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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,...
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a week 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,...
TheCollector
Discover Caral-Supe: The Cradle of Civilization in the Americas Cradles of civilization are regions where humans developed complex social systems independently....
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Cradles of civilization are regions where humans developed complex social systems independently. There are six accepted cradles of civilization: Egypt, India, Mesopotamia, China, Olmec, and Caral-Supe. The first societies all formed around agriculture. The Caral-Supe, who emerged...
TheCollector
Did Sparta Exist in the Mycenaean Period (Bronze Age)? In studies of the Iliad, composed by Homer in the 7th century BCE, there is one obvious peculiarity...
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In studies of the Iliad, composed by Homer in the 7th century BCE, there is one obvious peculiarity about its presentation of the Greek kings. One of the most powerful kings, Menelaus—the brother of the mighty Agamemnon—is presented as the king of Sparta. The reason that this is...
A Collection of...
Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part II This week we’re continuing our three-part (I) look at one of film’s most famous Roman battle...
4 weeks ago
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This week we’re continuing our three-part (I) look at one of film’s most famous Roman battle sequences, the iconic opening battle from Gladiator (2000). I had planned this to be in two parts, but even though this sequence is relatively short, it provides an awful lot to talk...
Dreams of Space -...
My Weekly Reader April 9, 1962 My Weekly Reader for April 9, 1961 is now YOUR weekly reader! Just a minor article about space...
4 weeks ago
Global Inequality...
Too much or not enough of Ricardo? Review of “Ricardo’s Dream” by Nat Dyer
4 weeks ago
Trying to Understand...
Digging Deeper. Because the alternative is worse.
2 weeks ago
Trying to Understand...
Such Times. And the banalisation of Evil.
3 weeks ago
Dreams of Space -...
My Weekly Reader April 23, 1962 I am having fun sending out an issue of My Weekly Reader every week to you. This week is the April...
3 weeks ago
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I am having fun sending out an issue of My Weekly Reader every week to you. This week is the April 23, 1962 issue and "Flying wings." Just for fun, here is your "silent reading quiz." Try not to make any noise while you read and see how you do.
Flashbak
July 12 in Northern Ireland, 1987–1998 Much has changed in Northern Ireland Mike Abrahams took these pictures, including the Good Friday...
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Much has changed in Northern Ireland Mike Abrahams took these pictures, including the Good Friday Agreement and a return to power sharing. “I am not a news photographer,” says Abrahams to Cafe Royal, which has published a zine of his pictures of July 12 celebrations, “there are...
History Today Feed
Marcus Garvey Meets the KKK Marcus Garvey Meets the KKK JamesHoare Mon, 06/23/2025 - 08:06
2 weeks ago
Flashbak
Melanie’s ‘Average Weekends’ out in Leeds in 1984 In 1984, Melanie turned 18. Margaret Thatcher was prime Minister and the UK was mired by the seismic...
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In 1984, Melanie turned 18. Margaret Thatcher was prime Minister and the UK was mired by the seismic Miners’ Strike (here, here, here and here). Home to Leeds for the Christmas holidays, Melanie’s daughter Victoria Gill was going through her stuff when she spotted two old boxes...
Flashbak
Rewilding Humanity – Dougal Dixon’s Man After Man : An Anthropology of the Future (1990) Dougal Dixon’s Man After Man : An Anthropology of the Future (1990) begins with the impact of...
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Dougal Dixon’s Man After Man : An Anthropology of the Future (1990) begins with the impact of genetic engineering. “For 200 years modern humans morphed the genetics of other humans to create genetically-altered creatures. The aquamorphs and aquatics are marine humans with gills...
Flashbak
American: Robin de Puy’s Portraits of People of Notice “You can’t lump all Americans together,” she points out. “The project emerged from this thought. Who...
