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TheCollector
Can the Real King Arthur Be Identified as Athrwys of Gwent? The search for the real King Arthur has occupied historians for centuries. Often, arguments center...
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The search for the real King Arthur has occupied historians for centuries. Often, arguments center on the idea that a real historical person was the inspiration for the legendary king. Once candidate proposed by scholars is Athrwys of Gwent, the son of King Meurig. Since the late...
Flashbak
Metoposcopia: How To Spot Character From Forehead Wrinkles, 1661 These images from Centifrons Idolum Iani Hoc est: Metoposcopia Seu Prosopomantia by Johannes...
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These images from Centifrons Idolum Iani Hoc est: Metoposcopia Seu Prosopomantia by Johannes Praetorius (1661) attempt to convey the importance forehead topography plays in knowing another’s character. The study of foreheads is known as Metoposcopy, a pseudo-science developed in...
A Collection of...
Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part I: Households This is the first post in a series discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor,...
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This is the first post in a series discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor, subsistence, death – of pre-modern peasants and their families. Prior to the industrial revolution, peasant farmers of varying types made up the overwhelming majority of people in...
Trying to Understand...
The Long And The Short Of It. Or, in defence of nuance.
4 weeks ago
Flashbak
1960s London Through A Russian Horizont Panoramic Camera We’ve been to East London in the 1960s with Tony Hall before, heading down the pub and to the shops....
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We’ve been to East London in the 1960s with Tony Hall before, heading down the pub and to the shops. Now we get to see the streets in panoramic pictures taken by his Horizont (Горизонт) camera. Made between 1967 and 1973 by Russia’s Krasnogorsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (KMZ), the...
History Today Feed
God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature JamesHoare Thu, 07/10/2025 - 09:08
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
Jürgen Schadeberg: Happy Hour Flashbak: What makes a good photograph? Jürgen Schadeberg: Content, composition and training.     In...
3 weeks ago
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Flashbak: What makes a good photograph? Jürgen Schadeberg: Content, composition and training.     In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Jürgen Schadeberg (18 March 1931 – 29 August 2020) was often in pubs and bars in Glasgow, London, Cambridge, Berlin, Hamburg, Johannesburg, New York,...
A Collection of...
Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part II: Starting at the End This is the second part of our series (I) discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
This is the second part of our series (I) discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor, subsistence, death – of pre-modern peasants and their families. As we’ve discussed, pre-modern peasant farmers make up the vast majority of human beings in in the past. Last...
Classical Wisdom
Archimedes The Super Villain The Death Ray Of Syracuse
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
The Fireworks King: Brock’s Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making, 1922 “My object has not been to write a text-book on firework-making, but rather to trace the art from...
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“My object has not been to write a text-book on firework-making, but rather to trace the art from earliest times, and to give a description of the development and process of manufacture… My excuse for adding another volume to the literature of the art is that I am of the eighth...
Dreams of Space -...
My Weekly Reader March 12, 1962 Happy Moon Day! This is the last of this batch of My Weekly Readers. I hope you haven't gotten too...
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Happy Moon Day! This is the last of this batch of My Weekly Readers. I hope you haven't gotten too tired of this summer break. In this issue we celebrate the USA in Space. This March 12th issue celebrates John Glenn's success and looking forward to the next set of missions...
History Today Feed
‘Saudi Arabia: A Modern History’ by David Commins review ‘Saudi Arabia: A Modern History’ by David Commins review JamesHoare Wed, 07/09/2025 - 08:54
4 weeks ago
Trying to Understand...
A Little Intelligence ... ... about Intelligence.
3 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
Fate and Free Will The Stoic Perspective
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Which Is the “Better” Sword? Katana vs Longsword Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the...
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Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the knightly longsword and the Japanese katana, which is the better sword? Both two-handed swords were used by a warrior-noble class as their sidearm, both depicted at various times as the...
History Today Feed
‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth North review ‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth North review JamesHoare Mon, 07/14/2025 - 08:42
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
London’s World West: Harlesden in 1997 Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden...
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Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden was in the London borough of Brent, as it remains today. It’s when Peter Marshall was walking around the place taking pictures. Bordered by the north-west London -dens of Neasden...
Trying to Understand...
Layer Upon Layer. It's Empires all the way down.
a week ago
Flashbak
An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland by Bernard Sleigh, 1920 “I believe in Faeries. It is very natural and not a bit foolish; for in these days we are quickly...
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“I believe in Faeries. It is very natural and not a bit foolish; for in these days we are quickly learning how little we know of any other world than our own.” – Bernard Sleigh, An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland Bernard Sleigh   After doctors drilled a hole in his skull to alleviate...
Flashbak
Saul Steinberg Draws A Line Into Your Brain “When I make a good image, it enters into your brain like a word you didn’t know and stays there in...
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“When I make a good image, it enters into your brain like a word you didn’t know and stays there in such a way that you can’t remember how you thought about this topic beforehand.” – Saul Steinberg   Many of us first encountered Saul Steinberg (American, born Romania, 1914–99)...
TheCollector
The Battle of Lugdunum Was the Largest Battle in Roman History On New Year’s Eve 192 CE, the Roman Empire’s Golden Age, almost a century of political tranquility,...
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On New Year’s Eve 192 CE, the Roman Empire’s Golden Age, almost a century of political tranquility, came to an abrupt and violent end. A protracted period of civil war followed as various men sought to fill the void left by the imperial dynasty that died with Commodus. This...
TheCollector
Porto for Art Lovers: Galleries, Architecture, and Street Art Porto is famous for its incredible past and its monuments. This mesmerizing city holds some of the...
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Porto is famous for its incredible past and its monuments. This mesmerizing city holds some of the most iconic historical buildings in the country besides renowned contemporary art galleries.   Baroque, Neo-Classical, and Art Nouveau Landmarks   Igreja and Torre dos Clérigos  ...
TheCollector
What Did the Hittites Write About the Trojan War? The Trojan War is the subject of Homer’s Iliad, composed in the 7th century BCE. This was one of the...
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The Trojan War is the subject of Homer’s Iliad, composed in the 7th century BCE. This was one of the most popular pieces of literature in the ancient world, and it remains so to this day. Many researchers have attempted to demonstrate that it is fundamentally rooted in historical...
TheCollector
How the Plantation of Ulster Transformed Irish Society The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious...
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The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious province into a stronghold for the British Crown in Ireland. The process of how Ulster became Protestant saw the native Gaelic Irish population being evicted in favor of English and...
Flashbak
Stephen Salmieri: First Photos of Coney Island, 1967 – 1972 “I used to be a fireball of energy – if I had two or three days a week to spare where I wasn’t on an...
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“I used to be a fireball of energy – if I had two or three days a week to spare where I wasn’t on an assignment I was out with my camera in the city. I covered this city like an archeologist.” – Stephen Salmieri, Coney Island Trips, 1967 – 1972     Between 1967 … Continue reading...
History Today Feed
The Battle for Britain’s First Book of the Month Club The Battle for Britain’s First Book of the Month Club JamesHoare Tue, 07/08/2025 - 08:23
4 weeks ago
TheCollector
3 Legendary Migrations That Shaped Pre-Roman Britain Ancient and medieval writers were thoroughly interested in stories of the origins of nations....
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Ancient and medieval writers were thoroughly interested in stories of the origins of nations. Countless surviving legends deal with how nations came to be, often connecting them to gods or famous characters from mythology. In the case of Britain, there was more than just one...
TheCollector
Alexander the Great’s Legendary Horse: Who Was Bucephalus? Bucephalus is undoubtedly one of the most famous horses in history. After Alexander the Great tamed...
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Bucephalus is undoubtedly one of the most famous horses in history. After Alexander the Great tamed the horse, the two became inseparable, with Bucephalus accompanying Alexander on his legendary Persian campaign, carrying his master into the battle and sharing his victories....
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Machines, Myths and Robots... Classical Wisdom Litterae Magazine & Special Interview with Adrienne Mayor
4 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Real Story of Henry V, England’s Warrior King Few monarchs have captured the imagination of a nation as much as King Henry V (r. 1413-22). The...
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Few monarchs have captured the imagination of a nation as much as King Henry V (r. 1413-22). The inspiration behind hundreds of books, plays, and movies, the nine-year reign of this English monarch is deemed as one of the most successful not just of any English king, but of any...
TheCollector
The Powerful Sayings of the Desert Fathers The Desert Fathers withdrew from society, embracing monastic living in the deserts of Egypt,...
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The Desert Fathers withdrew from society, embracing monastic living in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. They wished to live holy lives that reflected the dedication and commitment they had to their faith. They set themselves apart, studying the Bible and spending much...
Flashbak
Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia: Dragons And Other Real Monsters “I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi,...
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“I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi, who shows us dragons and other monsters in his Monstrorum Historia     Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia is a huge 13-volume encyclopaedia of life on Earth. The books cover...
TheCollector
How Portugal Conquered the Indian Ocean Spice Trade The dawn of the 15th century marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Age of...
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The dawn of the 15th century marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Age of Exploration. In this century, the Portuguese would expand their reach beyond Europe and North Africa thanks to explorers like Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama. A great trade in spices...
TheCollector
Saladin’s Youth Forged the Sultan Who Defied Crusaders Saladin (born Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub) can be credited with almost single-handedly changing...
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Saladin (born Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub) can be credited with almost single-handedly changing both the Muslim and Western worlds during the Crusades in the 12th century. By bringing together various Islamic sects and through his principled leadership, he was able to defeat the...
History Today Feed
‘Make the Foreigner Pay’: When Britain Tried Tariffs ‘Make the Foreigner Pay’: When Britain Tried Tariffs JamesHoare Mon, 07/21/2025 - 09:23
2 weeks ago
Res Obscura
OpenAI's "Study Mode" and the risks of flattery Serious learning requires friction, frustration... and other humans
6 days ago
Classical Wisdom
Technological ‘Miracles’ Of Ancient Greece Which Marvel Matters Most?
4 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Destiny and... Death Rays?
3 weeks ago
History Today Feed
On the Spot: Kathleen DuVal On the Spot: Kathleen DuVal JamesHoare Tue, 07/15/2025 - 08:09
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Get to Know the Ainu, Japan’s First People The Ainu, native to the region of Hokkaido, are one of the oldest indigenous people in Japan. Their...
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The Ainu, native to the region of Hokkaido, are one of the oldest indigenous people in Japan. Their unique culture, language, and history predate the creation of modern Japan and set them apart from the rest of the country.   Located in northern Honshu, Hokkaido, and parts of the...
TheCollector
The Top 8 Archaeological Discoveries of 2025 (So Far) From lost royal tombs and underwater time capsules to mythic Greek sanctuaries and vibrant Roman...
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From lost royal tombs and underwater time capsules to mythic Greek sanctuaries and vibrant Roman frescoes, 2025 is already shaping up to be a landmark year for archaeology. These top archaeological discoveries span thousands of years and multiple continents.   1. Valley of the...
History Today Feed
‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth Norton review ‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth Norton review JamesHoare Mon, 07/14/2025 - 08:42
3 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
What is Freedom? Lessons from Epictetus, the Stoic-Slave
2 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
The Birth of Gods Hesiod's Theogony
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
How the Egyptians Celebrated the Pharaoh During the Opet Festival From the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 BCE) to the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305-30 BCE), the bond between the...
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From the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 BCE) to the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305-30 BCE), the bond between the Egyptian pharaoh and the god Amon-Ra was celebrated at the Temple of Luxor (Thebes). Once a year, Amon-Ra traveled from his principal Karnak Temple (ipet-sut, “the most revered...
TheCollector
How the Illyrians Became Rome’s Fiercest Enemies in the Balkans The Illyrians were a mosaic of tribes spread across the western Balkans, a region defined by...
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The Illyrians were a mosaic of tribes spread across the western Balkans, a region defined by dramatic coastlines, mountain strongholds, and cultural complexity. From their earliest traces in the Bronze Age to assimilation into the Roman Empire, the Illyrians remained a distinct...
TheCollector
How Did King Richard III Become King? Richard III is best known from Shakespeare’s biographical play and for his likely involvement in the...
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Richard III is best known from Shakespeare’s biographical play and for his likely involvement in the deaths of his nephews. However, his personality and the way he is portrayed in the play and in historical documents have long been questioned.  In the last decade, he has come to...
TheCollector
Medieval Battles Marked by Stunning Underdog Victories Medieval battles were brutal, blood-soaked grind. Clever tactics and strong leadership often...
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Medieval battles were brutal, blood-soaked grind. Clever tactics and strong leadership often mattered, yet true upsets happened only when the weaker side found an edge. Whether better weapons, better tactics, knowledge of the terrain, or an unbreakable esprit de corps. The...
Classical Wisdom
A Tale of Zeus as a Goose The Totally Unhinged Story Behind the Stars
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
Photographing The Black Panthers: All Power To The People (1967 – 1973) “I wanted to show the whole picture of the Black Panther Party. Most of the media focused on the...
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“I wanted to show the whole picture of the Black Panther Party. Most of the media focused on the rallies and looked for controversy. I wanted to show what it was like behind the scenes and portray a more complete, complicated portrait of the Panthers.” – Stephen Shames...
Global Inequality...
New Capitalism in America Richest capitalists and richest workers are increasingly the same people
a week ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Poison and Politics
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Theban Elite Army of Lovers Who Defeated the Mighty Spartans Active in the 4th century BCE, the Sacred Band was an elite military unit composed of 150 pairs of...
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Active in the 4th century BCE, the Sacred Band was an elite military unit composed of 150 pairs of male lovers. The central idea was that by placing each soldier alongside his beloved, they would fight more fiercely, to both protect one another and to avoid dishonoring themselves...
TheCollector
Everything You Should Know About the Book of Isaiah The Book of Isaiah speaks to some of the darkest days of Israel and Judah yet contains some of the...
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The Book of Isaiah speaks to some of the darkest days of Israel and Judah yet contains some of the most beautiful passages in the Bible, bringing hope and presenting the Messianic promise of salvation and restoration. The book spans several centuries beginning with the time of...
Flashbak
Phenomena of Materialisation : Investigating The Naked Psychic Eva Carrière “Miss Eva prepared the heads before every séance, and endeavoured to make them unrecognizable. A...
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“Miss Eva prepared the heads before every séance, and endeavoured to make them unrecognizable. A clean-shaven face was decorated with a beard. Grey hairs became black curls, a broad forehead was made into a narrow one. But, in spite of all her endeavours, she could not obliterate...
TheCollector
The 6 Most Important Church Councils in Christian History Christian history has seen many Church councils where matters of doctrinal concern have been...
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Christian history has seen many Church councils where matters of doctrinal concern have been discussed and clarified. Some, like the First Vatican Council which established the doctrine of Papal Infallibility when speaking ex-cathedra, have little bearing on Christianity as a...
