death with these 5 brilliant interactive maps! Travels, murders, and......eels?!!
a year ago
Res Obscura
LLM-based educational games will be a big deal For the first time, digital games can make qualitative assessments of learning. Here's what that...
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83
12 months ago
For the first time, digital games can make qualitative assessments of learning. Here's what that might look like.
Trying to Understand...
Things Are Falling Apart ... And the centre's not looking too good, either.
a year ago
Open Culture
What’s Entering the Public Domain in 2025: Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Faulkner’s The Sound and... Each Public Domain Day seems to bring us a richer crop of copyright-liberated books, plays, films,...
4 months ago
82
4 months ago
Each Public Domain Day seems to bring us a richer crop of copyright-liberated books, plays, films, musical compositions, sound recordings, works of art, and other pieces of intellectual property. This year happens to be an especially notable one for connoisseurs of Belgian...
Classical Wisdom
Do You Listen Well? Lessons on Listening from Plutarch
a year ago
weird medieval guys
The Medieval Monks Who Lived on Top of Giant Pillars A history of the monastic high life
a year ago
Flashbak
Liverpool Kids: Surviving Inner City Life In 1975 Paul Trevor’s photographs of Liverpool in 1975 formed part of The Survival Programme, which featured...
12 months ago
81
12 months ago
Paul Trevor’s photographs of Liverpool in 1975 formed part of The Survival Programme, which featured pictures, interviews, drafts and other materials made by member of the Exit Photography Group – Nicholas Battye, Chris Steele-Perkins and Paul Trevor. Created between 1974 and...
Trying to Understand...
War Is Complicated. And not just the fighting bit.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Honesty: What's In It For Me? First, do lots of harm.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Into the Waste Land Nothing connects.
a year ago
Res Obscura
Centuries of Childhood The history of childhood is one of multiplicity — so why do we tell parents such simplistic stories...
11 months ago
79
11 months ago
The history of childhood is one of multiplicity — so why do we tell parents such simplistic stories about it?
African History...
The heroic age in Darfur: a history of the pre-colonial kingdom of Darfur ca. 1500-1916. The political marginalization of the Darfur region since the creation of colonial Sudan has resulted...
10 months ago
79
10 months ago
The political marginalization of the Darfur region since the creation of colonial Sudan has resulted in one of the continent's longest-standing conflicts, which threatens to destroy the country's social fabric and its historical heritage. Just as the plight of modern Darfur...
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Denmark Are immigrants overrepresented in crime? If so, which immigrants? And why?
9 months ago
Classical Wisdom
The Mother Goddess of Rome And Her Controversial Religion
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: On the Gracchi, Part I: Tiberius Gracchus This week, we’re going to talk a bit about the brothers Tiberius (trib. 133) and Gaius (trib. 123-2)...
3 months ago
78
3 months ago
This week, we’re going to talk a bit about the brothers Tiberius (trib. 133) and Gaius (trib. 123-2) Gracchus, the famous Roman reformers of the late second century. There’s actually a fair bit to say about both of them, so we’re going to split this treatment over two weeks,...
African History...
Persian myths and realities on the Swahili coast: contextualizing the 'Shirazi' civilization. Why geneticists found what archeologists and historians had failed to locate.
a year ago
African History...
The myth of Mansa Musa's enslaved entourage "Stories about his [Mansa Musa's] journey have numerous anecdotes which are not true and which the...
a year ago
77
a year ago
"Stories about his [Mansa Musa's] journey have numerous anecdotes which are not true and which the mind refuses to admit".
A Collection of...
Collections: Ancient Greek and Phoenician Colonization Davis senatum consuluit a.d. III Idus Octobris apud aedem Patreontis; de colonis Graecis et Punicis...
a year ago
76
a year ago
Davis senatum consuluit a.d. III Idus Octobris apud aedem Patreontis; de colonis Graecis et Punicis verba fecit… This week we’re taking a brief look, by ACOUP Senate request, at Greek and Phoenician colonization in the ancient Mediterranean. In particular, the focus requested was...
A Collection of...
Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator II, Part II Last week, we started our nitpicking of Gladiator II (2024) by looking at the problems with the...
4 months ago
76
4 months ago
Last week, we started our nitpicking of Gladiator II (2024) by looking at the problems with the films chronology and its portrayal of the Roman army of the early third century, both in its equipment and in its battle tactics. This week, we’re going to move forward to the main...
African History...
on the Nubian priests of Rome and the Moors of Spain When the 12th-century West African scholar Ibrahim al-Kanemi moved to the city of Seville in Spain...
4 months ago
76
4 months ago
When the 12th-century West African scholar Ibrahim al-Kanemi moved to the city of Seville in Spain and became one of the most celebrated Andalusian poets, he wasn't the first from his region to visit the Moorish kingdom.
Dr Alun Withey
The Troublesome Gibbet of John Haines, the ‘Wounded Highwayman’ of Hounslow. For this post, I am going to wander into the world of crime in the late eighteenth century, and the...
a year ago
76
a year ago
For this post, I am going to wander into the world of crime in the late eighteenth century, and the grisly fate that befell many who committed the heinous crime of highway robbery. (Full disclosure: I’m not an historian of crime, gibbets or highwaymen…perhaps the case I’m about...
African History...
a brief note on Ethnicity and the State in Africa the evolution of the Tutsi/Hutu dichotomy in the precolonial Great Lakes.
12 months ago
Trying to Understand...
China And Russia Walk Into A Room. And don't say a word about Europe.
11 months ago
African History...
The intellectual history of Ethiopia and Eritrea: Ge'ez manuscripts and scholars (ca. 200-1900CE) The unique manuscript collections of Ethiopia and Eritrea written in the Ge'ez script are arguably...
4 months ago
76
4 months ago
The unique manuscript collections of Ethiopia and Eritrea written in the Ge'ez script are arguably the best-known works of literature produced in pre-colonial Africa.
Classical Wisdom
Are Protests the Best Way to Say Nay? Can Mobs Make the Change They Want to See?
12 months ago
Dr Alun Withey
Finding Your Beard Style in the 19th Century In the previous post I noted the variety of facial hair styles that were worn by men in the...
over a year ago
75
over a year ago
In the previous post I noted the variety of facial hair styles that were worn by men in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, depending on factors including status, location and age. Rather than each age having one particular style of facial hair that was ubiquitous, the...
African History...
a brief note on themes in African art. Cartography, Culture and History in the artwork of the Bamum kingdom.
9 months ago
weird medieval guys
Why did medieval people invent so many collective nouns? A pride of lions, a paddling of ducks, and....a herd of harlots?
over a year ago
African History...
Kingdoms at the forest's edge: a history of Mangbetu (ca. 1750-1895) The northern region of central Africa between the modern countries of D.R.Congo and South Sudan has...
11 months ago
75
11 months ago
The northern region of central Africa between the modern countries of D.R.Congo and South Sudan has a long and complex history shaped by its internal cultural developments and its unique ecology between the savannah and the forest. Among the most remarkable states that emerged in...
Trying to Understand...
Useless in Gaza As always, if you don't know what you're doing.
a year ago
African History...
The forgotten ruins of Botswana: stone towns at the desert's edge. At its height in the 17th century, the stone towns of the ‘zimbabwe culture’ encompassed an area the...