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“You can’t lump all Americans together,” she points out. “The project emerged from this thought. Who lives in America? Who are we talking about when we refer to ‘the American’?” – Robin de Puys   In 2015, Dutch photographer Robin de Puy drove 8,000 miles across the US on a Harley...
History Today Feed
Europe and the End of Old Java Europe and the End of Old Java JamesHoare Mon, 06/16/2025 - 06:00
3 weeks ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Nitpicking Gladiator’s Iconic Opening Battle, Part III This week at long last we come to the clash of men and horses as we finish our three-part (I, II,...
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This week at long last we come to the clash of men and horses as we finish our three-part (I, II, III) look at the iconic opening battle scene from the film Gladiator (2000). Last time, we brought the sequence up through the infantry advance, observing that the tactics of the...
Patterns in Humanity
Africa's Poor Numbers How much do we really know about African state of affairs?
2 weeks ago
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...
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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...
Flashbak
Limousine: The Driver Photographs Her Passengers in 1980s New York “I wanted an intimate setting so that I would be able to engage with people while also giving them...
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“I wanted an intimate setting so that I would be able to engage with people while also giving them the opportunity to feel comfortable with me. A limousine seemed like a perfect choice.” – Kathy Shorr     In 1988, Kathy Shorr became a limousine driver. A graduate of the School...
Classical Wisdom
On The Shortness of Life Seneca’s Advice for Dealing with Death
2 weeks ago
Flashbak
Vintage Posters for The Royal Court Theatre Founded by the English Stage Company (ESC in 1956, London’s Royal Court Theatre focuses on...
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Founded by the English Stage Company (ESC in 1956, London’s Royal Court Theatre focuses on contemporary theatre. The building on Sloane Square has put on plays since its completion in 1888. The venue truly arrived when on 8 May 1956, John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger opened – a...
Dreams of Space -...
My Weekly Reader April 30, 1962 Here is your My Weekly Reader for April 30, 1962. This is stuffed full of cool articles so let's get...
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Here is your My Weekly Reader for April 30, 1962. This is stuffed full of cool articles so let's get started! Do you understand the mysteries of the Moho? Does the Moho exist? People want to know!
Patterns in Humanity
The rise of life expectancy Illustrated and explained
a week ago
Trying to Understand...
An Apology And A Few Suggestions. More next week.
a week ago
Flashbak
Marcia Resnick: Re-Visions, 1978 “In 1975, while driving my car in Manhattan, I was in an accident and my entire life flashed before...
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“In 1975, while driving my car in Manhattan, I was in an accident and my entire life flashed before me. When I awoke in the hospital, I began to think about all of the events which led to my being there.” – Marcia Resnick on who she was inspired to create Re-Visions   In 1975, …...
TheCollector
The 9 Largest Cities of the Medieval World The Medieval Period, which lasted roughly 1,000 years between the 470s CE and 1400- 1450 CE was a...
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The Medieval Period, which lasted roughly 1,000 years between the 470s CE and 1400- 1450 CE was a period of cultural evolution and religious power. Growing populations gave way to major urban developments and became symbols of power that benefited the ruling class through the...
Classical Wisdom
The Tyrant Who Birthed a Republic Tarquin the Proud: Rome’s Final King
3 weeks ago
History Today Feed
Did Germany Read Mein Kampf? Did Germany Read Mein Kampf? JamesHoare Tue, 06/17/2025 - 07:00
3 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz From Macedonia to the Moon
3 weeks ago
History Today Feed
Italian Emigrant Soldiers in the First World War Italian Emigrant Soldiers in the First World War JamesHoare Fri, 06/20/2025 - 08:00
3 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
Stoics and the Self What makes you YOU?
3 weeks ago
History Today Feed
Artificial Inspiration Artificial Inspiration JamesHoare Wed, 06/25/2025 - 08:26
2 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
Freud and the Greeks The Classical Roots of Western Psychology
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
Hegel’s Master-Slave Dialectic Explained Philosophers often find it useful to narrate a hypothetical conversation or confrontation between...