TheCollector
How Did Simone de Beauvoir Redefine Gender? In her magnum opus, The Second Sex, 20th-century philosopher Simone de Beauvoir famously proclaimed...
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In her magnum opus, The Second Sex, 20th-century philosopher Simone de Beauvoir famously proclaimed that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”. At a time when female identity was exclusively determined on biological grounds, she sought to redefine gender away from...
TheCollector
The Incredible Life of Cicero, Rome’s Greatest Orator & Last Senator A novus homo, no one expected Marcus Tullius Cicero to reach not only the rank of consul, but be...
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A novus homo, no one expected Marcus Tullius Cicero to reach not only the rank of consul, but be hailed princeps senatus, in the dying years of the Roman Republic. He championed Rome’s republican traditions while strongmen such as Pompey Magnus and Julius Caesar were dismantling...
TheCollector
What Is the Venice Biennale? History, Highlights, and Global Art Impact Every other year, Venice transforms its winding network of canals into a citywide art gallery. The...
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Every other year, Venice transforms its winding network of canals into a citywide art gallery. The Venice Biennale is often referred to as “the Olympics of the art world.” It is an international art festival that includes a curated main show, dozens of national pavilions, and...
TheCollector
The Evolution of the Samurai (From the Kamakura to the Edo Period) The samurai of feudal Japan are well known in popular culture, yet the popular image of a samurai is...
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The samurai of feudal Japan are well known in popular culture, yet the popular image of a samurai is merely a snapshot of centuries of evolution for this mighty warrior class. Here we will explore how the samurai developed from the beginning of their rule in the Kamakura Period....
TheCollector
King Tut: The Life & Afterlife of the Boy Pharaoh When Howard Carter cracked open a forgotten tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1922, the world...
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When Howard Carter cracked open a forgotten tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1922, the world met a golden face that would become immortal. But behind the glittering mask of Tutankhamun was a sickly teenage boy, born into chaos and nearly forgotten forever. The life of King...
History Today Feed
How Hertha Ayrton Made Waves How Hertha Ayrton Made Waves JamesHoare Wed, 07/16/2025 - 09:05
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
The Life and Extraordinary History of the Chevalier John Taylor: The Eye Surgeon Who Robbed You... “The Eye, that most amazing, that stupendous, that comprehending, that incomprehensible, that...
2 weeks ago
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“The Eye, that most amazing, that stupendous, that comprehending, that incomprehensible, that miraculous Organ, the Eye, is the Proteus of the Passions, the Herald of the Mind, The Interpreter of the Heart, and the Window of the Soul. The Eye has Dominion over all Things. The...
TheCollector
How Did Geographical Discoveries Shape Johannes Vermeer’s Artworks? Only around 35 paintings by Johannes Vermeer survive today, but they still captivate viewers of all...
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Only around 35 paintings by Johannes Vermeer survive today, but they still captivate viewers of all ages and backgrounds. This is evident from the ocean of merchandise featuring his masterpieces and the fame of the Girl with a Pearl Earring, which appears in pop culture almost as...
History Today Feed
Kikunae Ikeda’s MSG Revolution Kikunae Ikeda’s MSG Revolution JamesHoare Tue, 07/22/2025 - 09:00
2 weeks ago
Global Inequality...
New Capitalism II: Compositional vs income inequality Are all class-based societies unequal?
a week ago
TheCollector
How Was Food Preserved Before Fridges? Fridges have become an almost indispensable necessity in many households in the modern world. This...
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Fridges have become an almost indispensable necessity in many households in the modern world. This is because they keep food fresh by maintaining a cool environment. The cool temperatures in fridges help to prevent the growth of microorganisms that cause food decay. That said,...
TheCollector
Who Were King Solomon’s Many Wives and Concubines? King Solomon pulled the ultimate biblical no-no: he married foreign women and allowed them to keep...
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King Solomon pulled the ultimate biblical no-no: he married foreign women and allowed them to keep practicing their own religions. In his zeal to cement political alliances through marriage, he gained a reputation for faithlessness—and divine punishment soon followed. But who...
TheCollector
Why the Battle of Badon Can Change What We Know About Dark Age Britain Early Dark Age Britain is shrouded in mystery since there are very few surviving sources about it....
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Early Dark Age Britain is shrouded in mystery since there are very few surviving sources about it. The Arthurian era, broadly the late 5th century through most of the 6th century, is a subject of particular interest to many. This was the era that saw one of the most significant...
TheCollector
Where Was the Biblical Saba (Land of the Queen of Sheba)? Strap on your metaphorical scuba gear because we’re about to dive into the murky depths of history,...
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Strap on your metaphorical scuba gear because we’re about to dive into the murky depths of history, myth, and archaeological intrigue surrounding Saba—the golden land of the fabled Queen Makeda. What was Saba really like? How did its people live, and what did its cities look...
Classical Wisdom
How to Have Willpower Ancient Meditations and Modern Psychology on Self-Control
3 weeks ago
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime in the Nordics A collection, description and visualization of data from the Nordic countries
6 days ago
TheCollector
What Are the 5 Biggest Islands in the World? Less than 30 percent of the world’s surface is covered in land, yet this is still a massive amount...
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Less than 30 percent of the world’s surface is covered in land, yet this is still a massive amount of space that humans have sought to explore and exploit. Included in all this land are around 200,000 islands.   From the icy Arctic to the tropics, here are the five biggest...
TheCollector
How John Everett Millais’ Life & Work Shaped the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Along with William Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais was one of the...
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Along with William Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais was one of the founding members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in September 1848. Throughout the early 1850s, John Everett Millais created many works of art that would define the Pre-Raphaelite art...
TheCollector
Get to Know Venerable Bede, the Father of English History Bede is remembered today chiefly as a historian. Yet he was a dynamic intellectual giant in the...
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Bede is remembered today chiefly as a historian. Yet he was a dynamic intellectual giant in the Early Middle Ages and his most famous historical work is far more than a dry recounting of events. Let us explore Bede, his History, and the influence that it has had.   Northumbria in...
History Today Feed
The Great Destroyer: Cyrus, Babylon, and Jerusalem The Great Destroyer: Cyrus, Babylon, and Jerusalem JamesHoare Wed, 07/23/2025 - 09:06
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Unknown Artworks of Kahlil Gibran Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) is one of the most widely read and translated writers of the 20th century....
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4 weeks ago
Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) is one of the most widely read and translated writers of the 20th century. His visual art work was an inextricable part of his life and literary career, but is often overlooked. Described as mystical and ethereal, Gibran’s artworks give form to the...
TheCollector
How the Roman Aeminium Became Coimbra, One of Portugal’s Oldest Cities Present-day Coimbra hides an extraordinary past. Here, you can find the most well-preserved...
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Present-day Coimbra hides an extraordinary past. Here, you can find the most well-preserved cryptoporticus from the Roman Empire and the richest Baroque library in Europe. At Coimbra, you will also discover remnants of the Moorish occupation.   Coimbra also played a vital role in...
TheCollector
What Are the Literary Sources for the Trojan War? When considering the Trojan War, most people think of Homer’s epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey....
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When considering the Trojan War, most people think of Homer’s epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. But these two defining works only tell part of the story. The Iliad is set in the ninth year of a ten-year war, and the Odyssey is the tale of a hero returning after the conflict....
History Today Feed
Hunting Heretics: Inside the Medieval Inquisition Hunting Heretics: Inside the Medieval Inquisition JamesHoare Tue, 07/22/2025 - 09:13
2 weeks ago
Trying to Understand...
Living With Russia. The alternative is what, exactly?
a week ago
Classical Wisdom
The Mad Genius Who Gave Us the Elements Empedocles: The Eccentric Philosopher
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
What Happened to the Neanderthals? Contrary to popular belief, the Neanderthals had language, hunting strategies, sophisticated tools,...
3 weeks ago
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Contrary to popular belief, the Neanderthals had language, hunting strategies, sophisticated tools, art, and jewelry. In many ways, they were not dissimilar from us. Having co-existed for thousands of years, there must be more to the story than humans simply wiping them out. For...
TheCollector
The Gluttonous Roman Emperor Vitellius of 69 CE Vitellius was one of the four emperors who claimed power in the turbulent year that followed the...
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Vitellius was one of the four emperors who claimed power in the turbulent year that followed the death of the last Julio-Claudian, Nero. History is written by the victor, and after just eight months Vespasian ousted Vitellius and established the Flavian Dynasty. Consequently,...
Classical Wisdom
Democracy and Tyranny Plato's Academy Event: This Weekend
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
What Was the Temple in Ancient Judaism? (Purpose & Significance) The Temple in Jerusalem was the structure that replaced the Tabernacle the Israelites traveled...
4 weeks ago
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The Temple in Jerusalem was the structure that replaced the Tabernacle the Israelites traveled around with throughout their sojourn in the desert. For 40 years, and even after that, from when the Israelites conquered the promised land until their third king was crowned, the tent...
TheCollector
The Tumultuous Life of Gaius Marius, the Roman General Who Broke All the Rules Gaius Marius is one of the most compelling personalities of the Roman Republic. Entering politics as...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Gaius Marius is one of the most compelling personalities of the Roman Republic. Entering politics as a “novus homo” from Italy with few political connections, he proved both his military skill and unbridled ambition during the Jugurthine War. He was subsequently elected consul an...
TheCollector
What Is Structuralism? (Definition & Facts) Structuralists say structures can be uncovered anywhere—from human behavior to star clusters and...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Structuralists say structures can be uncovered anywhere—from human behavior to star clusters and snowflakes to mathematics. In fact, structuralism offers a kind of mathematization of the entirety of nature, even systems that were once considered too complicated to model, such as...
TheCollector
9 Facts About Johnny Appleseed Few American legends are as widely known as the story of Johnny Appleseed. But as with many tales of...
2 weeks ago
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Few American legends are as widely known as the story of Johnny Appleseed. But as with many tales of Americana, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. While Johnny was a real person, his moniker of “Appleseed” was not his actual last name but a nickname given to him for...
TheCollector
How Dark Age Britain Created Welsh Mythology Many mythologies from around the world are based in a historical setting. For example, in the case...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Many mythologies from around the world are based in a historical setting. For example, in the case of ancient Greek mythology, many scholars agree that much of it originates in some sense from Bronze Age Greece. What about Welsh mythology? Over the 20th century, many scholars...
TheCollector
What Was the Significance of Philippi and Colossae in Biblical History? The Apostle Paul traveled throughout much of the Roman Empire in the first century spreading...
3 weeks ago
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The Apostle Paul traveled throughout much of the Roman Empire in the first century spreading Christianity and preaching to people and churches. Two of the cities he visited were Philippi in Greece and Colossae in Asia Minor (now Turkey).   Philippi Before Paul Arrived   Philippi...
TheCollector
How the Rivalry of Charles V, Francis I, and Henry VIII Shaped Europe In an age when the exercise of power was largely personal rather than corporate, the machinations of...
2 weeks ago
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In an age when the exercise of power was largely personal rather than corporate, the machinations of and rivalry between three great monarchs (Charles V, Henry VIII, Francis I) could and did have an enormous impact on the events of the time. Nearly every war, alliance, scandal,...
TheCollector
Calypso, the Nymph Who Held Odysseus Captive Calypso was a beautiful nymph who lived alone on the isolated island of Ogygia. Her solitude changed...
2 weeks ago
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Calypso was a beautiful nymph who lived alone on the isolated island of Ogygia. Her solitude changed when the shipwrecked hero Odysseus washed ashore. Calypso fell in love with him and offered him immortality and an idyllic paradise in exchange for staying with her and marrying...
TheCollector
Philopoemen: The Last Great General of Ancient Greece Philopoemen (253-183 BCE) was a strategos (general) of the Achaean League during a turbulent period...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Philopoemen (253-183 BCE) was a strategos (general) of the Achaean League during a turbulent period of conflict with Sparta. While he has been overshadowed by great generals such as Hannibal, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar, Philopoemen was regarded as one of the most...
TheCollector
Who Were the Famous Pompeii Victims? In 79 CE, the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed by the powerful eruption of...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In 79 CE, the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed by the powerful eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Up to 16,000 victims were buried under ash and rubble or suffocated from poisonous gases. Many of such bodies left silhouette-shaped cavities in compressed ash....
TheCollector
How Pegasus Sprang from Medusa and Soared to Olympus The immortal, white-winged stallion Pegasus is one of the most iconic creatures in Greek mythology....
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The immortal, white-winged stallion Pegasus is one of the most iconic creatures in Greek mythology. He was born from the tragic and brutal union of a god, a gorgon, and a hero’s sword. While Pegasus is primarily remembered as the devoted companion of the hero Bellerophon, his...
Classical Wisdom
The World's First Female Serial Killer? Ancient Roman True Crime
2 weeks ago
A Collection of...
Gap Week, July 25, 2025 Hey folks! I am on vacation this week, so you’ll have to wait till next week to get the next...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Hey folks! I am on vacation this week, so you’ll have to wait till next week to get the next installment of “Life, Work, Death and the Peasant.” However, if you are looking for some ACOUP content to fill your Friday, I have a few suggestions! First, if you want some of my writing...
TheCollector
How Georges Méliès Brought Magic to the Movies In the earliest days of cinema, when pictures moving at all was still shocking, one visionary saw...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In the earliest days of cinema, when pictures moving at all was still shocking, one visionary saw the fantastical possibilities of this exciting new technology. Artist, magician, inventor, and director Georges Méliès created worlds filled with magic and adventure that...
TheCollector
How Odysseus Survived the Terrifying Sea Monsters Scylla and Charybdis Scylla and Charybdis appear mainly in book twelve of Homer’s Odyssey, in which Odysseus and his crew...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Scylla and Charybdis appear mainly in book twelve of Homer’s Odyssey, in which Odysseus and his crew must sail through the rocks near where the monsters live. Little information is known about their origins, though some stories are provided in myth. Scylla and Charybdis were...
TheCollector
Cimbrian War: Rome’s Greatest Threat Since Hannibal In the middle of the 2nd century BCE, the Roman Republic had fought and won several overseas wars....
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In the middle of the 2nd century BCE, the Roman Republic had fought and won several overseas wars. Carthage had been decisively defeated in the Third Punic War, while the Greeks and Macedonians in the east had also been brought to heel. However, by the end of the century, war...
TheCollector
The Unique History of Wales (From the Stone Age) Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England,...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England, something that angers most Welsh people due to the turbulent history between the two countries. Wales has a long and fascinating history, all of its own, characterized by consistent...
TheCollector
Top 10 Places to Visit in Athens, Greece According to many flight crews, the most beautiful city from above is Athens. Its hilly landscape...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
According to many flight crews, the most beautiful city from above is Athens. Its hilly landscape features vast olive groves, palm tree-lined coastal avenues, and urban neighborhoods sprawling across the Attic peninsula. The city is even more breathtaking from the ground, with...