11 months ago
75
11 months ago
At its height in the 17th century, the stone towns of the ‘zimbabwe culture’ encompassed an area the size of France. The hundreds of ruins spread across three countries in south-eastern Africa are among the continent’s best-preserved historical monuments and have been the subject...
African History...
The Swazi kingdom and its neighbours in the 19th century: from the rise of Zulu to the British an island in the maelstrom
over a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
Cuts, Rashes & Chatter! The Pain of the 18th-century Shave! Unless there are particular reasons, for example a skin condition, or a faulty razor, shaving today...
over a year ago
75
over a year ago
Unless there are particular reasons, for example a skin condition, or a faulty razor, shaving today is usually a pretty mundane – if not a pleasant – experience. Indeed, the rise of traditional barbershops over the past few years, offering shaving as an experience, together with...
African History...
A history of the Buganda kingdom. government in central Africa.
a year ago
Flashbak
The Months: Gardens of Art by Eugène Grasset In 1894, Eugène Grasset (25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) received a commission from the French...
4 months ago
74
4 months ago
In 1894, Eugène Grasset (25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) received a commission from the French department store La Belle Jardinière to create 12 original works of art to be used as a calendar. Grasset’s woodcuts show women in fashionable costumes of the period each bearing a sign...
A Collection of...
Gap Week: April 19, 2024 (Manor Lords First Impression) Hey folks, this week is a bit of a gap week as I am heading out to the annual meeting of the Society...
a year ago
74
a year ago
Hey folks, this week is a bit of a gap week as I am heading out to the annual meeting of the Society for Military History (and, indeed, by the time you read this, I will be there). Normally, I post the abstract of my conference talk for these sorts of things, but since I …...
Res Obscura
Why I love etymologies Telephones popularized "hello," "lox" is 8,000 years old, and other reasons why the history of words...
a year ago
74
a year ago
Telephones popularized "hello," "lox" is 8,000 years old, and other reasons why the history of words matters
Res Obscura
The leading AI models are now very good historians Three case studies with GPT-4o, o1, and Claude Sonnet 3.5, and what they mean
3 months ago
Res Obscura
Before psychedelic therapy for wartime trauma, there was narcosynthesis Notes on using AI to analyze three World War II-era films about drugs and PTSD
a year ago
Res Obscura
Why did clothing become boring? An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like...
5 months ago
74
5 months ago
An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like when they didn't
Trying to Understand...
Games Nations Play. But they forget the people and the Street.
a year ago
A Collection of...
Gap Week (January 24, 2025) Hey, folks. As much as I hate doing it, I have to pull a ‘gap week’ this week, as the second part of...
3 months ago
74
3 months ago
Hey, folks. As much as I hate doing it, I have to pull a ‘gap week’ this week, as the second part of the Gracchi series (on the younger brother, Gaius Gracchus) isn’t done yet and I have some academic travel that I need to prepare for which is going to demand most of my …...
Classical Wisdom
Do We Need Dress Codes? Are standards elevating or elitist?
a year ago
African History...
A complete history of Abomey: capital of Dahomey (ca. 1650-1894) Urbanism in the forest region.
a year ago
Open Culture
The Sinking of the Britannic: An Animated Introduction to the Titanic’s Forgotten Sister Ship We all know about the Titanic. Less often do we hear about the Britannic—the sister passenger liner...
4 months ago
73
4 months ago
We all know about the Titanic. Less often do we hear about the Britannic—the sister passenger liner that the British turned into a hospital ship during World War I. Launched in 1914, two years after the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Britannic featured a number of...
African History...
a brief note on contacts between ancient African kingdoms and Rome. finding the lost city of Rhapta on the east African coast.
11 months ago
Patterns in Humanity
Sweden's immigration taboo Immigration data kept behind closed doors
9 months ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, July 12, 2024 Fireside this week! I had hoped to have the start of the Imperator Teaching Paradox series ready for...
10 months ago
73
10 months ago
Fireside this week! I had hoped to have the start of the Imperator Teaching Paradox series ready for this week, but it has been a bit stubborn and I do not want to derail my book writing/revising schedule in order to push it out before it is ready. So that will almost certainly...
Global Inequality...
The end and the beginning of history Three ways of thinking about Lea Ypi’s Free
10 months ago
African History...
A history of the Loango kingdom (ca.1500-1883) : Power, Ivory and Art in west-central Africa. Africa's past carved in ivory
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic, Part V: The Courts This is the fifth part of our five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV) on the structure of the...
a year ago
72
a year ago
This is the fifth part of our five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries BC, the ‘Middle Republic.’ Last time we looked at the odd but very important role played by the ROman Senate as the central...
African History...
The pyramids of ancient Nubia and Meroe: death on the Nile and the mortuary architecture of Kush a complete history of an African monument
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Too Much of Not A Lot Winning the day and losing the war.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Teach Your Children .... Not to be afraid of moral relativism.
over a year ago
African History...
Life and works of Africa's most famous Woman scholar: Nana Asmau (1793-1864) On the contribution of Muslim women in African history.
a year ago
African History...
Guns and Spears: a military history of the Zulu kingdom. Popular history of Africa before the colonial era often divides the continent’s military systems...
a year ago
72
a year ago
Popular history of Africa before the colonial era often divides the continent’s military systems into two broad categories —the relatively modern armies along the Atlantic coast which used firearms, versus the 'traditional' armies in the interior that fought with arrows and...
Trying to Understand...
We Are All Civilisational States It's just that some people don't realise it.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Threat of Back to Normal Global power has always been distributed.
over a year ago
CrimethInc.
News from the Front: The Reflections of a Russian Anarchist in Rojava : On the Collapse of Assad,... The toppling of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was many years overdue. Yet the tragedies in...
4 months ago
72
4 months ago
The toppling of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was many years overdue. Yet the tragedies in Syria are not over. Israel has bombed hundreds of locations around the country and seized a considerable amount of land in the southwest, while Turkish proxy forces are threatening...
African History...
a brief note on the history of Music in Africa plus an overview of Ethiopian musical traditions
a year ago
African History...
A complete history of the Sudano-Sahelian architecture of west Africa: from antiquity to the 20th... The westernmost region of Africa which forms the watershed of the great rivers of the Senegal, the...
3 months ago
72
3 months ago
The westernmost region of Africa which forms the watershed of the great rivers of the Senegal, the Volta and the Niger, is home to one of the world's oldest surviving building traditions, called the ‘Sudano-Sahelian’ architecture.
A Collection of...
Collections: On Bread and Circuses Coming off of some of the discussion of Gladiator II (I, II), this week I want to discuss the place...
4 months ago
71
4 months ago
Coming off of some of the discussion of Gladiator II (I, II), this week I want to discuss the place of ‘bread and circuses’ in the narrative of Roman decadence and decline. This is one of those phrases which long ago entered the standard lexicon, but which gets used and...
Flashbak
A Shagtastic Tour of Swinging Britain in 1967 Among British Pathé’s newsreel films made for UK cinemas up until 1970 vis this wonderful time of...
a year ago
71
a year ago
Among British Pathé’s newsreel films made for UK cinemas up until 1970 vis this wonderful time of Swinging Britain capsule from 1967. Shot on 35mm film and backed by the lilting holiday camp music, a narrator these videos are not a little kitsch. In Swinging Britain we take an...