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Philosophers often find it useful to narrate a hypothetical conversation or confrontation between individuals to illustrate a theoretical idea. Plato’s famous Socratic dialogues are an example of this. Similarly, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s master-slave dialectic tells the...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, June 27, 2025 (On the Limits of Realism) Fireside this week! Originally, I was thinking I’d talk about the ‘future of classics’ question in...
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Fireside this week! Originally, I was thinking I’d talk about the ‘future of classics’ question in this space, but I think that deserves a full post (in connection with this week’s book recommendation and the next fireside’s book recommendation), so instead this week I want to...
Classical Wisdom
The First EVER Sci-Fi Novel? An Ancient Journey to the Moon
4 weeks ago
TheCollector
10 Must-See Medieval Castles in Japan Medieval castles in Japan originated during the Sengoku period (1467–1603), a time of relentless...
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Medieval castles in Japan originated during the Sengoku period (1467–1603), a time of relentless civil war when regional warlords, or daimyō, fortified strategic sites to defend territory and assert power. Unlike European castles, these structures evolved into complex hubs of...
Flashbak
Alice Austen : The New York Photojournalist For Ladies Who Bicycle And Other City Types Alice Austen (March 17, 1866–June 9, 1952) lived in Clear Comfort, a Victorian Gothic waterfront...
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Alice Austen (March 17, 1866–June 9, 1952) lived in Clear Comfort, a Victorian Gothic waterfront property on the Staten Island shoreline by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, with her her life partner Gertrude Tate. This unique vantage point gave the photographer a view of the...
A Collection of...
Collections: The American Civil-Military Relationship As is traditional here, I am taking advantage of the Fourth of July this week to write something...
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As is traditional here, I am taking advantage of the Fourth of July this week to write something about the United States, this time a brief discussion of the nature of civil-military relations in the United States. Civil-military relations (typically shortened to ‘civ-mil’ or...
Dreams of Space -...
My Weekly Reader February 4, 1962 Happy 4th of July! Here is your My Weekly Reader for "Happy 4th of February, 1962."
a week ago
Flashbak
The Lives of Stray Cats In Gay Talese’s New York: A Serendipiter’s Journey, 1961 “When street traffic dwindles and most people are sleeping, some New York neighborhoods begin to...
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“When street traffic dwindles and most people are sleeping, some New York neighborhoods begin to crawl with cats.” – Gay Talese, Serendipiter’s Journey   Written in 1961 when he was 29 and working for Esquire magazine, Gay Talese’s New York: A Serendipiter’s Journey.is an...
Classical Wisdom
Oh Muses, You Sound So Heavenly! The Myth Behind the Music and the Stars...
2 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz The REAL Islands of the Odyssey
2 weeks ago
Global Inequality...
Pensioners for war Many years ago when I lived in Belgrade, just before the beginning of the “Yugoslav Wars of...
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Many years ago when I lived in Belgrade, just before the beginning of the “Yugoslav Wars of Succession”, I noticed an interesting phenomenon.
Flashbak
The Teds – Photographs of The Second Coming of Britain’s First Youth Tribe, 1979 “In early 1954, on a late train from Southend, someone pulled the communication cord. The train...
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“In early 1954, on a late train from Southend, someone pulled the communication cord. The train ground to a halt. Light bulbs were smashed. Police arrested a gang dressed in Edwardian suits. In April, two gangs, also dressed Edwardian-style, met after a dance. They were ready for...
Flashbak
Wonderwalls: Public Toilets in Shibuya Tokyo Are Better Than Your Home What can we tell from looking at the state of a country’s public toilets? The loos in Tokyo’s...
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What can we tell from looking at the state of a country’s public toilets? The loos in Tokyo’s Shibuya district are special. Commissioned by The Nippon Foundation as “a symbol of Japan’s world-renowned hospitality culture” in 2019, architects Shigeru Ban and the late Fumihiko Maki...