TheCollector
What Did “Noble Death” Mean to Greeks and Romans? Death was an ever-present part of life in the ancient Mediterranean. However, it manifested itself...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
Death was an ever-present part of life in the ancient Mediterranean. However, it manifested itself in very different ways according to social class and status. Whilst death simply meant passing into total obscurity for most of the population, for the aristocracy, it could be an...
History Today Feed
‘Saving’ South Africa’s San Peoples ‘Saving’ South Africa’s San Peoples JamesHoare Fri, 07/25/2025 - 09:36
a week ago
TheCollector
How Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus Almost Revolutionized the Roman Republic Rivalries between brothers are a recurring motif throughout Roman history. From the bloody struggle...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Rivalries between brothers are a recurring motif throughout Roman history. From the bloody struggle between Romulus and Remus during the city’s mythological origins, through to Caracalla’s brutal murder of his brother Geta in the early 3rd century CE, happy families could be rare...
TheCollector
The Upstart Roman Emperor Otho Who Claimed Nero’s Legacy Marcus Silvius Otho has gone down in history for claiming the position of emperor of Rome for a...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Marcus Silvius Otho has gone down in history for claiming the position of emperor of Rome for a short three-month period in 69 CE. This was during the year of volatility that followed the death of the last Julio-Claudian emperor, Nero, known as the Year of the Four Emperors. A...
TheCollector
When Was Homer’s Iliad Written? Unraveling the Controversy Homer’s Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. Traditionally, that war has been dated to the late...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Homer’s Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. Traditionally, that war has been dated to the late Bronze Age, approximately c. 1200 BCE. However, the Iliad itself was not written that early in history. There is wide agreement that Homer—or whoever the true author of the Iliad...
History Today Feed
‘José Martí Reader: Writings on the Americas’ review ‘José Martí Reader: Writings on the Americas’ review JamesHoare Mon, 07/28/2025 - 09:00
a week ago
TheCollector
What Is Christian Mysticism? (Definition, History, Practices) When you think of Christian mysticism, the obvious probably comes to mind: exorcisms, contact with...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
When you think of Christian mysticism, the obvious probably comes to mind: exorcisms, contact with the beyond, or supernatural powers. But this is just a small part of it. What lies beyond these surface-level phenomena is a world of contemplation, communication with God, divine...
TheCollector
What Did the Emancipation Proclamation Do? Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate territories. Although its immediate impact was limited by enforcement challenges, its symbolic power redefined the nation’s purpose and the very...
TheCollector
How the Renaissance Sparked a Religious Revolution in Europe The Renaissance was symbolic of an intellectual shift in Western Europe that emphasized and promoted...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Renaissance was symbolic of an intellectual shift in Western Europe that emphasized and promoted values such as education, individualism, and objectivity via humanist philosophies. This way of thinking had an impact on politics, art, and especially religion. The values...
TheCollector
What Is the Celtic Revival? (History, Art, and Impact) The Celtic Revival, which began in 19th-century Ireland, was a resurgence of popular interest in a...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Celtic Revival, which began in 19th-century Ireland, was a resurgence of popular interest in a variety of Celtic and medieval Irish traditions, including art, language, and mythology. The movement held great significance for Irish art history and archaeology, as well as for...
Classical Wisdom
Who Was Hesiod? Ebook: The Birth of Gods
a week ago
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Weekly Wisdom Quiz Epictetus, Hesiod, Virgil
a week ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IIIa: Family Formation This is the first part of the third part of our series (I, II) discussing the patterns of life of...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
This is the first part of the third part of our series (I, II) discussing the patterns of life of the pre-modern peasants who made up the great majority of all humans who lived in our agrarian past and indeed a majority of all humans who have ever lived. Last week, we looked at...
TheCollector
The Passionate (& Controversial) Relationship of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera In 1929, 22-year-old Mexican painter Frida Kahlo married muralist Diego Rivera, who was two decades...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In 1929, 22-year-old Mexican painter Frida Kahlo married muralist Diego Rivera, who was two decades her senior. More than lovers, their mutual influence was most prominent in their respective artistic creations. Their admiration for each other’s talent, as well as a shared belief...
TheCollector
9 Things to Know About Giorgio Morandi, the Master of Still Life Giorgio Morandi was an Italian artist best known for his still life paintings of bottles and vases....
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Giorgio Morandi was an Italian artist best known for his still life paintings of bottles and vases. Morandi focused not on bold concepts or bright imagery but on composition and color. He deliberately stripped his objects of their practical functions to focus on pure form. Read...
TheCollector
How Gutenberg’s Press Sparked a World-Changing Revolution The Gutenberg Press revolutionized how information was produced and disseminated, marking a...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Gutenberg Press revolutionized how information was produced and disseminated, marking a milestone in the history of book production in Europe. Produced in the mid-15th century by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany, this innovative press combined the movable metal type with a screw...
TheCollector
How Did the Aztec Empire Rise and Fall in Mesoamerica? The Aztec Empire is among the most talked about Mesoamerican societies. The prominent empire spanned...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Aztec Empire is among the most talked about Mesoamerican societies. The prominent empire spanned between 1325 and 1521 CE and covered a significant portion of the modern-day regions of central and southern Mexico. While historians refer to the inhabitants as the Aztecs, they...
Dreams of Space -...
Merry Mouse and His Trip to the Moon (1953) My next 4 posts are celebrating children's illustrated fiction about going to the Moon. Even though...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
My next 4 posts are celebrating children's illustrated fiction about going to the Moon. Even though I have been collecting these children's book for over 30 years it still is very exciting to find one that you never knew existed. Jack Coggins was an amazing space artist in the...
TheCollector
How Hagia Sophia Survived Centuries of Religious and Political Change Rising at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Hagia Sophia is more than a marvel of architecture. For...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Rising at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Hagia Sophia is more than a marvel of architecture. For over 1,500 years, Istanbul’s international treasure has witnessed the rise and fall of empires and the shifting tides of faith. How did a singular structure survive centuries of...
TheCollector
What 1 & 2 Kings Reveal About Power and Faith First and Second Kings are one literary work that was divided into the two books we have today when...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
First and Second Kings are one literary work that was divided into the two books we have today when translators rendered the Hebrew text into the Greek Septuagint. That division was carried through to the Latin Vulgate and subsequently into modern Bible translations. The...
TheCollector
The Real Story of the Legendary Ninja Hattori Hanzo The Sengoku Jidai was by far the most turbulent period in Japanese history. The country was split...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Sengoku Jidai was by far the most turbulent period in Japanese history. The country was split into dozens of separate domains. Various daimyo had their own ideas on how to rule the country and were willing to wage war for it. Some, like Hattori Hanzo Masanari, would be in...
TheCollector
Why Was Hope the Last Gift in Pandora’s Box? The story of Pandora’s box is a well-known tale about Pandora, the first woman according to ancient...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The story of Pandora’s box is a well-known tale about Pandora, the first woman according to ancient Greek mythology, and a box given to her by the gods. Recounted in Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, the box was originally conceptualized as a jar, only becoming a box when a...
Flashbak
Let’s Hear It For The Toilet Paper: 25 Vintage Snapshots of People And Toilets Have you been? Do you need to go? We’ve seen Janet Leigh on the toilet in the Psycho bathroom, men...
a week ago
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a week ago
Have you been? Do you need to go? We’ve seen Janet Leigh on the toilet in the Psycho bathroom, men of all ages on the pot and admired the bog at New York’s CBGB club and the dawning of the 1980s bathroom. In this gallery, photograph collector Robert E. Jackson share vintage...
TheCollector
What Were the Founding Principles of Monophysitism? Monophysitism is a belief that Jesus Christ had only one divine nature, rather than a nature that...
3 weeks ago
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Monophysitism is a belief that Jesus Christ had only one divine nature, rather than a nature that was both fully divine and fully human within one person. The Monophysite theology took various forms with various people over the early centuries of Christianity.   The Emergence of...
TheCollector
Was “Bad” King John Really That Bad? Among the kings of England there have been eight Henrys, eight Edwards, and six Georges but there...
2 weeks ago
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Among the kings of England there have been eight Henrys, eight Edwards, and six Georges but there has only ever been one John. His successors did not want to be associated with the stain the name had in the minds of the English people. Considering what the monk Matthew Paris...
TheCollector
Australia’s Pearl Harbor: History of the City of Darwin Although World War II history often focuses on the more dominant players, such as England and...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
Although World War II history often focuses on the more dominant players, such as England and Germany, the contributions of Australia and its people cannot be underestimated. Nearly one million Australian men and women served in the conflict. The war even came to Australia...
TheCollector
The 6 Empires That Shaped the Bible Story The events recorded in the Bible cover thousands of years with thousands of proper names. One way to...
2 weeks ago
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The events recorded in the Bible cover thousands of years with thousands of proper names. One way to impose order on such complex material is to classify it in terms of the empires that were dominant at the time in which the major events occurred. This is an especially useful...
TheCollector
Nietzsche vs. Schopenhauer’s Views on Life, Suffering, and the Will Does life weigh us down, or is it an adventure we should accept? Nietzsche and Schopenhauer...
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Does life weigh us down, or is it an adventure we should accept? Nietzsche and Schopenhauer disagreed deeply on the meaning of existence and the nature of human suffering. Schopenhauer, the original pessimist, thought that life inevitably brought pain and torment—and that the...
Flashbak
Saving Jesus: An Interview with Broadcasting Legend Melvyn Bragg, 1984 “I wear suits now basically because it’s easier if you are doing a television programme to wear the...
a week ago
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a week ago
“I wear suits now basically because it’s easier if you are doing a television programme to wear the same thing all the time. You don’t want to go in way over the programme. It’s another way to get people to forget about me and concentrate on the person I am talking to.” – Melvyn...
TheCollector
A Journey Through Greece’s Byzantine & Venetian Heritage in Monemvasia Known as the “Gibraltar of the East,” Monemvasia is a rocky Greek island with a rich Byzantine and...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Known as the “Gibraltar of the East,” Monemvasia is a rocky Greek island with a rich Byzantine and Venetian history. A completely walled city, its strategic location made it an important trading port for both empires. This combination made for a unique blend of cultures whose...
TheCollector
The Hidden Human Histories Buried in the Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is one of Earth’s most incredible and iconic landmarks. But its sculpted stones and...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Grand Canyon is one of Earth’s most incredible and iconic landmarks. But its sculpted stones and carved canyons aren’t just a geological timeline. Humans have inhabited, worshipped, and traversed the region for thousands of years. Read on to discover how the hidden histories...
Classical Wisdom
Poetry and Power Art in the Age of Augustus
a week ago
TheCollector
How Did Venice and Byzantium Become Bitter Rivals? The Byzantine Empire emerged as the surviving half of the Roman Empire, while the western half...
3 weeks ago
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The Byzantine Empire emerged as the surviving half of the Roman Empire, while the western half crumbled. Unlike the West, the Eastern Empire, after 476 CE, remained stable, with a strong military and capable administrators. Marked changes did occur as Greek culture, language, and...
TheCollector
How to Read the Books of the Prophets in the Bible Most people who have picked up a Bible have at some time thought: “Well… this makes no sense!” The...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Most people who have picked up a Bible have at some time thought: “Well… this makes no sense!” The Bible is a dense collection of writings that was written over centuries. It is no wonder that it does not always make for easy reading. Many modern Christians are hesitant to dive...
TheCollector
No One Knows How Cleopatra Really Died But These Are the Most Compelling Theories Cleopatra VII, the last active pharaoh of Egypt, died in August 30 BCE after her kingdom was invaded...
2 weeks ago
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Cleopatra VII, the last active pharaoh of Egypt, died in August 30 BCE after her kingdom was invaded and conquered by Rome’s first emperor, Octavian. Political ambition, strategic alliances, and legendary relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony marked her life. But her...
Flashbak
Dublin in 1991: Photographing The Feeling Of A City On The Edge “The photo always holds two layers, the concrete and the emotional. You must involve your own...
a week ago
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a week ago
“The photo always holds two layers, the concrete and the emotional. You must involve your own experience and perception when decoding the photo, and only then does it disseminate its full message” – photographer Krass Clement     In 1991 Danish photographer Krass Clement took...
History Today Feed
Charles de Gaulle is Sentenced to Death Charles de Gaulle is Sentenced to Death JamesHoare Wed, 07/30/2025 - 09:02
a week ago
TheCollector
How Gustave Moreau’s Mystical Paintings Defined the Symbolist Movement The late 19th century was a time of political and social upheaval in France. In response to the...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The late 19th century was a time of political and social upheaval in France. In response to the changing cultural landscape, a small group of writers and artists struck out in defiance of the literal, natural art popular at the time. They turned their focus inward, using their...
TheCollector
The Enduring Legacy of Suetonius, Rome’s Most Controversial Biographer Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was an ambitious imperial official under the Roman Emperor Hadrian,...
2 weeks ago
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Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was an ambitious imperial official under the Roman Emperor Hadrian, whose name has come down through history for writing imperial biographies of Rome’s first emperors, called The Twelve Caesars. While his position at court gave him unique access to...
TheCollector
The Trojan Horse, the Deception That Ended the Trojan War Arguably, one of the most famous aspects of the Trojan War is the story of how it ended. This story...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Arguably, one of the most famous aspects of the Trojan War is the story of how it ended. This story famously involved the incredible deception of the Trojan Horse. According to this ancient legend, the Trojan Horse was used by the Greeks to end a grueling ten-year siege of the...
Flashbak
Various Episodes of Human Life Performed by Monkeys, 1635 This small print series is called ‘Verschillende Bedrijven uit het Menselijke Leven Door Apen...
a week ago
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This small print series is called ‘Verschillende Bedrijven uit het Menselijke Leven Door Apen Voorgesteld’ (Various episodes of human life performed by monkeys) from designs by the Flemish printer Quirin Boel (or Coryn Bol; 25 January 1620 – 1668) and compatriot painter David...
History Today Feed
Mental Health and the 17th-Century Ship’s Doctor Mental Health and the 17th-Century Ship’s Doctor JamesHoare Thu, 07/31/2025 - 08:19
6 days ago
TheCollector
What Was the Significance of Egyptian Pharaohs? The Pharaoh was the king of Egypt, particularly following the unification of Upper (Southern) Egypt...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
The Pharaoh was the king of Egypt, particularly following the unification of Upper (Southern) Egypt with Lower (Northern) Egypt by Narmer/Menes around 3150 BCE. That was until the Roman Republic conquered Egypt in 30 BCE under the rule of Caesar Augustus (Octavian).  The title is...