Trying to Understand...
Let's Hear It For The "Underlying Causes." Here's the answer. What was the question again?
over a year ago
Flashbak
High-Class Erotic Illustrations by Édouard-Henri Avril (NSFW) In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, pornography was the preserve of the well to...
9 months ago
71
9 months ago
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, pornography was the preserve of the well to do. Smut was published in  shot-run books of a couple of hundred copies. These books were full of stories and poems, but the highlights were the explicit erotic illustrations drawn...
Hidden History
The French Space Cat Felicette France joined the Space Race in the 1950s, and one of her missions was a test flight involving the...
4 months ago
71
4 months ago
France joined the Space Race in the 1950s, and one of her missions was a test flight involving the first (and so far only) cat to enter space. It did not end well for the cat. In the aftermath of the Second World War, France, under the leadership of General Charles De Gaulle, was...
Trying to Understand...
One Way Or Another .... We're going to get you.
a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
News Just In: Dr W Joins TikTok – @dralun7 Yes, it’s true – I’ve finally joined the 21st century and decided to try something new. I am still...
4 months ago
71
4 months ago
Yes, it’s true – I’ve finally joined the 21st century and decided to try something new. I am still only setting things up, so please be patient with the extremely cheesy and clunky vids as I try to work out what I’m doing! I’ve only got a couple of videos up at the moment too, …...
African History...
The radical philosophy of the Hatata: a 17th century treatise by the Ethiopian thinker Zara Yacob the historical context of the Hatata in African philosophy.
a year ago
Flashbak
A Book of Dreams: 25 Vintage Visions To Awaken Your Mind We’re dreaming today with collector Robert E Jackson. Triggered by the undertow of memory and fed by...
12 months ago
70
12 months ago
We’re dreaming today with collector Robert E Jackson. Triggered by the undertow of memory and fed by desire, our dreams are visions of other lives, possible clues to the future. “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the...
Patterns in Humanity
The case for prisons The purpose of prisons, and the evidence of their efficacy
7 months ago
Dr Alun Withey
Should I Stay or Should I go?: Encouraging travel in the early modern period. Travel today is often portrayed as a healthy activity, good for body, mind…and what’s left of the...
11 months ago
70
11 months ago
Travel today is often portrayed as a healthy activity, good for body, mind…and what’s left of the spirit!  A good holiday is generally viewed as a tonic, and holiday company advertisements extol the virtues of ‘getting away’, encountering new places, people and cultures and (if...
Global Inequality...
The life of Maynard K. A review of Zach Carter’s “The Price of Peace”
11 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Another Of My Essays In French And some odds and ends.
9 months ago
African History...
A history of the south-western Saharan towns of Tichitt, Walata, Wadan and Chinguetti (800-1912) Trade and civilization on west-africa's desert frontier
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Service to what nation? Why people should stop talking about conscription.
10 months ago
Trying to Understand...
The Year's Midnight. Kindness can be a revolutionary act.
over a year ago
African History...
A General History of Iron Technology in Africa ca. 2000BC-1900AD. The smelting and working of iron is arguably the best known among the pre-colonial technologies of...
9 months ago
69
9 months ago
The smelting and working of iron is arguably the best known among the pre-colonial technologies of Africa, and the continent is home to some of the world's oldest sites of ironworking.
Open Culture
How A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Its Beloved Soundtrack Album, Almost Never Happened A Charlie Brown Christmas uses a cast of amateur child voice actors, deals with the theme of...
4 months ago
69
4 months ago
A Charlie Brown Christmas uses a cast of amateur child voice actors, deals with the theme of seasonal depression, and culminates in the recitation of a Bible verse, all to a jazz score. It was not, safe to say, the special that CBS had expected, to say nothing of its sponsor, the...
African History...
The empire of Kong (ca. 1710-1915): a cultural legacy of medieval Mali. At the close of the 18th century, the West African hosts of the Scottish traveler Mungo Park...
9 months ago
69
9 months ago
At the close of the 18th century, the West African hosts of the Scottish traveler Mungo Park informed him of a range of mountains situated in "a large and powerful kingdom called Kong".
weird medieval guys
Why is medieval art so weird? Listen now (73 min) | In this inaugural episode of the Weird Medieval Guys podcast, Olivia and Aran...
a year ago
69
a year ago
Listen now (73 min) | In this inaugural episode of the Weird Medieval Guys podcast, Olivia and Aran discuss why medieval art is so intriguing to modern viewers and what makes so much of it so weird. Also discussed are Galaxy Quest, Mel Gibson's crimes against the Middle Ages, and...
Trying to Understand...
Let's Be Enemies Since it seems to be the fashion these days.
over a year ago
African History...
A complete history of Zeila (Zayla): ca. 800-1885 CE. Journal of African cities: chapter 14
7 months ago
Open Culture
Famous Architects Dress as Their Famous New York City Buildings (1931) On January 13, 1931, the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects held a ball at the Hotel Astor in New York...
4 months ago
69
4 months ago
On January 13, 1931, the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects held a ball at the Hotel Astor in New York City. According to an advertisement for the event, anyone who paid $15 per ticket (big money during the Depression) could see a “hilarious modern art exhibition” and things...
Global Inequality...
2x2 geopolitics Wars and ideology simplified
10 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Understanding What's Happening in France. The kinetic phase may come next.
over a year ago
Open Culture
How Medieval Islamic Engineering Brought Water to the Alhambra Between 711 and 1492, much of the Iberian Peninsula, including modern-day Spain, was under Muslim...
4 months ago
69
4 months ago
Between 711 and 1492, much of the Iberian Peninsula, including modern-day Spain, was under Muslim rule. Not that it was easy to hold on to the place for that length of time: after the fall of Toledo in 1085, Al-Andalus, as the territory was called, continued to lose cities over...
A Collection of...
Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part Ib: Subjects of the Successors This is the second part of the first part of our four part look at the context between the...
a year ago
69
a year ago
This is the second part of the first part of our four part look at the context between the Hellenistic army and its Macedonian phalanx and the Romans with their legions. Last week, we looked at the weapons, organization and fighting style of the Macedonian phalanx, the infantry...
weird medieval guys
Medieval Muslims loved their cats so much Cat shelters, cat shoes, cat jewellery, and more from the Islamic Middle Ages
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Who’s in the Tomb? A Macedonian Mystery: The Tombs of Aigai
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Raise a Tribal Army in Pre-Roman Europe, Part I: Aristocrats, Retainers and... For the next few posts, I want to take a look at how some ‘tribal’ peoples raised armies, in...
11 months ago
68
11 months ago
For the next few posts, I want to take a look at how some ‘tribal’ peoples raised armies, in contrast to the way that ancient (or later) states raised armies. As moderns, we are so familiar with the way that states function that the far older systems of non-state organization and...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, May 31, 2024 (Academic Departments) Fireside this week! I am spinning up to write a Teaching Paradox series on Imperator later this...
11 months ago
68
11 months ago
Fireside this week! I am spinning up to write a Teaching Paradox series on Imperator later this week, but not quite ready to get started yet. I’m also thinking, perhaps before that, of doing a short post or set of posts on the organization of non-state ‘tribal’ societies in...