TheCollector
Anne of Cleves: The Wife King Henry Loved Most? Anne of Cleves is often characterized as Henry VIII’s least favorite wife. The infamous womanizer...
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Anne of Cleves is often characterized as Henry VIII’s least favorite wife. The infamous womanizer had his marriage to her annulled on the basis that her looks were so unappealing that he could not consummate the union. But the evidence of Henry’s treatment of Anne after their...
Global Inequality...
Nomonhan, 1939 A four-month long war between Great Powers of which you have never heard
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Flashbak
Oliver Sacks: Why the Oxford English Dictionary is the most ‘coveted and desirable book in the... “Each of us … constructs and lives a ‘narrative’ and is defined by this narrative … I suspect that a...
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“Each of us … constructs and lives a ‘narrative’ and is defined by this narrative … I suspect that a feeling for stories, for narrative, is a universal human disposition, going with our powers of language, consciousness of self, and autobiographical memory.” – Oliver Sacks, the...
History Today Feed
England’s Prison Population Problems England’s Prison Population Problems JamesHoare Thu, 06/26/2025 - 08:58
2 weeks ago
History Today Feed
Plato’s Last Word to Dionysius Plato’s Last Word to Dionysius JamesHoare Tue, 07/01/2025 - 08:00
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History Today Feed
Gods at the Margins: How European Paganism Survived Gods at the Margins: How European Paganism Survived JamesHoare Wed, 06/18/2025 - 07:00
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Flashbak
Hubert Hilscher’s Trippy Circus Posters It seemed to me that a person who goes to the circus to see a trained lion will also want to see it...
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It seemed to me that a person who goes to the circus to see a trained lion will also want to see it on the poster: a lion that is real but different from the one that can be seen in the zoo.” – Hubert Hilscher   Hubert Hilscher (25 October 1924 – 19 September … Continue reading...
TheCollector
4 Notorious Roman Emperors and Their Scandalous Stories Evolving from the Roman Republic, Rome became an empire in 27 BCE and seemed to be off to a good...
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Evolving from the Roman Republic, Rome became an empire in 27 BCE and seemed to be off to a good start with Augustus, who had a posthumous reputation for a high moral character and effective rule. Some Roman emperors seem to have followed in his footsteps, such as the “five good...
TheCollector
How the Byzantines Retook Crete From the Arabs in the Siege of Chandax In the 820s CE, Byzantium was embroiled in a destructive civil war. Taking advantage of the...
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In the 820s CE, Byzantium was embroiled in a destructive civil war. Taking advantage of the Byzantines being occupied with killing one another, a group of exiled Andalusian Arabs landed on the island of Crete and conquered it. From their new island home, they launched devastating...
Classical Wisdom
Can We Find the Real Ithaka? In Search of Homer and the meeting of like minds
3 weeks ago
History Today Feed
The Speed of Early Modern News The Speed of Early Modern News JamesHoare Thu, 06/19/2025 - 07:00
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
People of Telegraph Ave, Berkeley 1969-1973 One picture changed everything. In the 1960s, Nacio Jan Brown was a photographer for the San...
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One picture changed everything. In the 1960s, Nacio Jan Brown was a photographer for the San Francisco Express Times, an underground weekly newspaper. Typically, he would sit in Caffe Mediterraneum on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley and wait for something to happen. One day, nothing...
History Today Feed
‘The Big Hop’ by David Rooney review ‘The Big Hop’ by David Rooney review JamesHoare Mon, 06/30/2025 - 08:00
a week ago
History Today Feed
On the Spot: Imaobong Umoren On the Spot: Imaobong Umoren JamesHoare Mon, 06/16/2025 - 08:00
3 weeks ago
History Today Feed
‘Strike’ by Sarah E. Bond review ‘Strike’ by Sarah E. Bond review JamesHoare Tue, 06/17/2025 - 08:00
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Disaster for Sparta! The Battle of Sphacteria (425 BCE) In 425 BCE, during the early phase of the Peloponnesian War, known as the Archidamian War (431-421...