TheCollector
Real Person or Myth? The Truth About King Arthur Did King Arthur really exist? That question has occupied the minds of historians for centuries. Even...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Did King Arthur really exist? That question has occupied the minds of historians for centuries. Even in the medieval era, as early as the century in which Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his Arthurian account, scholars doubted the truth behind much of the Arthurian legends. In more...
TheCollector
What Is the Great Commission? The Final Words of Jesus In the final verses of the Gospel of Matthew we find a passage that is often called “the Great...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
In the final verses of the Gospel of Matthew we find a passage that is often called “the Great Commission.” Matthew’s Gospel ends abruptly, with the resurrected Christ appearing to the disciples one last time and saying the words that would later become famous as the Great...
TheCollector
6 Magnificent Medieval Castles Around the World Medieval castles evolved as needs or technology changed. Normal castle construction consisted of...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Medieval castles evolved as needs or technology changed. Normal castle construction consisted of thick stone walls, battlements, ample food storage for soldiers, and perhaps a moat or an internal spring. Builders constructed castles in various ways over time, creating many unique...
TheCollector
Who Was Saint John the Baptist? (Bio, Death, Facts) John the Baptist was more than just a prophet. He was the cousin of Jesus and God tasked him with...
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John the Baptist was more than just a prophet. He was the cousin of Jesus and God tasked him with preparing the way for Jesus. But what did that mean? John showed significant insight into who Jesus was and how he would fulfill the Old Testament type of Christ. John lived a simple...
Global Inequality...
New capitalism III: Capital Why is capital so concentrated and why so few have it?
a week ago
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The Absurd Truth Behind Our Daily Grind The Myth Of Sisyphus And Lessons In Absurdity
a week ago
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Hygiene and Bathing in the Middle Ages The Middle Ages has a reputation for being a time when the average person lived in filth and...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
The Middle Ages has a reputation for being a time when the average person lived in filth and squalor, bathing was unheard of, and personal hygiene was a foreign concept. But is this true? There is no simple answer to this question since the Middle Ages lasted almost a thousand...
TheCollector
5 Generals Who Defeated Napoleon in Battle Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest military leaders in history. As a result of his...
2 weeks ago
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Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest military leaders in history. As a result of his operational and tactical prowess, he suffered only ten defeats of the 80 or so battles he fought in his career. The generals who defeated him on the field of battle were...
History Today Feed
‘Gods, Guns and Missionaries’ by Manu S. Pillai review ‘Gods, Guns and Missionaries’ by Manu S. Pillai review JamesHoare Wed, 07/23/2025 - 09:08
2 weeks ago
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Ship Shape: British Naval Strategy After Napoleon Ship Shape: British Naval Strategy After Napoleon JamesHoare Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:14
a week ago
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Reduce and Seduce at the Teenage Beauty Farm Reduce and Seduce at the Teenage Beauty Farm JamesHoare Tue, 07/29/2025 - 08:43
a week ago
TheCollector
What Led to the Rise and Fall of the Indus Civilization? Lost beneath Pakistan and India’s plains, the Indus—or Harappan—Civilization flourished between...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Lost beneath Pakistan and India’s plains, the Indus—or Harappan—Civilization flourished between 2700-1900 BCE, building the ancient world’s biggest cities long before we even knew they existed. Unearthed only in 1924, these sites reveal no sprawling palaces, temples or writings,...
TheCollector
The Story of the Carthaginian Queen Dido & the Trojan Prince Aeneas Dido and Aeneas are perhaps the two most iconic lovers in an ancient epic. Their brief relationship...
a week ago
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a week ago
Dido and Aeneas are perhaps the two most iconic lovers in an ancient epic. Their brief relationship becomes a haunting episode in the Aeneid, creating profound repercussions for Aeneas and his quest. Dido, the legendary queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, a Trojan prince fated to...
TheCollector
6 Key Themes For Understanding Confucianism William Theodore de Bary, sinologist and scholar of East Asian Philosophy at Columbia University,...
2 weeks ago
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William Theodore de Bary, sinologist and scholar of East Asian Philosophy at Columbia University, said that “if we were to characterize, in one word, the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand years, the word would be ‘Confucian.’”   The primary consideration of...
TheCollector
Why Was King James Such a Powerful Figure? Born James Charles Stuart, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, King James inherited the Scottish throne...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Born James Charles Stuart, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, King James inherited the Scottish throne from his mother when she was forced to abdicate on July 24, 1567. He was only an infant when this dramatic life turn took place. Through a convoluted set of circumstances resulting...
TheCollector
Why Did the Romans Conquer the World? Here’s Polybius’ Explanation The growth of the Roman Republic forever changed the ancient world. For those who lived through it,...
2 weeks ago
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The growth of the Roman Republic forever changed the ancient world. For those who lived through it, the swift rise of Rome from obscurity to superpower must have been stunning. Polybius, a leading politician in a Greek state that had been Rome’s ally and then enemy, experienced...
History Today Feed
Shakespeare’s Lost Years Shakespeare’s Lost Years JamesHoare Thu, 07/24/2025 - 09:14
a week ago
TheCollector
Tiresias, the Blind Prophet of Greek Mythology Tiresias, the blind prophet from Thebes, is one of the most renowned seers in Greek mythology. After...
a week ago
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a week ago
Tiresias, the blind prophet from Thebes, is one of the most renowned seers in Greek mythology. After being struck blind by one of the gods, Tiresias was granted the gifts of prophecy and longevity. As a prophet, Tiresias played a vital role in the mythology of Thebes. However,...
TheCollector
8 of the Most Famous Castles in the Middle East Not confined to the medieval history of Europe, massive stone fortifications were also a common...
a week ago
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a week ago
Not confined to the medieval history of Europe, massive stone fortifications were also a common sight throughout the Middle East. Many of these castles still stand, their impenetrable stone walls having withstood centuries of war and strife.   Some, however, have crumbled to...
Classical Wisdom
The Ancient Art of Doing the Right Thing How Seneca’s Stoic Wisdom Can Help Us Live More Fairly
a week ago
TheCollector
How Dante Gabriel Rossetti & John Everett Millais Founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Even though they have been linked together by history, the English artists John Everett Millais and...
3 weeks ago
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Even though they have been linked together by history, the English artists John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti were two very different artists with two very different personalities. While Rossetti’s artistic output conveyed sweeping emotion and mystical fantasy,...
TheCollector
5 Sites Related to the Knights Templar in Portugal In Portugal, the Knights Templar left a remarkable legacy, impacting the country’s history,...
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In Portugal, the Knights Templar left a remarkable legacy, impacting the country’s history, architecture, and religion. In this article, you will learn how such a secretive religious order helped shape the future of a new kingdom and how they benefited from the king’s unwavering...
TheCollector
Discover the Irish Ogham, the Medieval “Tree Alphabet” Ogham, sometimes referred to as Ogam, was the earliest form of Irish writing. Otherwise known as the...
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Ogham, sometimes referred to as Ogam, was the earliest form of Irish writing. Otherwise known as the “tree alphabet” because of its distinctive branch shapes, connections have often been drawn between the Ogham alphabet and the ancient Druids, an Iron Age class of Celtic...
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4 Ways that Magical Realism Rewrites History In a particularly striking scene from Gabriel García Márquez’s Nobel prize-winning novel One Hundred...
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In a particularly striking scene from Gabriel García Márquez’s Nobel prize-winning novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, a trickle of blood takes on a life of its own, flowing from room to room, going around the carpets, crossing terraces, and climbing over curbs as it makes its...
TheCollector
Stories from WWII Croatia (Ustasha-era) The Independent State of Croatia, founded in 1941, did not have the same impact on Europe’s...
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The Independent State of Croatia, founded in 1941, did not have the same impact on Europe’s demographics that Nazi Germany did. Nonetheless, the brutality of the genocidal campaign it conducted against its Serbs, Roma, and Jews is haunting. Its history and the memory thereof also...
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How Solomon’s Wisdom Shaped a Kingdom Solomon is synonymous with the honor, prosperity, and riches of Israel. These material things were...
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Solomon is synonymous with the honor, prosperity, and riches of Israel. These material things were never his goal but were the result of his desire to serve God as a trustworthy steward of his people. Solomon’s wish was to have the insight to distinguish between good and evil and...
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What Are the Oldest Human Records and Writings? Humans have been making records of their activities for thousands of years. We have developed...
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Humans have been making records of their activities for thousands of years. We have developed various systems of writing from various cultures, and several came about independently of one another. From paleolithic records to Chinese lettering, we take a closer look at some of the...
TheCollector
How Did Matisse’s Time in Moscow Shape His Fauvist Art? In 1911, Henri Matisse arrived in Moscow upon the invitation of a famous art collector called Sergei...
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In 1911, Henri Matisse arrived in Moscow upon the invitation of a famous art collector called Sergei Shchukin. Known for his radical taste, Shchukin acquired works by Matisse, Picasso, and Cezanne at a time when their art was scarcely accepted, even in Western circles. In Moscow,...
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How the Antigonids Endured and Ruled Macedonia After Alexander Following the death of Alexander the Great, his generals fought for control of the various parts of...
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Following the death of Alexander the Great, his generals fought for control of the various parts of his empire. Despite taking control of the Macedonian homeland, the Antigonids are less famous than the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Asia Minor. Meet the rulers of the...
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7 Giant Animals That Were Lost in the Late Pleistocene Extinctions Scientists have recorded five Ice Ages in Earth’s history. The most recent began around three...
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Scientists have recorded five Ice Ages in Earth’s history. The most recent began around three million years ago and continues today. Ice ages are characterized by glacial periods, where the climate is colder and glaciers advance, and interglacial periods, where the climate is...
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The Game of Kings – The Intriguing History of Tamerlane Chess Tamerlane Chess is a medieval chess variant attributed to the 14th-century conqueror Timur, also...
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Tamerlane Chess is a medieval chess variant attributed to the 14th-century conqueror Timur, also known as Tamerlane. A complex and richly symbolic game, Tamerlane Chess is played on a unique 10×11 board and features over 25 distinct pieces, each with specialized movements. Known...
TheCollector
How the Mycenaeans Conquered the Minoans & Took Crete The Bronze Age Aegean in the eastern Mediterranean region had several distinct groups and they...
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The Bronze Age Aegean in the eastern Mediterranean region had several distinct groups and they included the Mycenaeans, who lived in mainland Greece, and the Minoans on the island of Crete. Although the cultures are often studied separately, they were somewhat linked. This is...
TheCollector
7 Real Characters from Arthurian Legends The Arthurian legends introduce many fascinating characters, including the selfless King Arthur with...
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The Arthurian legends introduce many fascinating characters, including the selfless King Arthur with his magical sword, the chivalrous Sir Lancelot with his scandalous love affair with Guinevere, and the magician Merlin, possibly a son of demons. As we focus on these lead...
TheCollector
How a 7th-Century War Game Transformed Into a Symbol of Intelligence The game of chess has a history spanning over a thousand years, evolving from the ancient Indian...
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The game of chess has a history spanning over a thousand years, evolving from the ancient Indian game of chaturanga into a modern global sport. Shaped by cultural exchange, conquest, and innovation, its rules and strategies have transformed dramatically. Today, modern chess...
TheCollector
Who Were the Taíno, Puerto Rico’s Indigenous Culture? Accounts of the discovery of the “new world” often give the impression that Europeans’ first...
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Accounts of the discovery of the “new world” often give the impression that Europeans’ first encounters were with small native tribes, saving major indigenous histories for large civilizations like the Aztec and Inca. In fact, the very first people the conquistadors met in the...
TheCollector
The Story of the Union General Who Trained an Army He Refused to Use George McClellan was one of the most controversial generals of the American Civil War. Known for...
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George McClellan was one of the most controversial generals of the American Civil War. Known for organizing the Army of the Potomac, McClellan earned praise from superiors for his ability to instill discipline within his men. However, his cautious approach on the battlefield led...
Flashbak
Teenagers in Their Bedrooms in the 1990s “Our bedrooms tell stories about us. They become the repository for memories, desire and self-image”...
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“Our bedrooms tell stories about us. They become the repository for memories, desire and self-image” – American photographer Adrienne Salinger   When Adrienne Salinger first published her portraits of teenagers in their bedrooms in the 1990s, the American photographer wanted In...
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What the Bubonic Plague Can Still Teach Us About Civilization Collapse From 1347 to 1353, the Bubonic Plague, more commonly referred to as the Black Death, wracked the...
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From 1347 to 1353, the Bubonic Plague, more commonly referred to as the Black Death, wracked the continent of Europe. It was a time of misery and suffering as almost half of Europe’s population succumbed to the disease, sending shockwaves throughout the continent and forcing...
TheCollector
Classical Sculpture Techniques and Their Surprising Influence on Modernism The thread between ancient and modern art was entwined. Artists of the modern art period employed...
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The thread between ancient and modern art was entwined. Artists of the modern art period employed classical sculpting techniques, materials, and sometimes themes in the creation of their own works of art. The methods and styles used before the first millennium were never fully...
TheCollector
8 Facts About Huey Long, the Kingfish Who Promised Every Man a King Political powerhouse Huey Long was a radical democrat who had no qualms about making his opinions...
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Political powerhouse Huey Long was a radical democrat who had no qualms about making his opinions known. Rising through political ranks in Louisiana, he began making an impact on the national stage. Long made a number of reforms during his tenure in government, many of which made...
TheCollector
The Inca Empire’s Four Quarters Explained (Government & Challenges) The Inca Empire was the largest of the pre-Columbian civilizations. At its peak, the empire spanned...
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The Inca Empire was the largest of the pre-Columbian civilizations. At its peak, the empire spanned from the highest peaks of the Andes mountains to the inhospitable Atacama desert. At its peak between 1438 and 1533, the Inca Empire, known in the Quechua language as Tawantinsuyu,...
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The True History Behind the Legendary Round Table of King Arthur One of the key aspects of the Arthurian legends is that King Arthur was accompanied by a large...
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One of the key aspects of the Arthurian legends is that King Arthur was accompanied by a large alliance of knights known as the Knights of the Round Table. The Round Table itself was a large circular table at which Arthur and his allies sat, reportedly at Camelot. Many aspects of...
TheCollector
How Moriori Peacekeepers Survived a Forgotten Māori Invasion For decades, the Moriori have been considered extinct. When two Māori tribes invaded their homeland,...
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For decades, the Moriori have been considered extinct. When two Māori tribes invaded their homeland, the Chatham Islands, in 1835, the Moriori refused to fight back. They remained faithful to the Law of Nunuku, the central tenet of Moriori life, which prohibited warfare and...
TheCollector
The Draugr (Norse Undead) Who Haunted the Viking World The Vikings believed in life after death, but also that people could get caught between life and...
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The Vikings believed in life after death, but also that people could get caught between life and death. Returning as a revenant usually happened to evil people who clung to life for their own vile purposes. These zombie-like creatures were called, among other things, “draugr,”...