Trying to Understand...
Ukraine In NATO Would Be A Disaster ... But not necessarily for the reasons you think.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Their Enemies The Russians But what about the rest of us?
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
12 Ancient Greek Terms that Should Totally Make a Comeback Eudaimonia, Arete, and much more...
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
The Tragedy of Ajax Greece's Second Greatest Soldier?
11 months ago
Flashbak
American Noir: Mugshots And Crimes From A Small Pennsylvanian Town (1930s – 1950s) Small Town Noir is a study of life and crime in New Castle, western Pennsylvania. The site compiles...
11 months ago
68
11 months ago
Small Town Noir is a study of life and crime in New Castle, western Pennsylvania. The site compiles the mugshots of criminals who lived in the town in the 1930, 40s and 50s, with notes on their offences. The mugshots were pulled from the rubbish when the town’s police department...
Open Culture
Watch The Insects’ Christmas from 1913: A Stop Motion Film Starring a Cast of Dead Bugs Kind Reader, Will you do us the honor of accepting our holiday invitation? Carve five minutes from...
4 months ago
68
4 months ago
Kind Reader, Will you do us the honor of accepting our holiday invitation? Carve five minutes from your holiday schedule to spend time celebrating The Insects’ Christmas, above. In addition to offering brief respite from the chaos of consumerism and modern expectations, this...
Flashbak
Arnaldo Putzu and His Fabulous Hand-Painted Covers for Look-In Magazine And Movie Posters You might not know the name Arnaldo Putzu (1927 – 2012) but chances are that if you grew up in the...
9 months ago
67
9 months ago
You might not know the name Arnaldo Putzu (1927 – 2012) but chances are that if you grew up in the 1960s and 1970s you’ve seen his work on movie posters and magazine covers. Born in Rome, Putzu studied at the Rome Academy and discovered a love of portrait painting. After...
Classical Wisdom
Does FREE WILL Exist? And if not, what are the consequences?
5 months ago
Open Culture
Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” Performed by a Choir of 4,000 Singers Throughout the years, we’ve featured performances of Choir!Choir!Choir!–a large amateur choir from...
4 months ago
67
4 months ago
Throughout the years, we’ve featured performances of Choir!Choir!Choir!–a large amateur choir from Toronto that meets weekly and sings their hearts out. You’ve seen them sing Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” (to honor Chris Cornell), and Patti Smith’s...
Classical Wisdom
Tolkien and the Classics Plato, Cicero... Bilbo?
a year ago
Res Obscura
Simulating History with Multimodal AI: an Update Generative AI offers a new, more engaging (and, hopefully, more empathetic) way of teaching history....
a year ago
67
a year ago
Generative AI offers a new, more engaging (and, hopefully, more empathetic) way of teaching history. But how to use it?
Flashbak
‘Look at Me’: Scot Sothern’s powerful photographs of life on LA’s streets In amongst the crowds drifting along Hollywood Boulevard there’s an old guy sitting on an orange...
a year ago
67
a year ago
In amongst the crowds drifting along Hollywood Boulevard there’s an old guy sitting on an orange bucket. He’s wearing dirty jeans and a grey hoodie. The guy’s in his seventies. Weather-worn. Grizzled beard. Walking stick. Back trouble caused by “old spinal injuries and bad...
African History...
Roads and wheeled transport in African history. Why the kingdoms of Kush and Dahomey used wheels while Asante did not.
a year ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, January 10, 2025 Hey folks, Fireside this week! I’m currently working on a post “On the Gracchi” taking a somewhat...
4 months ago
67
4 months ago
Hey folks, Fireside this week! I’m currently working on a post “On the Gracchi” taking a somewhat darker look at everyone’s favorite Roman reformers (though hardly the same black takedowns Alexander and Cleopatra got) , which will hopefully be ready for next week. Before we dive...
Classical Wisdom
Should We Own Stuff? The Wealth and Gold of Ancient Georgia
a year ago
Global Inequality...
Trump and the Rise of Asia My interview with "Atlantico"
5 months ago
Dr Alun Withey
Creams, Clothes and Cases: The material culture of pre-modern travel. I am currently on study leave, getting on with research for my new project on the history of travel...
a year ago
66
a year ago
I am currently on study leave, getting on with research for my new project on the history of travel preparations. One thing that I’m particularly interested in is the material culture of travel, and what sorts of things were available for travellers as they got ready for their...
Trying to Understand...
The Third World War Has Been Cancelled. It was all too difficult, finally.
10 months ago
African History...
A history of the Damagaram sultanate of Zinder: ca. 1730-1899. Politics, Guns, and Trade in the pre-colonial Sahel
a year ago
Global Inequality...
To be young, perchance to dream A review of Miloš Vojinović's “The political ideas of the Young Bosnia”
4 months ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, June 28, 2024 Fireside this week! My hope in terms of the upcoming schedule is to have my usual July 4th post next...
10 months ago
66
10 months ago
Fireside this week! My hope in terms of the upcoming schedule is to have my usual July 4th post next week (we’re discussing political philosophy in an election year, so I am sure everyone will be very chill; regardless let me repeat you will be civil) and then after that to dive...
Res Obscura
How well can AI imitate a 17th century doctor? Arcadio Huang is ill in 1710s Paris. Can GPT-4 and Gemini find a cure?
a year ago
Flashbak
New York City’s NIGHT Magazine – 1978-79 Launched in September 1978, Anton Perich’s self-financed NIGHT magazine showcased New York City’s...
10 months ago
66
10 months ago
Launched in September 1978, Anton Perich’s self-financed NIGHT magazine showcased New York City’s mix of fashion, art, and music at clubs like Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager’s Studio 54 and Howard Stein and Peppo Vanini’s Xenon, where nightlife and performance met. Distribution...
African History...
A history of Women's political power and matriliny in the kingdom of Kongo. In the 19th century, anthropologists were fascinated by the concept of matrilineal descent in which...
a year ago
66
a year ago
In the 19th century, anthropologists were fascinated by the concept of matrilineal descent in which kinship is traced through the female line. Matriliny was often confounded with matriarchy as a supposedly earlier stage of social evolution than patriarchy. Matriliny thus became a...
Classical Wisdom
The Two Trojan Wars Secret Origins
a year ago
Open Culture
The Engineering of the Strandbeest: How the Magnificent Mechanical Creatures Have Technologically... Life evolves, but machines are invented: this dichotomy hardly conflicts with what most of us have...
5 months ago
66
5 months ago
Life evolves, but machines are invented: this dichotomy hardly conflicts with what most of us have learned about biology and technology. But certain specimens roaming around in the world can blur that line — and in the curious case of the Strandbeesten, they really are roaming...
Trying to Understand...
People, States and Borders. And other dubious ideas.
8 months ago
Open Culture
How Keith Jarrett Played on a Broken Piano & Turned a Potentially Disastrous Concert Into the... Nearly fifty years ago, the celebrated young pianist Keith Jarrett arrived in the West German city...
4 months ago
65
4 months ago
Nearly fifty years ago, the celebrated young pianist Keith Jarrett arrived in the West German city of Köln (better known in English as Cologne). Having just come off a 500-mile-long road trip from Switzerland, where he’d played a concert the previous day, he was left with barely...
Trying to Understand...