TheCollector
The Symbols and Strange Stories Behind Rembrandt’s Night Watch The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most analyzed paintings in the history of art....
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The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most analyzed paintings in the history of art. This fascinating artwork has survived many wars, three attacks by vandals, and years of extensive research and attempts to decode its meaning and complex composition. Let’s explore...
TheCollector
Constantine the Great’s Forgotten Invasion of Britain Constantine the Great is undoubtedly one of the most famous Roman Emperors. He was made emperor...
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Constantine the Great is undoubtedly one of the most famous Roman Emperors. He was made emperor while in Roman Britain, fought a war against Emperor Maxentius in Rome, and then took control of the entire Roman Empire. Interestingly, there is some evidence that he returned to...
TheCollector
How Angels and Demons Interact with Humans in the Bible In modern pop culture, angels are often portrayed as gentle protectors, while demons are frequently...
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In modern pop culture, angels are often portrayed as gentle protectors, while demons are frequently depicted as malevolent tempters. However, in the Bible, the distinction between these spiritual beings is more complex. Angels deliver divine messages but also bring destruction....
TheCollector
The Four Crusader States in the Holy Land As a site of great significance for three world religions, the Levant has been subject to brutal...
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As a site of great significance for three world religions, the Levant has been subject to brutal wars over the centuries. When Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade in 1095, the main target was Jerusalem and the Holy Land. During the First Crusade, the Christians successfully...
TheCollector
How Did Richard the Lionheart Become England’s Most Famous King? Richard I (1157-1199), the Lionheart, is celebrated as England’s great warrior king, a man who...
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Richard I (1157-1199), the Lionheart, is celebrated as England’s great warrior king, a man who embodied the ideals of medieval chivalry and nobility. Historically, however, Richard was notorious for having had little interest in England or the English—and in truth, he was never...
TheCollector
Is There a Cure for Male Loneliness? Unpacking the Myths of Masculinity Male loneliness runs deeper than just feeling alone. Many men find it difficult to make close...
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Male loneliness runs deeper than just feeling alone. Many men find it difficult to make close connections because they are imprisoned by out-of-date concepts of masculinity: be strong, don’t cry, handle it alone, be a man! Such fallacies are not only harmful but also separate...
TheCollector
Inside the Forgotten Cave World of Old Khndzoresk Embark on a hike through the historic village of Old Khndzoresk in Armenia, perched on the steep...
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Embark on a hike through the historic village of Old Khndzoresk in Armenia, perched on the steep slopes of a breathtaking gorge. This remarkable site, fully inhabited during the 17th and 18th centuries with a population of over 8,000, offers a unique exploration of both natural...
TheCollector
What Life Was Really Like for a Medieval Monk Spending their lives in monasteries, devoting their entire lives to God, monks in the Middle Ages...
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Spending their lives in monasteries, devoting their entire lives to God, monks in the Middle Ages experienced a quiet existence in a world with a growing sense of religious importance that valued the monastic life.   Not only did they devote themselves to God, but they devoted...
TheCollector
The 12th-Century Renaissance That Transformed Medieval Europe Europe’s long Middle Ages have a reputation as a low point in Western civilization. The period from...
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Europe’s long Middle Ages have a reputation as a low point in Western civilization. The period from the 5th to the 15th century is a byword for anything unenlightened and barbaric. Modern historians, however, prefer to view this stretch as a series of epochs and incremental...
TheCollector
Who Was Legendary Pirate Captain Kidd? Captain Kidd was one of many notorious pirates that operated during the 17th century “Golden Age of...
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Captain Kidd was one of many notorious pirates that operated during the 17th century “Golden Age of Piracy.” Legend has it he hid his treasure, intending to come back to it, but was stopped short when the law caught up with him. So where is this alleged treasure, and if people...
TheCollector
What Do We Know About the “Missing” Books of the Bible? In the early years of Christianity, following the time of the New Testament, multiple books were...
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In the early years of Christianity, following the time of the New Testament, multiple books were circulated around the newly formed churches. Among those books and letters, a consensus among the churches arose as to which ones were authentically written by an apostle of Jesus...
TheCollector
Demetrius “the Besieger” and the Epic Scramble for Alexander’s Empire Demetrius Poliorcetes, “the Besieger,” became central to the scramble for power following the death...
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Demetrius Poliorcetes, “the Besieger,” became central to the scramble for power following the death of Alexander the Great. The drama of his life is such that a historian described it as one that “still awaits a movie producer” (Chaniotis, 2018, 47). Ever-changing fortune cast...
TheCollector
How Did the Colonial Period Shape Modern Korean Art? The Japanese Colonial Period (1910-1945) saw the development of Modern Art in Korea according to...
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The Japanese Colonial Period (1910-1945) saw the development of Modern Art in Korea according to Western standards, placing importance on European techniques and styles, such as oil painting. Moving beyond the traditional, Korean art made during this time reflects the great...
TheCollector
Guide to Classical Greek Sculpture (Canon, Materials, and Appearance) After the Persians were thrown back from their attempt to conquer Greece, the Greek world was buoyed...
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After the Persians were thrown back from their attempt to conquer Greece, the Greek world was buoyed by a sense of optimism that permeated all aspects of society. It was during this time, called the Classical Era by historians, that ancient Greek culture reached its apogee,...
TheCollector
The Three Graces “Charites” of Greek Mythology (Origins & Facts) The Charites, also known as the three Graces, were a group of beautiful goddesses who embodied...
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The Charites, also known as the three Graces, were a group of beautiful goddesses who embodied charm, grace, beauty, and joy. They presided over festival celebrations and were attendants to the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Initially, there were three Charites, but additional...
TheCollector
A Complete Guide to the Greek Poet Hesiod & His Works Hesiod (c. 750-650 BCE) is one of the earliest extant Greek poets. His most notable surviving works...
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Hesiod (c. 750-650 BCE) is one of the earliest extant Greek poets. His most notable surviving works are Theogony, which describes the origins and genealogy of the gods and the universe, and Works and Days, which covers various subjects such as farming advice, mythical stories,...
TheCollector
Who Won the Battle of Baton Rouge? On May 1, 1862, the Union seized New Orleans, the largest city in the Confederate States of America....
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On May 1, 1862, the Union seized New Orleans, the largest city in the Confederate States of America. This was a tremendous logistical and psychological blow for the South, which lost both a major trading and sociocultural center. Many expected the Confederacy to mount an...
TheCollector
3 Famous Archeological Finds That Were Actually Hoaxes Archeological discoveries have always fascinated us. They offer insights into the lives of our...
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Archeological discoveries have always fascinated us. They offer insights into the lives of our ancestors and the cultures of ancient civilizations, but not all finds stand up to scrutiny. Throughout history, several sensational archeological discoveries have turned out to be...
TheCollector
Who Was Stonewall Jackson? The Confederate General Who Became a Legend Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson remains one of the most iconic figures of the American Civil War. Born in...
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Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson remains one of the most iconic figures of the American Civil War. Born in 1824, in what is now West Virginia, his military genius propelled him through the ranks of the Confederate Army from a lowly major to General. Known for his iron discipline and...
TheCollector
The Adventures of Perseus, the Greek Hero Who Defeated Medusa Perseus, the son of Zeus, was abandoned by his grandfather, King Acrisius, due to a dark prophecy....
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Perseus, the son of Zeus, was abandoned by his grandfather, King Acrisius, due to a dark prophecy. He and his mother, Danae, were saved by a fisherman named Diktys on the island of Seriphos. However, Diktys’s brother, King Polydectes, desired to marry Danae and devised a plan to...
TheCollector
The Forgotten Irish Kingdom in Dark Age Britain It is well known that large numbers of Irish settlers migrated to western Britain, especially...
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It is well known that large numbers of Irish settlers migrated to western Britain, especially western Wales, during the early Dark Ages. This was mostly after, but some also before, the fall of Roman Britain. They managed to establish a relatively long-lasting kingdom in Dyfed,...
TheCollector
7 Unusual Saints of the Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, devout Christians venerated holy people known as saints. As everyday...
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During the Middle Ages, devout Christians venerated holy people known as saints. As everyday Christians made it through the struggles of life, they found comfort by identifying with saints, some of whom had extremely strange and unusual stories, or vitae. As strange as some of...
TheCollector
What Ancient Greek Philosophers Said About Friendship (Philia) In Ancient Greek philosophy, friendship (or “philia”) was considered fundamental for shaping how one...
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In Ancient Greek philosophy, friendship (or “philia”) was considered fundamental for shaping how one thought, acted, and organized society. However, we will see that thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates viewed the matter rather differently from how we might today. Of...
TheCollector
How the Great Fire of London in 1666 Completely Transformed the City Few man-made disasters before the 19th century have caused as much damage or reformed a city as much...
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Few man-made disasters before the 19th century have caused as much damage or reformed a city as much as the Great Fire of London did in 1666. Not only did the fire cause untold damage, devastation, and carnage in the city, but it also helped to change the way that buildings were...
TheCollector
Could the Trojan War Have Occurred in the Iron Age? The Trojan War is undoubtedly the most famous conflict in Greek legend. The ancient Greeks wrote...
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The Trojan War is undoubtedly the most famous conflict in Greek legend. The ancient Greeks wrote about it extensively, and there are many statements regarding when it took place. These claims, although not all consistent, generally point to c. 1200 BCE as the date of the Trojan...
TheCollector
Did Jesus Have Siblings? Scholars have asked questions about the siblings of Jesus since the earliest centuries of the...
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Scholars have asked questions about the siblings of Jesus since the earliest centuries of the Christian church. Some argue he had younger brothers and sisters based on a plain reading of the gospels. Others claim Jesus had stepsiblings from a prior marriage of Joseph. A third...
TheCollector
5 Roman Emperors (Almost) Lost to Time One of the main symptoms of the Crisis of the Third Century was almost constant civil wars and...
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One of the main symptoms of the Crisis of the Third Century was almost constant civil wars and internal fights for power. Over the course of almost half a century (235-284), many Roman generals and other commanders were proclaimed emperors, mostly by their soldiers after a...
Classical Wisdom
Secrets of the Sophists Man is the Measure of All Things...
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TheCollector
7 Historical Places to Visit On Your Way to the Isle of Skye Scotland draws tourists year-round to discover its stunning nature, fantastic views, and rich...
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Scotland draws tourists year-round to discover its stunning nature, fantastic views, and rich history. The Isle of Skye is the largest of the Inner Hebrides islands and is famous for its breathtaking views. You can discover the top places to visit on the Isle of Skye here. If...
TheCollector
The Life of Seneca, the Stoic Philosopher Who Walked a Moral Tightrope Lucius Annaeus Seneca lived at a formative period in the history of imperial Rome. As a Stoic...
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Lucius Annaeus Seneca lived at a formative period in the history of imperial Rome. As a Stoic philosopher who preached virtue and self-restraint, he also served as an advisor to the infamous emperor Nero. His writings, such as his Letters to Lucilius and On the Shortness of Life,...
TheCollector
The Forgotten Claudian Heirs Who Shaped Imperial Rome The Julio-Claudians were the first dynasty of imperial Rome, descended from the Julian gens through...
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The Julio-Claudians were the first dynasty of imperial Rome, descended from the Julian gens through Julius Caesar and Augustus. The Claudian side came through the empress Livia, herself a Claudian, and her ex-husband Tiberius Claudius Nero, whose name is preserved by three of...
TheCollector
What’s the Best Time of Year to Visit Mexico? Mexico offers arguably the most comprehensive travel experience in Latin America. It is ideal for...
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Mexico offers arguably the most comprehensive travel experience in Latin America. It is ideal for beach lovers, culture vultures, adrenalin addicts, and history enthusiasts. Yet, with a climate as diverse as its landscapes, settling on the perfect time to visit can be a bit...
TheCollector
What Exactly Is Qi? Life Energy in Chinese Medicine & Martial Arts A character in a martial arts anime unleashes a planet-destroying burst of energy to defeat a foe. A...
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A character in a martial arts anime unleashes a planet-destroying burst of energy to defeat a foe. A martial artist in a wuxia film strikes at pressure points to paralyze someone. Another character places their hands on that same person to heal their injuries. These are...
TheCollector
6 Most Striking Fayum Portraits You Should See The Fayum portraits are realistic paintings of deceased individuals that were placed over their...
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The Fayum portraits are realistic paintings of deceased individuals that were placed over their mummies during the first three centuries of the Common Era in Egypt. These were portraits of the elites who wished to reach the afterlife retaining their lifelike appearance. The...
TheCollector
How the Normans Conquered England in 1066 Many people may not be aware that the governments of France and England were once closely linked,...
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Many people may not be aware that the governments of France and England were once closely linked, including through a single monarchy. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England to avenge the affront of not being named King of England, as he had been promised.  The...
TheCollector
What Did an Ottoman Sultan Eat In a Day? In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman palace kitchens were places where delicious and...
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In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman palace kitchens were places where delicious and innovative foods emerged. A sultan’s personal tastes, whether leaning towards savory or sweet, influenced the culinary culture of the court. Some of the sultan’s favorite foods, like...
TheCollector
Guide to Lisbon’s History, Art, and Museums Lisbon is one of the oldest capitals in Europe. It was also once a prominent port city where...
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Lisbon is one of the oldest capitals in Europe. It was also once a prominent port city where merchants worldwide would meet and trade in the Middle Ages. It was the center of globalization’s earliest days.   Although the infamous 1755 earthquake left Lisbon in shambles, killing...
TheCollector
The Black Hawk War: Fighting Back Against US Westward Expansion As the United States expanded westwards, Native Americans were subjected to cultural genocide,...
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As the United States expanded westwards, Native Americans were subjected to cultural genocide, foreign diseases, and territorial loss. Faced with destruction and herded onto reservations, many Native Americans resisted what was happening to them and decided to take action.   In...
TheCollector
4 Major Monastic Reform Orders in Medieval Europee Although the tradition of Christian monasticism had its origins in 3rd-century Egypt and the Levant,...
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Although the tradition of Christian monasticism had its origins in 3rd-century Egypt and the Levant, its medieval form was firmly established by St. Benedict’s Rule of the 6th century. Benedictine monasteries adopted this set of rules and became widespread across Europe in the...
TheCollector
The Rise and Fall of the Second Bulgarian Empire That Dominated the Balkans The founding of the Second Bulgarian Empire in the late 12th century saw the restoration of...
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The founding of the Second Bulgarian Empire in the late 12th century saw the restoration of Bulgarian independence from Byzantine rule. Under the leadership of effective rulers such as Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II, Bulgaria conquered most of southeastern Europe from the Byzantines....