They Say They Want Rearmament .... We-ell, you know ....
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plato Vs Aristotle
11 months ago
Flashbak
Evelyn Richter’s Street Photography Reveals the Reality of Life in East Germany For photographer Evelyn Richter (1930–2021) East Germany was not computers being towed by the...
8 months ago
65
8 months ago
For photographer Evelyn Richter (1930–2021) East Germany was not computers being towed by the bikini-clad proletariat, Western holidaymakers, badly disguised secret police and being on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall. A self-described “documentarian and historian”, Richter...
African History...
The complete history of Kano (999-1903) journal of African cities chapter 9
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
So They Want Negotiations, Now. Have they any idea what they are talking about?
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Raise a Tribal Army in Pre-Roman Europe, Part III: Going To War With the Army... This is the third and final part of our three-part (I, II, III) look at how some ‘tribal’ or more...
10 months ago
65
10 months ago
This is the third and final part of our three-part (I, II, III) look at how some ‘tribal’ or more correctly, non-state agrarian peoples – particularly the Celtiberians, Gauls and also many Germanic-language speaking peoples on the Rhine and Danube- raised armies to fight the...
Patterns in Humanity
Age and infertility Facts and misconceptions about maternal age-related infertility
4 months ago
African History...
The pre-Islamic civilizations of west Africa While West Africa has been part of the Muslim world since the late Middle Ages, as famously...
4 months ago
65
4 months ago
While West Africa has been part of the Muslim world since the late Middle Ages, as famously demonstrated by the golden pilgrimage of Mali's Mansa Musa in 1324, Islam had only arrived in the region at the close of the 1st millennium.
Classical Wisdom
Essential Classics Memorial Sales Ends
11 months ago
Res Obscura
When technology follows art From optics to machine learning, artists have played an important, if underrated, role in the...
a year ago
65
a year ago
From optics to machine learning, artists have played an important, if underrated, role in the history of technology
Dr Alun Withey
To Tip or Not To Tip: A Victorian Traveller’s Perspective Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how...
4 months ago
65
4 months ago
Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how much/whether to tip rumble on, but they are not new. Even in the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers were complaining about the amount of unwanted or unexpected extras they had to pay...
Open Culture
Bob Dylan Reads “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” On His Holiday Radio Show (2006) Allow me to name just a few of the people I want to hear hosting and curating radio shows—former Sex...
4 months ago
65
4 months ago
Allow me to name just a few of the people I want to hear hosting and curating radio shows—former Sex Pistols’ singer John Lydon, former Clash frontman Joe Strummer, former Woody Guthrie impersonator Bob Dylan.… Luckily for me, this ain’t just fantasy baseball; at various times,...
Open Culture
The Junky’s Christmas: William S. Burrough’s Dark Claymation Christmas Film Produced by Francis Ford... Back in 1993, the Beat writer William S. Burroughs wrote and narrated a 21-minute claymation...
4 months ago
65
4 months ago
Back in 1993, the Beat writer William S. Burroughs wrote and narrated a 21-minute claymation Christmas film oddly produced by Francis Ford Coppola. And, as you can well imagine, it’s not your normal happy Christmas flick. Nope, this film – The Junky’s Christmas – is all about...
Patterns in Humanity
Global crime How do crime rates vary around the world? And how reliable is the data?
5 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Origins of Stoicism
10 months ago
Trying to Understand...
If We Had More Than a Hammer ... We might not be in this mess.
over a year ago
African History...
a brief note on African travel literature in history a Swahili document on south-central Africa.
11 months ago
African History...
The Dahlak islands and the African dynasty of Yemen a complete history of a cosmopolitan archipelago in the red sea (4th-19th century)
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Why Read Modern Books? Now Available: Night Drew Her Sable Cloak
a year ago
Flashbak
Armand Henrion: The Artist Who Always Painted Himself As A Clown Armand Henrion (1875 – 1958) was a Belgian-born artist. He contributed to the Expressionist...
10 months ago
64
10 months ago
Armand Henrion (1875 – 1958) was a Belgian-born artist. He contributed to the Expressionist movement, worked in France and became a French citizen. And he liked to paint self-portraits – hundreds of them – in which he is dressed as a clown (more Pierrot than Bozo).     Pierrot...
Trying to Understand...
Everything is (Somewhat) Connected. But some things are more connected than others.
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IVb: Antiochus III This is the second part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa)...
a year ago
64
a year ago
This is the second part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa) look at the context between the Roman military system based on the manipular legion and the Hellenistic military system structured around the Macedonian sarisa phalanx in the...
Trying to Understand...
Don't Give Peace Too Many Chances. Nothing is more dangerous than a flawed peace treaty.
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, November 15, 2024 Hey folks, Fireside this week! For the musing this week, I want to talk about, at least for a...
5 months ago
64
5 months ago
Hey folks, Fireside this week! For the musing this week, I want to talk about, at least for a humanities field, what ‘research support’ from a university means and why it is valuable, but before we get to that, I just want to make a note going forward. In particular, there have...
Trying to Understand...
Can't Do, Won't Do! But striking poses is fun and easy.
a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
Beard Fashions and Class Over the past few centuries, fashions in facial hair have changed substantially. In the mid...
over a year ago
64
over a year ago
Over the past few centuries, fashions in facial hair have changed substantially. In the mid seventeenth century many men wore the ‘Van Dyke’ style of a small, pointy beard and moustaches. By the end of the 1600s, beards were in decline, leaving many men with just moustaches. The...
Trying to Understand...
Little People With Agency. No, not that Agency.
7 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Addenda: The Provinces This is the second and (in theory) last addendum to our series on Roman civic governance (I, II,...
a year ago
64
a year ago
This is the second and (in theory) last addendum to our series on Roman civic governance (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV, V, A1). Having discussed how Rome handles those parts of Italy it controls but which were not part of the Roman Republic itself, we now look at how the Romans...
Trying to Understand...
Peter Pan goes to Ukraine Some people never grow up.
over a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
2024 in writing A brief recap of my 2024 posts
4 months ago
Flashbak
Photos of Iggy Pop And The Stooges Playing NYC Club Ungano’s in 1970 In August 1970, American photographer Bud Lee (1940-2016) took photographs of Iggy Pop and the...
11 months ago
64
11 months ago
In August 1970, American photographer Bud Lee (1940-2016) took photographs of Iggy Pop and the Stooges performing at brothers Nick and Arnie Ungano’s basement club on New York’s West 70th Street between Amsterdam and West End Avenues. The ban were celebrating the release of their...
Res Obscura
Historical maps probably helped cause World War I On cartography as historical argument
a year ago
African History...
A social history of the Lamu city-state (1370-1885) Journal of African cities chapter 5
over a year ago
Open Culture
An Illustrator Creates a Kindle for Charles Dickens, Placing 40 Miniature Classics within a Large... For a design class project, Rachel Walsh, a student at Cardiff School of Art and Design, set out to...
5 months ago
64
5 months ago
For a design class project, Rachel Walsh, a student at Cardiff School of Art and Design, set out to explain the concept of a Kindle to Charles Dickens. Recognizing that Dickens, a 19th-century author, wouldn’t understand modern terms like ebooks, downloads or the internet, she...
Trying to Understand...
I Hate My Job And I Want To Cry. Tried chopping wood and carrying water?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Plato On Knowledge What is True?
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: The Philosophy of Liberty – On Liberalism It is once again the week of July 4th and so, as is customary here, I am going to use this week’s...
10 months ago
63
10 months ago
It is once again the week of July 4th and so, as is customary here, I am going to use this week’s post to talk about the United States or more correctly this week about the political philosophy the United States was founded on: liberalism. Now an immediate clarification is...
African History...
a brief note on new discoveries in African archeology and the stone ruins of Cameroon. Among the first ancient Egyptian accounts on its southern neighbors is an old kingdom inscription...
9 months ago
63
9 months ago
Among the first ancient Egyptian accounts on its southern neighbors is an old kingdom inscription that describes a trading expedition to an unspecified region called the land of Punt. Egyptologists had long debated about the location of this mysterious territory before recent...
Trying to Understand...
The Year of Failing To Understand. Not your usual end-of-year review.
4 months ago
Trying to Understand...
The Evils Of Professionalism In politics, anyway.
10 months ago
Flashbak
Edmund Dulac’s American Weekly Covers – 1924-1951 Edmund Dulac is remembered today as one of the founding fathers of the Golden Age of Illustration,...
10 months ago
63
10 months ago
Edmund Dulac is remembered today as one of the founding fathers of the Golden Age of Illustration, roughly from 1875-1925, writes Albert Seligman. His luxurious Gift Books of the early 20th century were covered in vellum and issued in signed limited editions with tipped-in color...
African History...
The complete history of Gondar: Africa's city of castles (1636-1900) Journal of African cities chapter 8
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
The Mysterious Phaistos Disk And the Palace where it was found...
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Why Did Rome Fall? & Which Lesson Should We Take Away?
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Religion in the Olympics The Olympics: Do they Unite or Divide Us?
9 months ago
African History...
a brief note on the long history of African diplomacy. historical links between west africa and the Maghreb.
10 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Raise a Tribal Army in Pre-Roman Europe, Part II: Government Without States This is the second part of our (planned) three part (I) look at how some ‘tribal’ or more correctly,...
11 months ago
63
11 months ago
This is the second part of our (planned) three part (I) look at how some ‘tribal’ or more correctly, non-state agrarian peoples raised armies to fight the Romans (and others) in the third through first centuries BC. Last time, we looked at the subsistence basis of these societies...
Trying to Understand...
How About a Victory for the Left Occasionally? Here are a few modest ideas.
over a year ago
Flashbak
Vanity Fair’s Bifurcated Girls: The Article That Introduced America To Girlie Magazines, 1903 Bifurcated Girls is a salacious illustrated story that first appeared in the June 1903 issue of...
11 months ago
63
11 months ago
Bifurcated Girls is a salacious illustrated story that first appeared in the June 1903 issue of Vanity Fair magazine. That’s not the glossy publication we know today, rather the a short-lived pulp magazine published by the Commonwealth Publishing Company of New York City...
A Collection of...
Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator II, Part I This week, I want to talk a bit about the recent release of Gladiator II. Now I’ve written a review...
5 months ago
63
5 months ago
This week, I want to talk a bit about the recent release of Gladiator II. Now I’ve written a review of the film for Foreign Policy, which you can find here (behind the paywall). I also discussed it with Jason Herbert and Sarah Bond over at Historians at the Movies, which is a...
Global Inequality...
“To the Finland Station” Trump as a tool of history
4 months ago
African History...
A complete history of Jenne: 250BC-1893AD Journal of African cities chapter 6
over a year ago
Global Inequality...
Marx Truncated A review of Shlomo Avineri’s “Karl Marx”
10 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Round Two? There Is No Round Two. Game pretty much over in Ukraine.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
A Fistful of Clockwork Oranges What's it going to be, then?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Art of the Etruscans Romans before the Romans
a year ago
African History...
a brief note on Africa in 16th century global history. the international relations and manuscripts of Kongo
a year ago
Open Culture
Watch the Surrealist Glass Harmonica, the Only Animated Film Ever Banned by Soviet Censors (1968) The Soviet Union’s repressive state censorship went to absurd lengths to control what its citizens...
4 months ago
62
4 months ago
The Soviet Union’s repressive state censorship went to absurd lengths to control what its citizens read, viewed, and listened to, such as the almost comical removal of purged former comrades from photographs during Stalin’s reign. When it came to aesthetics, Stalinism mostly...
Dr Alun Withey
Packing the Essentials!: Preparing to Travel in the 18th Century. Now that Covid restrictions have finally been lifted, and summer is at least theoretically here –...
over a year ago
62
over a year ago
Now that Covid restrictions have finally been lifted, and summer is at least theoretically here – it’s raining outside as I write! – many people are returning to travel and undertaking the holidays that have had to be postponed over the past couple of years. The pandemic aside,...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Best of the Best
a year ago
A Collection of...
Gap Week: December 29, 2023 (Year In Review) Hey folks! I had planned to do a Fireside for this week with a sort of ‘year-in-review’ musing, but...
a year ago
62
a year ago
Hey folks! I had planned to do a Fireside for this week with a sort of ‘year-in-review’ musing, but between the holidays and the whole pedant household coming down with a nasty cold, I’m a bit short of the time and energy to put together a full fireside with...
Flashbak
Waiting For A Miracle: Kiev in 1998 In 1998, Juri Nesterov was in Kiev, the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It was a city of...
11 months ago
62
11 months ago
In 1998, Juri Nesterov was in Kiev, the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It was a city of hope. In 1991, After 57 years as the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union, the city became the capital of independent Ukraine. In the picture...
Trying to Understand...
Will it Bend or Will it Break? The international system, that is.
over a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Sweden Worrying crime trends in the land of Pippi Longstocking
8 months ago
African History...
The desert town of Southern Africa: A history of Khauxanas 1780-1906 A view of pre-colonial Namibia from the khoisan town of ||Khauxa!nas.
over a year ago
Hidden History
The Story of the Cow The history of the domestic cattle goes back at least 10,000 years. There are well over 1000...
4 months ago
61
4 months ago
The history of the domestic cattle goes back at least 10,000 years. There are well over 1000 distinct breeds of Cattle in the world today, and somewhere between 1 and 1.5 billion individual animals, making them, by some counts, the fourth most numerous mammal in existence behind...
Classical Wisdom
Socrates' Wayward Student ...and the Philosophy of Pleasure
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Modern World Is Boring. Where are the heroes and the adventures now?
11 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Teaching Paradox, Imperator, Part I: Divisa in Partes Tres This is the first part of a three-part (if I can keep it) series, examining the historical...
9 months ago
61
9 months ago
This is the first part of a three-part (if I can keep it) series, examining the historical assumptions of Imperator: Rome, a historical grand strategy game by Paradox Interactive, set during the rise and collapse of the Roman Republic from 304-27 BC and covering the broader...
African History...
A history of the west African diaspora in Arabia and Jerusalem before 1900 The legacy of west African travel to Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
over a year ago
African History...
The Meroitic script and the documents of ancient Kush (ca. 300BC-450CE) The Meroitic writing system of the kingdom of Kush is one of the best-known, yet most enigmatic...
4 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Do We Need Passports? Or Borders? Watch now (23 sec) | Crossing with Radiohead
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Books To Help Us Understand The World? Well, a few, anyway. And a bit.