TheCollector
The Tumultuous Ottoman Interregnum (Bayezid’s Fall & Civil War) Under Sultan Bayezid, “The Thunderbolt,” the Ottoman Empire had a series of stunning military...
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Under Sultan Bayezid, “The Thunderbolt,” the Ottoman Empire had a series of stunning military victories in the Balkans and Western Asia. However, Bayezid’s ambitions placed him in the path of the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur, who captured the Sultan in battle. Known as the...
TheCollector
The Music of the Romantic Era (with Examples) The Romantic Period, often placed in the 19th century but with roots in the late 18th century, is...
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The Romantic Period, often placed in the 19th century but with roots in the late 18th century, is associated with individual self-expression and a reaction against the Age of Enlightenment’s emphasis on logic and rationality. This period also rebelled against industrialization....
TheCollector
Why Did Ethiopian Rulers Claim to Be Descendants of King Solomon? Upon converting to Christianity in the 4th century, Ethiopia’s rulers took their new religion and...
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Upon converting to Christianity in the 4th century, Ethiopia’s rulers took their new religion and invested themselves with an entirely new national mythos. Dynasties traced their roots back as far as possible (and even beyond) in order to solidify their legitimacy. And where...
TheCollector
The Odyssey Still Matters! Dr. Paul Cartledge on Homer’s Epic With the star-studded new Odyssey feature film by Christopher Nolan in the works, everyone is...
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With the star-studded new Odyssey feature film by Christopher Nolan in the works, everyone is talking about Homer and his epic tales about the Trojan War and Odysseus’ long journey home following its conclusion. With this in mind, Richard Marranca spoke to Dr Paul Cartledge,...
TheCollector
How the Crusades Reshaped Medieval Europe From 1096 to about 1300 CE, during the Middle Ages in Europe, European monarchs and other royals...
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From 1096 to about 1300 CE, during the Middle Ages in Europe, European monarchs and other royals sent armies to the Holy Land in the Middle East to attempt to secure the city of Jerusalem and surrounding territory for Christendom. These “holy wars,” fought between Christians and...
Flashbak
I Am a Stranger in This Country: An Outsider Photographs Britain and Ireland’s Travellers In I Am a Stranger in This Country Berlin-based photograph Frederik Rüegger shows us pictures from...
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In I Am a Stranger in This Country Berlin-based photograph Frederik Rüegger shows us pictures from the two years he spent visiting the Roma and Traveller communities in Britain and Ireland. The book’s title is a nod to his reflects his status as a foreigner abroad and the...
TheCollector
Did Life Continue in Pompeii After Its Destruction? In 79 CE, the disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the prosperous cities of Pompeii and...
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In 79 CE, the disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the prosperous cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum near Naples. A densely populated city was buried under ash, lava, and stone, but its life was not over. Groups of survivors went on to rebuild their lives in other...
TheCollector
What Lao Tzu Believed and How It Shaped Taoism Lao Tzu (Laozi) is a complex figure, which makes capturing his essence through words difficult. This...
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a week ago
Lao Tzu (Laozi) is a complex figure, which makes capturing his essence through words difficult. This is not only because of the minimal information we have about his existence but also the many titles that can be given to him. The ancient Chinese philosopher, sage, and to some,...
TheCollector
An In-Depth Guide to the Christian Doctrine of God The doctrine of God as taught by Christian theologians differs from the conceptual God debated by...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The doctrine of God as taught by Christian theologians differs from the conceptual God debated by philosophers and the inner God experienced by mystics. But how exactly is the God of the scholars and visionaries different from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as Pascal...
TheCollector
The Epic Story of El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar) Few people have come close to achieving such legendary status as Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known...
a week ago
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a week ago
Few people have come close to achieving such legendary status as Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid. Throughout his life, he fought for both Christian and Muslim armies, and was greatly respected and revered by both. In fact, his tale has been told so often that...
TheCollector
How Horses Shaped Human Civilization In no small part, horses have helped create and change human civilization. Although they are not as...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
In no small part, horses have helped create and change human civilization. Although they are not as conspicuous and as commonplace as they used to be, many civilizations were built on foundations provided for by equine labor.   From the plains of Eurasia, where they roamed free...
TheCollector
Why Chinese Calligraphy Is More Than Just Beautiful Writing Western perceptions of Chinese calligraphy often focus on the skills used to make the artistic...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
Western perceptions of Chinese calligraphy often focus on the skills used to make the artistic lines. However, an appreciation of skills alone does not take into account the traditions tied to it. For over two millennia, Chinese calligraphy was more than an art form. It was a...
TheCollector
The Ancient Hurrian Myth That Inspired the Greek Gods The Kumarbi Cycle was a Hurrian myth adapted by the Hittites. While Kumarbi himself was a Hurrian...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Kumarbi Cycle was a Hurrian myth adapted by the Hittites. While Kumarbi himself was a Hurrian god, the epic incorporates other gods from Near Eastern cultures, like the Babylonians and Syrians. The storm god, called Teshub in Hurrian, was replaced with the Hittite and Luwian...
TheCollector
What Is the Significance of the Minoan Octopus Vase? Craftsmen from the Minoan civilization, a society that existed during the Bronze Age on the Greek...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
Craftsmen from the Minoan civilization, a society that existed during the Bronze Age on the Greek island of Crete, created the famous Minoan Octopus vase. Their vases typically featured artistic portrayals of a sinuous octopus and were created at a time when the Minoans were...
TheCollector
The Origins & Symbolism of the Phoenix (From Ancient Greece to Christianity) The myth of the Phoenix is closely identified with stories from ancient Greek and Roman literature,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The myth of the Phoenix is closely identified with stories from ancient Greek and Roman literature, although there are Egyptian and Persian counterparts that may have outdated and influenced these. What is less well known are the references to the phoenix and phoenixlike birds...
TheCollector
The Primordial Gods of Greek Mythology Who Preceded the Olympians According to Greek mythology, when the cosmos was created, it was initially inhabited by the first...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
According to Greek mythology, when the cosmos was created, it was initially inhabited by the first generation of beings known as the Primordial gods or Protogenoi (Firstborn). Many of these gods appeared fully formed at the moment of the cosmos’s creation. They personified the...
TheCollector
7 Historical Places to Visit on the Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, the largest island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It has a population of...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Isle of Skye, the largest island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It has a population of around 10,000 people and is only 50 miles long. Yet, it is filled with history, from prehistoric fossils to highland castles. Peppered with ruins and riveting history, here are the top...
TheCollector
How the Hospitallers Lost the Holy Land but Survived the Ages During the Crusades, warriors devoted themselves to protecting the Holy Land from attack, dedicating...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
During the Crusades, warriors devoted themselves to protecting the Holy Land from attack, dedicating themselves to God, the Church, and their mission. Several orders of devout knights emerged, the most famous of which was the Knights Templar, but another well-known order was the...
TheCollector
The Musket Wars That Changed Māori Society Forever The Musket Wars, which occurred from the early 1800s to the 1840s, brought about a significant...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
The Musket Wars, which occurred from the early 1800s to the 1840s, brought about a significant transformation in Māori society and warfare. This four-decades-long conflict was characterized by the widespread use of muskets, which had been introduced (both willingly and...
TheCollector
Alexander Gardner: The Man Who Captured the Civil War Alexander Gardner is one of the principal photographers responsible for capturing the horrors of the...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Alexander Gardner is one of the principal photographers responsible for capturing the horrors of the Civil War and the adventure of the expansion into the American West, not only for posterity but for his contemporaries, shaping public opinion. His relationship with Abraham...
TheCollector
The Lost People Who Built Babylon and Vanished The Amorites were a Bronze Age people who were prevalent in the Levant and Near East. But for over a...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
The Amorites were a Bronze Age people who were prevalent in the Levant and Near East. But for over a century, historians and archaeologists have debated if they can even be considered a “people” in an ethnic or political sense. Early theories held that the Amorites were a...
TheCollector
Is Gibbon’s “The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire” Still Relevant? In the 18th century, Edward Gibbon wrote his six-volume magnum opus, The History of the Decline and...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
In the 18th century, Edward Gibbon wrote his six-volume magnum opus, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It covers the history of the empire that started in the city of Rome from 98 CE to 1590 CE; over 3,928 pages. For generations, it was considered required...
TheCollector
5 Alluring Female Portraits Painted by Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt redefined the modern female portrait. He introduced elements that were previously...
6 days ago
5
6 days ago
Gustav Klimt redefined the modern female portrait. He introduced elements that were previously reserved for decorative arts or medieval icons. Klimt used gold, restless geometrical shapes, and dazzling enamel-like colors. While most portraitists of his time focused on showing...
TheCollector
How the Gospel of John Differs from the Synoptic Gospels Unlike the synoptic gospels that share many of the events they describe, the Gospel of John presents...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
Unlike the synoptic gospels that share many of the events they describe, the Gospel of John presents a unique perspective. Some scholars claim John authored this gospel after the synoptic gospels, which allowed him to address challenges the fledgling Christian religion faced...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Sisyphus, Sophists, and Stoics
3 days ago
TheCollector
What the Book of Nahum Says About the Fall of Nineveh Nahum prophesied about the imminent destruction of Nineveh and, by extension, the Assyrian Empire,...
a week ago
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a week ago
Nahum prophesied about the imminent destruction of Nineveh and, by extension, the Assyrian Empire, though he did not prophesy directly to them. Instead, he brought his message to an audience in Judah that gained much hope from the news that Nineveh was about to fall. The Kingdom...
TheCollector
Hellenistic Greek Sculpture (Guide with HD Images) After centuries of progress and development, Greek sculpture reached its “final” form during the...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
After centuries of progress and development, Greek sculpture reached its “final” form during the Hellenistic Age, usually dated from Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BCE. Around the 1st century BCE, Greece was incorporated into the Roman Empire, ushering in a new period of...
TheCollector
Medieval Battles Where Archers Ruled the Field Medieval battles were dominated by armored cavalry, but history reveals cases where archers were...
2 weeks ago
5
2 weeks ago
Medieval battles were dominated by armored cavalry, but history reveals cases where archers were able to outsmart their rivals. Changing tactics only took them so far. New bow types, like the English longbow and the nomadic composite bow, increased the archer’s lethality....
TheCollector
Sumer vs. Indus Valley – Which Is Older? The question of the older civilization between the Sumer and the Indus Valley Civilizations is...
a week ago
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a week ago
The question of the older civilization between the Sumer and the Indus Valley Civilizations is interesting as both are considered to be among the earliest human civilizations known to man. That said, they rose at different timelines. To determine which of them was older, it is...
TheCollector
What Are Some of Rome’s Unsolved Mysteries? From the strange disappearance of the ninth legion to the unknown substances that made up Roman...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
From the strange disappearance of the ninth legion to the unknown substances that made up Roman concrete, we take a closer look at a series of Rome’s greatest mysteries, which are largely unknown at the time of publication.   The Ninth Legion   One of the more famous Roman...
TheCollector
What Is Hestia the Goddess of? When you think about Greek mythology, you may immediately picture the epic battles, tragic love...
a week ago
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a week ago
When you think about Greek mythology, you may immediately picture the epic battles, tragic love stories, and gods with fiery tempers in all of the famous stories. However, not every deity was defined by strength, power, and spectacle. Hestia, one of the elder Olympian gods,...
TheCollector
7 Historical Places in Xi’an, China Xi’an was the capital of 13 ancient Chinese dynasties and holds an important place in Chinese...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
Xi’an was the capital of 13 ancient Chinese dynasties and holds an important place in Chinese history. It was the easternmost point of the Silk Road, a Eurasian trade route active from the 2nd century BCE until the mid-15th century. The city, previously known as Chang’An, has...
TheCollector
The History of Lagos, the Epicenter of the Portuguese Age of Discovery Lagos, Portugal is a 4,000-year-old coastal city that was once home to the Carthaginians, the...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
Lagos, Portugal is a 4,000-year-old coastal city that was once home to the Carthaginians, the Romans, and the Moors. After the Reconquista, Lagos played a pivotal role in the Portuguese maritime expansion.   In 1755, Lagos lost its influence after the devastating earthquake and...
History Today Feed
‘The Colonialist’ by William Kelleher Storey review ‘The Colonialist’ by William Kelleher Storey review JamesHoare Mon, 08/04/2025 - 09:08
2 days ago
TheCollector
How Early Peoples of Latin America Interacted With Megafauna Approximately 11,000 years ago, in the Pleistocene epoch, humans began to enter present-day South...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
Approximately 11,000 years ago, in the Pleistocene epoch, humans began to enter present-day South America. There, they came face to face with the giants of their day—ground sloths over 20 feet long, armored glyptodonts the size of a car, and felines with foot-long teeth. Their...
TheCollector
How Alexander the Great Won the Battle of the Granicus With Greece and the Balkans secure, Alexander the Great led his army across the Hellespont into Asia...
a week ago
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a week ago
With Greece and the Balkans secure, Alexander the Great led his army across the Hellespont into Asia Minor. A revolt in Egypt had drawn away the new Achaemenid king, Darius III, and his army. However, the local Achaemenid satraps were not about to let Alexander do as he pleased....
TheCollector
Mahatma Gandhi’s 3 Quotes That Changed the World Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar, in the Indian state of Gujarat. He trained...
a week ago
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a week ago
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar, in the Indian state of Gujarat. He trained as a lawyer before moving to South Africa, where he set out to fight racial discrimination against the Indian community through organized civil disobedience. Returning to India in...
Classical Wisdom
The Greek Hostage Who Wrote the Rise of Rome The Talented Mr. Polybius
2 days ago
TheCollector
What Did Sargon of Akkad and Sargon of Assyria Have in Common? Sargon of Akkad (ruled c. 2334-2279 BCE) and Sargon II of Assyria (ruled 721-705 BCE) were two of...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
Sargon of Akkad (ruled c. 2334-2279 BCE) and Sargon II of Assyria (ruled 721-705 BCE) were two of the greatest rulers in ancient Near Eastern history. Despite sharing the same name, the two men were from different dynasties and lived more than 1,500 years and hundreds of miles...
TheCollector
Is Tecumseh’s Curse a Coincidence or Bane of the Presidency? Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader of an instrumental Pan-Indian confederacy, stood up to the United...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader of an instrumental Pan-Indian confederacy, stood up to the United States when his people and allies were threatened. He would be killed in the ensuing conflict, but with his death came rumors of a curse placed on the highest office in the land....
TheCollector
What Is the Book of Daniel About? The Book of Daniel contains some of the most iconic scenes from the Bible. Children’s Bibles often...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
The Book of Daniel contains some of the most iconic scenes from the Bible. Children’s Bibles often depict Daniel in the lion’s den, or his friends in the fiery furnace. Yet, there is much more to Daniel than fantastic stories to entertain children. It holds significant lessons...