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Teaching Paradox, Imperator, Part IIa: Pops and Chains This is the first half of the second part of our three part look at Paradox Interactive’s...
9 months ago
61
9 months ago
This is the first half of the second part of our three part look at Paradox Interactive’s Hellenistic-era grand strategy game Imperator: Rome. I had hoped to do this part in a single post, but my book writing schedule intervened and so it became necessary to split it up. Last...
Trying to Understand...
And Now for Something Completely Different. Am I me? Are You you? ?
over a year ago
African History...
How Africans wrote their own history: Debates and dialogues between four west African historians in... Facts, myths and royal propaganda.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Reality Would Like A Word. Paging Tom and Daisy Buchanan
a year ago
African History...
a brief note on the intellectual contributions of African scholars in the diaspora the biography of a West African mathematician in Cairo.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Emotions: Better Out or In? Can Catharsis Help... or Harm?
11 months ago
Overcoming Bias
Feels Gone Wrong The films A Complete Unknown, on Bob Dylan, and In Restless Dreams, on Paul Simon, make vivid to me...
4 months ago
60
4 months ago
The films A Complete Unknown, on Bob Dylan, and In Restless Dreams, on Paul Simon, make vivid to me the huge emotional appeal of becoming a musician like them.
African History...
Join me on Notes "On the Zanzibari envoy to 11th century china and the recent Swahili-Persian DNA study"
over a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
Medicine on the Move: Early Modern Travel and Remedies As my new project on the history of travel, health risk and preparation begins to get underway, one...
a year ago
60
a year ago
As my new project on the history of travel, health risk and preparation begins to get underway, one of the things that I am thinking about is the place of travel within early modern medical remedy culture. What kinds of conditions could befall travellers? What did early modern...
Global Inequality...
Devant la guerre On E. H. Carr's "The twenty years' crisis 1919-39"
5 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Constantine and the Queen of Carthage
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
When Ukraine Is Over ... How will they turn out the lights?
3 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plutarch and Pleasure
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
It's War, Josep, But Not As We Know It Trying to understand what Ukraine is all about.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
You And Whose Army? NATO would do well to stay out of Ukraine.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Macron is Safe for the Moment But the future worries me.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Jews in the Roman Bathhouse Is it time to rethink the relationship between Judaism and Greco-Roman society?
a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
How Much?! Barbers & the Price of Shaving. One of the central themes of my new book is how the practice of shaving has changed over time and,...
over a year ago
60
over a year ago
One of the central themes of my new book is how the practice of shaving has changed over time and, more importantly, who has been responsible for it. From the second half of the eighteenth century, individual men began to take more responsibility for shaving themselves, helped on...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Story of Thebes
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Healthy Skepticism for Better Debates Philosophical Tools for the Holidays
5 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Empedocles The Philosopher God?
a year ago
Open Culture
A Simple, Down-to-Earth Christmas Card from the Great Depression (1933) The Smithsonian sets the scene for this Christmas card sent in 1933, a few years into the Great...
4 months ago
59
4 months ago
The Smithsonian sets the scene for this Christmas card sent in 1933, a few years into the Great Depression. They write: Despite the glum economic situation, the Pinero family used a brown paper bag to fashion an inexpensive holiday greeting card. They penned a clever rhyme and...
Trying to Understand...
The Sense Of An Ending. But right back where we started from.
9 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Blindspots and Biographies
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
NATO's Phantom Armies. And the ghost of Carl von Clausewitz.
11 months ago
Wrong Side of...
Will the last young professional to leave Britain turn off the lights? 'Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself’
4 months ago
Dr Alun Withey
Barbers and (the lack of!) Polite Advertising Over the past few years, I have spent much time looking at ‘polite’ advertising in the 18th century....
over a year ago
59
over a year ago
Over the past few years, I have spent much time looking at ‘polite’ advertising in the 18th century. During this period, a whole range of retailers advertised their goods and services to appeal to ladies and gentlemen of taste. Without discussing anything so base as price or...
African History...
A muslim kingdom in the Ethiopian highlands: the history of Ifat and Adal ca. 1285-1520. During the late Middle Ages, the northern Horn of Africa was home to some of the continent's most...
10 months ago
59
10 months ago
During the late Middle Ages, the northern Horn of Africa was home to some of the continent's most powerful dynasties, whose history significantly shaped the region's social landscape. The history of one of these dynasties, often referred to as the Solomonids, has been...
Flashbak
The Boston Years: On The Streets 1972-75 In 1972, Philip Flip Collier was in Boston. Philip, who has previously shared his terrific...
8 months ago
59
8 months ago
In 1972, Philip Flip Collier was in Boston. Philip, who has previously shared his terrific photographs of 1970s NYC, enrolled at the city’s New England School of Photography where he studied for the next two years with the hope of becoming a commercial photographer, but I could...
Classical Wisdom
Sparta and… Scotland? Laconic wit through the centuries
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Artemisia of Caria Commander, Queen, and Eva Green
a year ago
Hidden History
The Great Horse Flu Epidemic of 1872 An epidemic of “Horse Flu” in 1872 virtually shut down the US economy and paralyzed the entire...
4 months ago
59
4 months ago
An epidemic of “Horse Flu” in 1872 virtually shut down the US economy and paralyzed the entire country. By the 1870s, the once-rural agrarian United States was beginning to emerge as an industrial power. The Civil War had spurred the rapid development of industry such as iron...
Dr Alun Withey
The Health Risks of Travel in Early-Modern Britain As I start to make some progress on my new research project on travel, health and risk I am turning...
over a year ago
59
over a year ago
As I start to make some progress on my new research project on travel, health and risk I am turning my attention to the sorts of things that early modern travellers were fearful of. As a bit of a nervous traveller myself, it’s quite comforting to know that there is actually a...
African History...
The kingdom of Ndongo and the Portuguese: Queen Njinga and the dynasty of women sovereigns... The effects of early colonial warfare in central Africa
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Events Listing Ancient Women, Marcus Aurelius, Economics and Resilience...
over a year ago
Open Culture
Laurie Anderson’s Mind-Blowing Performance of C. P. Cavafy’s Poems “Waiting for the Barbarians” &... In the video above, Laurie Anderson describes C. P. Cavafy’s poem “Waiting for the Barbarians” as...
4 months ago
58
4 months ago
In the video above, Laurie Anderson describes C. P. Cavafy’s poem “Waiting for the Barbarians” as being “set in ancient Rome.” That’s a reasonable interpretation, given that it contains an emperor, senators, and orators, though Cavafy himself said that none of them are...
Dr Alun Withey
Are Beards Over? A Historical Perspective. Recently I spoke with the Guardian journalist Tim Dowling for an excellent article he was writing...
over a year ago
58
over a year ago
Recently I spoke with the Guardian journalist Tim Dowling for an excellent article he was writing (published last week) about whether beards are finally ‘over’, and I thought it would be interesting to reflect on some of this. Since re-emerging around 2014, gaining popularity...
African History...
The forts and castles of Africa: a brief architectural history. For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly...
3 months ago
58
3 months ago
For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly urban phenomenon associated with large states.
Open Culture
Arthur C. Clarke Predicts the Rise of Artificial Intelligence & Questions What Will Happen to... We now live in the midst of an artificial-intelligence boom, but it’s hardly the first of its kind....
5 months ago
58
5 months ago
We now live in the midst of an artificial-intelligence boom, but it’s hardly the first of its kind. In fact, the field has been subject to a boom-and-bust cycle since at least the early nineteen-fifties. Eventually, those busts — which occurred when realizable AI technology...
Classical Wisdom
Dionysus The God of Wine!
7 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Dido: Queen of Carthage Doomed Lover of Ancient Myth
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Machine Stops. And fiddling won't fix it.
8 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Origins of Latin Literature ...and the Master of Roman Comedy
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Past Is Another Country. A book review from the future.
9 months ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, August 16, 2024 Fireside this week! I find I have my thoughts more or less together for the last part of the...
8 months ago
57
8 months ago
Fireside this week! I find I have my thoughts more or less together for the last part of the Imperator series, but I have not yet gotten them into a satisfying order – a common hazard of writing – so they will have to wait for next week. It’s not yet clear to me if … Continue...
Flashbak
Harold Lloyd’s Amazing Christmas Tree For American actor Harold Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) Christmas was the time to...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
For American actor Harold Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) Christmas was the time to illuminate his home in Beverly Hills, California, with a magnificent tree. His granddaughter Suzanne says preparation began around Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November), when her...
Flashbak
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein And His Wife Marie: A Love Story Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910–1983) was an American self-taught artist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin....
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910–1983) was an American self-taught artist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He left a vast archive of poetry, apocalyptic paintings, paintbrushes made with his wife’s hair, drawings, notebooks, audio tapes and hundreds of sculptures made from chicken bones,...
Wrong Side of...
The Indian-American century On the Anglo-Indo-sphere
4 months ago
African History...
A history of the Massina empire (1818-1862) the sucessor of Songhai
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
A Short Service Announcement. From this week, and on an experimental basis, I’m enabling paid subscriptions for those who may be...
a year ago
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a year ago
From this week, and on an experimental basis, I’m enabling paid subscriptions for those who may be interested. The essays themselves will continue to be entirely free, and I don’t have plans to produce subscriber-only material. I’ve also set up a Buy Me a Coffee cup.
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for December 2024 Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of December. Summary Of Changes 100r.co, updated the documentation for our various projects. Left, added support for unicode input(Mastodon). Rabbit Waves, added a page on Air to Ground...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Lost and Found
over a year ago
Res Obscura
Why Early Modern Books Are So Beautiful Three theories
a year ago
Open Culture
10,000+ Free Online Certificates & Badges: A Resource for Lifelong Learners For those looking to boost their skills or explore new fields without breaking the bank, Class...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
For those looking to boost their skills or explore new fields without breaking the bank, Class Central has done the heavy lifting. Known as a search engine for online courses, Class Central has compiled what might be the largest collection of free online certificates and badges...
Trying to Understand...
Don't Confuse Me With Facts. They know what they think.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Five Reasons Why Socrates Was A Terrible Husband Should you meet your heroes?
11 months ago
Trying to Understand...
The West is Weak Where it Matters ... ...and some of the consequences are not obvious.
over a year ago
Hidden History
Antarctic Snow Cruiser In 1939, the United States began work on a colossal motor vehicle to be used for exploration and...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
In 1939, the United States began work on a colossal motor vehicle to be used for exploration and field work in Antarctica. By 1939 Antarctica remained as one of the last unexplored regions on the planet. Norwegian adventurer Roald Amundsen had been the first human to reach the...
Overcoming Bias
What Priority The Innocent? It is good if criminal law avoids punishing the innocent.
4 months ago
Flashbak
Welcome to the Country Club: Prison Life in Four Different Nations Dutch photographer Jan Banning turned his lens on prisons and prisoners for his book Law & Order:...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
Dutch photographer Jan Banning turned his lens on prisons and prisoners for his book Law & Order: The World of Criminal Justice,. Below we see photographs pictures of prison life in Colombia, France, Uganda and the United States. “I’m interested in these aspects of society that...
Open Culture
Nirvana Before They Were Nirvana: Watch Their 1988 Performance Recorded in a Radio Shack Here’s a strange home video of Nirvana when they were unknown, playing inside a Radio Shack in the...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Here’s a strange home video of Nirvana when they were unknown, playing inside a Radio Shack in the band’s hometown of Aberdeen, Washington. The video was recorded on the evening of January 24, 1988, after the store had closed. In those days the group went by the name of Ted Ed...
weird medieval guys
The coolest medieval woman you've never heard of Christine de Pizan on Circe, Medusa, and other virtuous ladies
over a year ago
Global Inequality...
Would Lenin have approved of the IMF? An indispensable organization
5 months ago
Classical Wisdom
[Video] Roundtable Discussion with Mary Naples Watch now (60 min) | Cult of the Capture Bride: How Ancient Women Took Power
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Continues the Hiatus, 2024 Friends, Readers, Countrymen, lend me your eyes! As sadly expected, the hiatus is going to continue...
7 months ago
55
7 months ago
Friends, Readers, Countrymen, lend me your eyes! As sadly expected, the hiatus is going to continue through October. I am making good progress on my writing, but still need to keep focusing. I am currently, I believe, on track for us to go back to normally scheduled posts in...
African History...
A complete history of Dogon country: Bandiagara from 1900BC to 1900AD demystifying an ancient African society
over a year ago
Open Culture
John Coltrane Draws a Picture Illustrating the Mathematics of Music Physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander has argued in his many public lectures and his book The...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander has argued in his many public lectures and his book The Jazz of Physics that Albert Einstein and John Coltrane had quite a lot in common. Alexander in particular draws our attention to the so-called “Coltrane circle,” which resembles...
Flashbak
The Last Question: Hear Leonard Nimoy Read Isaac Asimov’s Best Short Story Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) liked one of his stories above all others – more than...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) liked one of his stories above all others – more than the 500 or so stories he wrote or edited, including the bestselling I, Robot, the Foundation series and Lecherous Limericks. The story is The Last Question. First published in the...
Trying to Understand...
Ukraine and the end of "Europe." Nation-states were the problem: supranationality was not the answer.
over a year ago
Overcoming Bias
What Would Socrates Do? Christians often ask themselves, as a guide to living, “What would Jesus do?” In her new book Open...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Christians often ask themselves, as a guide to living, “What would Jesus do?” In her new book Open Socrates, my podcast-cohost Agnes Callard suggests we instead ask “What would Socrates do?”
Trying to Understand...
No End Of A Lesson. If we can only learn it.
7 months ago
Hidden History
The First Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker The first backpacker to thru-hike the entire 2100-mile Appalachian Trail in one trip was a troubled...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
The first backpacker to thru-hike the entire 2100-mile Appalachian Trail in one trip was a troubled WW2 veteran who did it as a kind of therapy. For most of human history, people got around from one place to another by walking. Although Rome pioneered an extensive network of...
Classical Wisdom
Aristotle on Luck Do You Feel Lucky?
a year ago
African History...
A brief history of Gold in Africa and the emporium of Sofala. It was copper, not Gold, that was considered the most important metal in most African societies,...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
It was copper, not Gold, that was considered the most important metal in most African societies, according to an authoritative study by Eugenia Herbert.