TheCollector
How John William Waterhouse Transformed 5 Greek Myths into Vivid Victorian Visions No artist brought Greek mythology to life for Victorian audiences like John William Waterhouse....
3 days ago
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3 days ago
No artist brought Greek mythology to life for Victorian audiences like John William Waterhouse. Around the turn of the century, the English painter infused classical themes with the poignant beauty of the Pre-Raphaelite style. In his hands, Greek myths were not merely retold, but...
TheCollector
Queen Caroline of Denmark and the Forbidden Love That Rocked a Kingdom Caroline Matilda was born July 22, 1751. She was the daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales and...
a week ago
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a week ago
Caroline Matilda was born July 22, 1751. She was the daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, and was the youngest of nine children. Her father passed away just before she was born; he was the oldest son and heir of King George II of Great...
TheCollector
Christian Prophets, Saints, and Relics in Zoroastrian Iran The Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) is considered a zenith of Iranian civilization. The religion of the...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
The Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE) is considered a zenith of Iranian civilization. The religion of the Sasanians was Zoroastrianism, a dualistic religion with Ahura Mazda as its principal god and champion of Good. However, Zoroastrianism was not the only religion present, as...
TheCollector
How Many Native Americans Were Killed During Colonization? The Native American population reached around seven million before European contact. Estimates for...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
The Native American population reached around seven million before European contact. Estimates for all the Americans range up to or past 45 million. In North America, Native Americans are grouped into six tribes, numbering between three and seven million people. The Eastern...
History Today Feed
The Islamic Ethics of the Wine Tax The Islamic Ethics of the Wine Tax JamesHoare Tue, 08/05/2025 - 09:06
yesterday
TheCollector
What Was Coco Chanel’s “Slavic Period”? During the 1920s, European fashion reflected the lure of exotic trends. From peasant shirts and...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
During the 1920s, European fashion reflected the lure of exotic trends. From peasant shirts and embroidered dresses to jeweled kokoshnik tiaras, this era saw a strong Slavic influence on Western couture thanks to thousands of émigrés who fled the Bolshevik Revolution. While Coco...
TheCollector
Is the Ghent Altarpiece a Work of Realism or Idealism? While conventionally hailed as a work of precise realism, the Ghent Altarpiece at Saint Bavo...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
While conventionally hailed as a work of precise realism, the Ghent Altarpiece at Saint Bavo (otherwise known as The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) is as much a work of idealism. The Van Eycks carefully and skilfully crafted their realism within a sophisticated framework of...
TheCollector
The Statue of Athena Parthenos: Everything You Need to Know The statue of Athena Parthenos was a large-scale ivory and gold statue created in the 5th century...
yesterday
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yesterday
The statue of Athena Parthenos was a large-scale ivory and gold statue created in the 5th century BCE and dedicated to the goddess in the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis. The larger-than-life devotional image of one of ancient Greece’s most important goddesses was considered...
TheCollector
The 8 Most Intriguing Nazca Lines Nestled in the Nazca desert in southern Peru, the group of geoglyphs popularly called the Nazca...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
Nestled in the Nazca desert in southern Peru, the group of geoglyphs popularly called the Nazca Lines fascinates history enthusiasts worldwide. Displaying geometric, animal, and humanoid forms, these glyphs stand out among other archaeological finds due to their sophisticated...
TheCollector
Archaic Greek Sculpture (Guide with HD Images) Ancient Greece is known for its magnificent statues, the craftsmanship of which is still envied by...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
Ancient Greece is known for its magnificent statues, the craftsmanship of which is still envied by modern artists. The style in which Greek statues were made was not monolithic but rather a gradual evolution over several centuries, with each new generation of artists building on...
TheCollector
Unpacking Freud’s Concept of “The Uncanny” Although Sigmund Freud is known as the progenitor of psychoanalysis, The Uncanny, one of his most...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
Although Sigmund Freud is known as the progenitor of psychoanalysis, The Uncanny, one of his most famous essays, is just as important in the world of literary criticism as in that of psychology. It also had a seismic impact across the arts. Throughout, Freud probes the possible...
TheCollector
How Sigmund Freud’s Concept of “The Uncanny” Inspired Art According to Freud, the uncanny is not just an unsettling or fearful sensation caused by the alien...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
According to Freud, the uncanny is not just an unsettling or fearful sensation caused by the alien and unfamiliar. Spooky things, like living dolls, severed limbs, and doppelgängers, can be uncanny. This is because of their link to our subconscious, to repressed feelings of...
TheCollector
Can God Make You Act Immorally? Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling Fear and Trembling has become required reading for anyone interested in existentialism or Biblical...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
Fear and Trembling has become required reading for anyone interested in existentialism or Biblical exegesis. In this short text, Kierkegaard poses several challenging and complex philosophical and theological ideas. Here, we examine three key ideas expressed in the text: the...
TheCollector
How to Become an Immortal in Greek Mythology (6 Myths) Greek mythology focused on the deeds of gods and semi-divine heroes, with most of the humans who got...
yesterday
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yesterday
Greek mythology focused on the deeds of gods and semi-divine heroes, with most of the humans who got caught up in their escapades coming to a bad end. But some mortals made such an impression during their short lives that they were given a place in the heavens and made immortal....
TheCollector
What Does the Bible Say About the Fate of Angels and Demons? Despite their tantalizing presence all over the Bible, readers are left with a lot of questions not...
yesterday
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yesterday
Despite their tantalizing presence all over the Bible, readers are left with a lot of questions not only about where angels and demons came from but also about where they might be going. While some passages allude to the final annihilation of demons, these references use...
History Today Feed
What’s in a Pope’s Name? What’s in a Pope’s Name? JamesHoare Wed, 08/06/2025 - 09:03
6 hours ago
TheCollector
10 Mythical Treasures of the Norse Gods Many gods are known for their attributes: the Greek god Zeus with his lightning bolt, the Egyptian...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
Many gods are known for their attributes: the Greek god Zeus with his lightning bolt, the Egyptian god Osiris with his crook and flail, and the Indian god Vishnu with his club, wheel, conch, and lotus flower. Norse myth and archaeological finds show that the Norse gods also had...
TheCollector
8 Must-Visit Religious Sites in Japan Japan’s native religion, Shinto, is tied directly to the country’s customs, nature, and people....
3 days ago
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3 days ago
Japan’s native religion, Shinto, is tied directly to the country’s customs, nature, and people. Dotted across the island archipelago are countless shrines and temples that hold a deep significance to followers of Shinto. These sites allow both local and international visitors to...
TheCollector
How Saladin Defeated the Crusaders & Recaptured Jerusalem Saladin (1137-1193) has gone down in history as one of the greatest statesmen and generals of the...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
Saladin (1137-1193) has gone down in history as one of the greatest statesmen and generals of the High Medieval Era. He made himself Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founded the Ayyubid Dynasty, defended his kingdom from the Crusader states, and recaptured the sacred city of Jerusalem...
TheCollector
How Two Medicis Became Popes & Shaped European History In 1513, Giovanni de’ Medici, second son of Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” became the first Medici pope...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
In 1513, Giovanni de’ Medici, second son of Lorenzo “the Magnificent,” became the first Medici pope with the name of Leo X. The election of Giovanni inaugurated the apogee of the Medici family in the Italian peninsula. While Leo turned Rome into a leading cultural center, he...
History Today Feed
The Victorians, Creation, and the Dinosaur Problem The Victorians, Creation, and the Dinosaur Problem JamesHoare Mon, 05/19/2025 - 09:00
2 months ago
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....
7 months ago
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7 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...
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...
7 months ago
145
7 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...
Res Obscura
Simulating History with ChatGPT The Case for LLMs as Hallucination Engines
a year ago
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...
7 months ago
135
7 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...
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...
7 months ago
130
7 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...
African History...
A history of the Majeerteen Sultanate: 1700-1927. Maritime trade and diplomacy in the northern Horn of Africa.
over a year ago
weird medieval guys
An 800 year prayer book that's decorated with puns Plus a little history of manuscript illustration
over a year ago
Wrong Side of...
Rats! The Year of the Plague #2
6 months ago
Trying to Understand...
The Rise of Extractive Politics It's about having small expectations.
over a year ago
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...
3 months ago
120
3 months 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...
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...
7 months ago
118
7 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,...
TheCollector
Everything You Need to Know About the Ten Commandments The lists of commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 are almost identical to each other,...
a month ago
117
a month ago
The lists of commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 are almost identical to each other, diverging significantly only in the reasons they each give for keeping the Sabbath day. This list—often called the Decalogue—is what is popularly known as the Ten Commandments. However,...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Sacred Flames and Divine Philosophers
over a year ago
TheCollector
How Did the Industrial Revolution Take Place in Non-Western Countries? The Industrial Revolution refers to past changes from agrarian and manual labor systems of...
2 months ago
115
2 months ago
The Industrial Revolution refers to past changes from agrarian and manual labor systems of production to mechanization. Britain was the first nation in the world to experience the transformation which started in the 18th century. The trend then spread to other nations around the...
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...
7 months ago
113
7 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...
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...
7 months ago
113
7 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...
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...
a year ago
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a year 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...
African History...
A history of the Rozvi kingdom (1680-1830) From Changamire's expulsion of the Portuguese to the ruined cities of Zimbabwe.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
How To Eat: An Ancient Guide to Healthy Living Registration *NOW* Open
6 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Homer Vs Hesiod Poets of War and Peace
3 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Should We Follow Silly Laws? And what happens when we don’t?
over 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?
6 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
106
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...
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...
7 months ago
106
7 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...
TheCollector
8 Most Important Works of Socialist Realism Socialist Realism was the dominant cultural doctrine in the Soviet Union. Artists were expected to...
2 months ago
106
2 months ago
Socialist Realism was the dominant cultural doctrine in the Soviet Union. Artists were expected to create works that were realistic, inspiring, and easily understandable even by those who never encountered art before. Socialist Realist paintings celebrated labor and glorified...
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...
6 months ago
105
6 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 …...
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...
7 months ago
105
7 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.
5 months ago
Trying to Understand...
A Short Essay About A Long-Playing Record One I bought fifty years ago.
a year 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...
a year ago
104
a year 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...
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...
7 months ago
102
7 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...
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...
a year ago
102
a year 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...
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...
7 months ago
100
7 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...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Mothers of the Ancient World
a year ago
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...
6 months ago
100
6 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...
Wrong Side of...
The Terrible Loneliness of Genius The Canon Club: Vincent van Gogh
6 months ago
weird medieval guys
The Medieval Monks Who Lived on Top of Giant Pillars A history of the monastic high life
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Can We Choose NOT to Be Harmed? How can we train Resilience?
over 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...
6 months ago
98
6 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.
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...
a year ago
98
a year 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...
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)...
6 months ago
98
6 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,...
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...
6 months ago
97
6 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....
7 months ago
97
7 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...
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
97
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...
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...
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...
a year ago
96
a year 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...
weird medieval guys
Explore medieval life and death with these 5 brilliant interactive maps! Travels, murders, and......eels?!!
over a year ago
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
96
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 history of the Buganda kingdom. government in central Africa.
over a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Denmark Are immigrants overrepresented in crime? If so, which immigrants? And why?
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...
7 months ago
95
7 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...
TheCollector
The Jacobin Movement: Revolutionaries and Radicals The late 18th century in France was a tumultuous time, marked by the rise of revolutionary...
2 months ago
95
2 months ago
The late 18th century in France was a tumultuous time, marked by the rise of revolutionary ideologies. To end the grip of the absolute monarchy, people had to take the matter into their own hands. The result was the French Revolution. One of the most influential groups of the...
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...
7 months ago
95
7 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...
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
94
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...
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
History Today Feed
Medieval Fogge: In Defence of the Middle Ages Medieval Fogge: In Defence of the Middle Ages JamesHoare Tue, 05/20/2025 - 09:14
2 months 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
92
a year ago
"Stories about his [Mansa Musa's] journey have numerous anecdotes which are not true and which the mind refuses to admit".
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,...
7 months ago
92
7 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
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Things Are Falling Apart ... And the centre's not looking too good, either.
over 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...
a year ago
92
a year 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...
Trying to Understand...
War Is Complicated. And not just the fighting bit.
over a year ago
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
Classical Wisdom
The Mother Goddess of Rome And Her Controversial Religion
a year ago
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...
a year ago
91
a year 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".
TheCollector
How Did Augustus Become Rome’s Longest-Reigning Emperor? Rome’s shift from an oligarchic Republic to an authoritative Empire was a bloody one fueled in part...
a month ago
91
a month ago
Rome’s shift from an oligarchic Republic to an authoritative Empire was a bloody one fueled in part by the traditional Roman hatred of the idea of kingship. Julius Caesar lived for less than two months after he was named “dictator for life,” but after his successor Octavian was...
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...
7 months ago
90
7 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...
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
6 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Honesty: What's In It For Me? First, do lots of harm.
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
90
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...
Res Obscura
Centuries of Childhood The history of childhood is one of multiplicity — so why do we tell parents such simplistic stories...
a year ago
90
a year ago
The history of childhood is one of multiplicity — so why do we tell parents such simplistic stories about it?
African History...
A complete history of Zeila (Zayla): ca. 800-1885 CE. Journal of African cities: chapter 14
10 months ago
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...
7 months ago
90
7 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.
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...
7 months ago
90
7 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...
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
90
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 …...
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...
7 months ago
89
7 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...
Res Obscura
Why did clothing become boring? An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like...
8 months ago
89
8 months ago
An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like when they didn't
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...
7 months ago
89
7 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.
Trying to Understand...
Into the Waste Land Nothing connects.
over a year ago
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.
over a year ago
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...
7 months ago
89
7 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...
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
89
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...
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...
a year ago
88
a year 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...
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...
6 months ago
88
6 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...
African History...
a brief note on Ethnicity and the State in Africa the evolution of the Tutsi/Hutu dichotomy in the precolonial Great Lakes.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Are Protests the Best Way to Say Nay? Can Mobs Make the Change They Want to See?
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
87
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...
a brief note on themes in African art. Cartography, Culture and History in the artwork of the Bamum kingdom.
a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Sweden Worrying crime trends in the land of Pippi Longstocking
11 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
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...
11 months ago
87
11 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.
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...
7 months ago
87
7 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, …...
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...
7 months ago
87
7 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...
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
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
Trying to Understand...
China And Russia Walk Into A Room. And don't say a word about Europe.
a year ago
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
85
a year ago
Telephones popularized "hello," "lox" is 8,000 years old, and other reasons why the history of words matters
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...
a year ago
85
a year 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...
Patterns in Humanity
Sweden's immigration taboo Immigration data kept behind closed doors
11 months ago
African History...
a brief note on the history of Music in Africa plus an overview of Ethiopian musical traditions
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...
7 months ago
84
7 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...
Fireside Friday, July 12, 2024 Fireside this week! I had hoped to have the start of the Imperator Teaching Paradox series ready for...
a year ago
84
a year 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...
Trying to Understand...
Useless in Gaza As always, if you don't know what you're doing.
a year ago
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
Global Inequality...
The end and the beginning of history Three ways of thinking about Lea Ypi’s Free
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
Trying to Understand...
Games Nations Play. But they forget the people and the Street.
a year ago
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...
a year ago
83
a year 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...
African History...
The complete history of Gondar: Africa's city of castles (1636-1900) Journal of African cities chapter 8
over 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
83
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...
Classical Wisdom
Do We Need Dress Codes? Are standards elevating or elitist?
a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
The case for prisons The purpose of prisons, and the evidence of their efficacy
10 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Teach Your Children .... Not to be afraid of moral relativism.
over a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
2024 in writing A brief recap of my 2024 posts
7 months ago
Trying to Understand...
We Are All Civilisational States It's just that some people don't realise it.
over a year ago
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
82
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...
African History...
a brief note on contacts between ancient African kingdoms and Rome. finding the lost city of Rhapta on the east African coast.
a year ago
African History...
A complete history of Abomey: capital of Dahomey (ca. 1650-1894) Urbanism in the forest region.
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...
a year ago
81
a year 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...
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...
7 months ago
81
7 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.
Global Inequality...
The life of Maynard K. A review of Zach Carter’s “The Price of Peace”
a year ago
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
Trying to Understand...
Let's Hear It For The "Underlying Causes." Here's the answer. What was the question again?
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Threat of Back to Normal Global power has always been distributed.
over a year 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...
a year ago
81
a year 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...
Trying to Understand...
Too Much of Not A Lot Winning the day and losing the war.
a year ago
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...
a year ago
81
a year 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...
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...
One Way Or Another .... We're going to get you.
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...
7 months ago
80
7 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...
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
80
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...
Classical Wisdom
Does FREE WILL Exist? And if not, what are the consequences?
7 months ago
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
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...
7 months ago
80
7 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...
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...
a year ago
80
a year 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...
Trying to Understand...
Service to what nation? Why people should stop talking about conscription.
a year ago
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...
over a year ago
80
over 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...
Global Inequality...
Trump and the Rise of Asia My interview with "Atlantico"
8 months ago
Global Inequality...
To be young, perchance to dream A review of Miloš Vojinović's “The political ideas of the Young Bosnia”
7 months ago
Classical Wisdom
12 Ancient Greek Terms that Should Totally Make a Comeback Eudaimonia, Arete, and much more...
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Understanding What's Happening in France. The kinetic phase may come next.
over a year ago
Global Inequality...
2x2 geopolitics Wars and ideology simplified
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
79
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...
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...
a year ago
79
a year 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...
Trying to Understand...
The Year's Midnight. Kindness can be a revolutionary act.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Let's Be Enemies Since it seems to be the fashion these days.
over a year ago
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...
8 months ago
79
8 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...
Classical Wisdom
Who’s in the Tomb? A Macedonian Mystery: The Tombs of Aigai
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
The Tragedy of Ajax Greece's Second Greatest Soldier?
a year 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
79
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...
Another Of My Essays In French And some odds and ends.
a year ago
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
78
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...
Overcoming Bias
Feels Gone Wrong The films A Complete Unknown, on Bob Dylan, and In Restless Dreams, on Paul Simon, make vivid to me...
7 months ago
78
7 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.
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
78
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...
Their Enemies The Russians But what about the rest of us?
over a year ago
African History...
a brief note on African travel literature in history a Swahili document on south-central Africa.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Dionysus The God of Wine!
10 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...
7 months ago
78
7 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...
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...
7 months ago
78
7 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...
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
78
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...
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
78
a year ago
Generative AI offers a new, more engaging (and, hopefully, more empathetic) way of teaching history. But how to use it?
Patterns in Humanity
Age and infertility Facts and misconceptions about maternal age-related infertility
7 months ago
Patterns in Humanity
Global crime How do crime rates vary around the world? And how reliable is the data?
8 months ago
African History...
A complete history of Jenne: 250BC-1893AD Journal of African cities chapter 6
over a year ago
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...
7 months ago
77
7 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...
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...
a year ago
77
a year 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...
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
77
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
Tolkien and the Classics Plato, Cicero... Bilbo?
a year ago
Flashbak
Harold Lloyd’s Amazing Christmas Tree For American actor Harold Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) Christmas was the time to...
7 months ago
77
7 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...
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...
7 months ago
77
7 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...
Global Inequality...
“To the Finland Station” Trump as a tool of history
7 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Ukraine In NATO Would Be A Disaster ... But not necessarily for the reasons you think.
over 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...
7 months ago
77
7 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...
African History...
A history of the Damagaram sultanate of Zinder: ca. 1730-1899. Politics, Guns, and Trade in the pre-colonial Sahel
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Should We Own Stuff? The Wealth and Gold of Ancient Georgia
a year 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...
11 months ago
76
11 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...
A social history of the Lamu city-state (1370-1885) Journal of African cities chapter 5
over a year ago
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
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...
a year ago
76
a year 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...
Classical Wisdom
Five Reasons Why Socrates Was A Terrible Husband Should you meet your heroes?
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...
a year ago
76
a year 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...
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...
7 months ago
76
7 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...
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...
a year ago
76
a year 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...
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...
a year ago
75
a year 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...
Flashbak
Street Scenes of NYC in the 1970s We’re back to New York City in the q970. Stories of that time in the city are legend. Copper Gangs...
a year ago
75
a year ago
We’re back to New York City in the q970. Stories of that time in the city are legend. Copper Gangs and truants, playing on the streets of Brooklyn, big cars, tight-knit neighborhoods on the Lower East Side, subterranean fury, police on the furious beat, music and dancing with...
Trying to Understand...
People, States and Borders. And other dubious ideas.
11 months ago
Trying to Understand...
So They Want Negotiations, Now. Have they any idea what they are talking about?
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
When Ukraine Is Over ... How will they turn out the lights?
6 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Plato On Knowledge What is True?
a year ago
African History...
The complete history of Kano (999-1903) journal of African cities chapter 9
over a year 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
75
a year ago
From optics to machine learning, artists have played an important, if underrated, role in the history of technology
Trying to Understand...
The Year of Failing To Understand. Not your usual end-of-year review.
7 months ago
Trying to Understand...
The Third World War Has Been Cancelled. It was all too difficult, finally.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Little People With Agency. No, not that Agency.
10 months ago
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...
a year ago
75
a year 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...
Classical Wisdom
The Two Trojan Wars Secret Origins
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
They Say They Want Rearmament .... We-ell, you know ....
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plato Vs Aristotle
a year 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
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,...
11 months ago
74
11 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.
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...
a year ago
74
a year 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...
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...
6 months ago
74
6 months ago
For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly urban phenomenon associated with large states.
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...
a year ago
74
a year 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...
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,...
a year ago
74
a year 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...
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...
7 months ago
74
7 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...
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...
7 months ago
74
7 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,...
Res Obscura
Historical maps probably helped cause World War I On cartography as historical argument
a year 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:...
10 months ago
74
10 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...
Trying to Understand...
Don't Give Peace Too Many Chances. Nothing is more dangerous than a flawed peace treaty.
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...
a year ago
73
a year 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...
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
73
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...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Origins of Stoicism
a year ago
African History...
a brief note on the long history of African diplomacy. historical links between west africa and the Maghreb.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Essential Classics Memorial Sales Ends
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Religion in the Olympics The Olympics: Do they Unite or Divide Us?
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Peter Pan goes to Ukraine Some people never grow up.
over a year ago
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...
a year ago
73
a year 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...
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,...
a year ago
73
a year 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 Nsibidi script ca. 600-1909 CE: a history of an African writing system Nsibidi is one of Africa's oldest independently invented writing systems.
6 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Art of the Etruscans Romans before the Romans
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
If We Had More Than a Hammer ... We might not be in this mess.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Everything is (Somewhat) Connected. But some things are more connected than others.
over a year 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...
4 months ago
73
4 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...
Overcoming Bias
What Would Socrates Do? Christians often ask themselves, as a guide to living, “What would Jesus do?” In her new book Open...
6 months ago
73
6 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?”
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
73
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...
African History...
a brief note on Africa in 16th century global history. the international relations and manuscripts of Kongo
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...
8 months ago
72
8 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...
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
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...
a year ago
72
a year 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...
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...
8 months ago
72
8 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
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
Why Read Modern Books? Now Available: Night Drew Her Sable Cloak
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Why Did Rome Fall? & Which Lesson Should We Take Away?
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
I Hate My Job And I Want To Cry. Tried chopping wood and carrying water?
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
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
72
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...
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’
7 months ago
Global Inequality...
Devant la guerre On E. H. Carr's "The twenty years' crisis 1919-39"
8 months 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
71
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...
Global Inequality...
Marx Truncated A review of Shlomo Avineri’s “Karl Marx”
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Roman Infantry Tactics: Why the Pilum and not a Spear? This week’s post is intended to answer a question which came up in response to the last post looking...
a year ago
71
a year ago
This week’s post is intended to answer a question which came up in response to the last post looking at the most common type of Mediterranean spear, which to put it simply is: what is up with the odd Roman heavy infantry kit built around a sword and two javelins (albeit two...
weird medieval guys
What does a biblically accurate angel actually look like? Sexy? Scary? Both?
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Evils Of Professionalism In politics, anyway.
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...
7 months ago
Flashbak
SoHo And New York City In The 1980s Gérard Monger has been taking photos for more than 56 years. “I wanted to become a photojournalist,”...
12 months ago
71
12 months ago
Gérard Monger has been taking photos for more than 56 years. “I wanted to become a photojournalist,” he tells us, “but I became a computer scientist. I lived for a long time in the suburbs of Paris, Colombes and then Maisons Laffitte. Now I live in the center of France in Nevers....
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
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....
8 months ago
71
8 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...
Trying to Understand...
Round Two? There Is No Round Two. Game pretty much over in Ukraine.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
How About a Victory for the Left Occasionally? Here are a few modest ideas.
over a year ago
African History...
A history of the Massina empire (1818-1862) the sucessor of Songhai
over a year ago
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
71
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...
Open Culture
Warner Bros. Lets You Watch 31 Films Free Online: David Byrne’s True Stories, Christopher Guest’s... It’s Friday, which means that tonight, many of us will sit down to watch a movie with our family,...
6 months ago
70
6 months ago
It’s Friday, which means that tonight, many of us will sit down to watch a movie with our family, our friends, our significant other, or — for some cinephiles, best of all — by ourselves. If you haven’t yet lined up any home-cinematic experience in particular, consider taking a...
Classical Wisdom
The Mysterious Phaistos Disk And the Palace where it was found...
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Macron is Safe for the Moment But the future worries me.
over a year ago
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...
7 months ago
70
7 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...
Trying to Understand...
Will it Bend or Will it Break? The international system, that is.
over 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...
7 months ago
70
7 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...
Classical Wisdom
Emotions: Better Out or In? Can Catharsis Help... or Harm?
a year ago
Flashbak
The Metamorphoses du Jour by JJ Grandville – 1829 Told in 73 coloured lithographs, Les Metamorphoses du Jour (1829) by French artist J.J. Gandville...
7 months ago
70
7 months ago
Told in 73 coloured lithographs, Les Metamorphoses du Jour (1829) by French artist J.J. Gandville (born Jean-Ignace-Isidore Gérard; 1803-1847) is a satire on the bourgeois middle class of Parisian society in the Romantic period. Grandville’s characters have a human body and an...
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...
6 months ago
70
6 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...
The Sense Of An Ending. But right back where we started from.
12 months ago
Flashbak
The Boston Years: On The Streets 1972-75 In 1972, Philip Flip Collier was in Boston. Philip, who has previously shared his terrific...
11 months ago
70
11 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...
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...
6 months ago
70
6 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...
Classical Wisdom
Jews in the Roman Bathhouse Is it time to rethink the relationship between Judaism and Greco-Roman society?
over a year 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
70
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...
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...
A Fistful of Clockwork Oranges What's it going to be, then?
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Books To Help Us Understand The World? Well, a few, anyway. And a bit.
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...
7 months ago
69
7 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...
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....
7 months ago
69
7 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,...
Classical Wisdom
Healthy Skepticism for Better Debates Philosophical Tools for the Holidays
8 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Best of the Best
over a year ago
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...
a year ago
69
a year 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...
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...
11 months ago
69
11 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...
Classical Wisdom
Empedocles The Philosopher God?
over 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...
7 months ago
69
7 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...
A Collection of...
Continues the Hiatus, 2024 Friends, Readers, Countrymen, lend me your eyes! As sadly expected, the hiatus is going to continue...
10 months ago
69
10 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...
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...
And Now for Something Completely Different. Am I me? Are You you? ?
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Reality Would Like A Word. Paging Tom and Daisy Buchanan
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
You And Whose Army? NATO would do well to stay out of Ukraine.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Socrates' Wayward Student ...and the Philosophy of Pleasure
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: The Strange Armor of Dragon Age: The Veilguard This week we’re going to have a bit of fun looking at some of the interesting armor choices for the...
5 months ago
68
5 months ago
This week we’re going to have a bit of fun looking at some of the interesting armor choices for the recent Dragon Age: The Veilguard. In a way, this is an extension of the post on “The Problem with Sci-Fi Body Armor,” because I think Veilguard provides a pretty exceptional...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plutarch and Pleasure
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
NATO's Phantom Armies. And the ghost of Carl von Clausewitz.
a year ago
Flashbak
New York City In Kodachrome – Color Photos Found In A Trashcan From the 1950s and 1960s One day, Jan Wein found some photographs.”For those of you who may not know the back story,”  he...
a year ago
68
a year ago
One day, Jan Wein found some photographs.”For those of you who may not know the back story,”  he tells us, “I lived in Manhattan in the 1980s when Ed Koch was mayor, before decamping to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I remain to this day.At that time you could find many...
Classical Wisdom
Artemisia of Caria Commander, Queen, and Eva Green
over a year ago
Res Obscura
Why Early Modern Books Are So Beautiful Three theories
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Story of Thebes
a year ago
African History...
A complete history of Dogon country: Bandiagara from 1900BC to 1900AD demystifying an ancient African society
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Sparta and… Scotland? Laconic wit through the centuries
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Constantine and the Queen of Carthage
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Do We Need Passports? Or Borders? Watch now (23 sec) | Crossing with Radiohead
over a year ago
African History...
Empire building and Government in the Yorubaland: a history of Oyo (1600-1836) Why Africa's internal political processes explain African history better than external actors.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Modern World Is Boring. Where are the heroes and the adventures now?
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...
7 months ago
68
7 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...