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In 425 BCE, during the early phase of the Peloponnesian War, known as the Archidamian War (431-421 BCE), the Athenians under Demosthenes captured the Island of Pylos. The Athenian capture of Pylos posed a significant threat to Sparta by providing a prime raiding base near Spartan...
TheCollector
5 Famous Operas Based on Greek Mythology Love, jealousy, vengeance, and a multitude of other thrilling emotions give lasting intrigue to the...
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Love, jealousy, vengeance, and a multitude of other thrilling emotions give lasting intrigue to the tales of ancient Greek mythology. With such passionate feelings and magical allure, it is no wonder that many of these stories have become muses for some of the world’s most famous...
TheCollector
British Museum Curator Jill Cook on the Artistic Renaissance of the Ice Age In a discussion with TheCollector, Jill Cook, Keeper of the Department of Britain, Europe, and...
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In a discussion with TheCollector, Jill Cook, Keeper of the Department of Britain, Europe, and Prehistory at the British Museum, tells us about her latest book, “Ice Age Art Now” by British Museum Press. The conversation explored the concept and nature of Ice Age art, its...
TheCollector
Is Pascal’s Wager About Happiness? Pascal’s Wager is frequently misunderstood as an argument for the existence of God. In fact, Pascal...
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Pascal’s Wager is frequently misunderstood as an argument for the existence of God. In fact, Pascal believed it was impossible to argue that God either exists or does not exist. His wager is essentially a bet we can make on the existence of God: the stake is our happiness, and...
TheCollector
3 Dark Age Kings of Britain Confirmed by Archaeology Early Dark Age Britain is notorious for being poorly recorded. Most of our information about the era...
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Early Dark Age Britain is notorious for being poorly recorded. Most of our information about the era comes from much later records, written centuries after the events they allegedly describe. There is endless debate among scholars, based on the literary evidence, surrounding the...
TheCollector
Was Camelot Inspired by a Real Location? In the legends of King Arthur, the famous capital city of the king is Camelot. Yet despite the fact...
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In the legends of King Arthur, the famous capital city of the king is Camelot. Yet despite the fact that the Arthurian legends are based in a historical setting, Camelot itself is widely regarded as fictional. It is considered to have been an invention of the French writers who...
History Today Feed
Swahili on the Road Swahili on the Road JamesHoare Thu, 07/03/2025 - 08:00
a week ago
History Today Feed
The First Men’s Cricket World Cup The First Men’s Cricket World Cup JamesHoare Wed, 06/18/2025 - 08:00
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
How France Overthrew Its King (Again) in the July Revolution of 1830 In the last days of July 1830, a series of repressive ordinances issued by King Charles X provoked...
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In the last days of July 1830, a series of repressive ordinances issued by King Charles X provoked widespread protests. Led by liberals and moderates, the demonstrations in Paris soon turned into a full-fledged revolution: the Second French Revolution. After three days of street...
TheCollector
Francisco Goya’s Descent into Madness: The Disturbing Black Paintings Francisco Goya grew up to be a vibrant young artist in late 18th-century Spain, yet he is known for...
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Francisco Goya grew up to be a vibrant young artist in late 18th-century Spain, yet he is known for some of art history’s darkest works. The Black Paintings were a series of dark, pessimistic subjects that an elderly Goya painted on the interior walls of his private home, never...
TheCollector
Was Charles VI of France Truly Mad or Misunderstood? Few monarchs have caused so much controversy among historians as Charles VI of France (r....
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Few monarchs have caused so much controversy among historians as Charles VI of France (r. 1380-1422). Charles VI is perhaps most well-known for his losses during the Hundred Years’ War and for turning the tide in favor of the English. However, should we be looking at his reign in...
TheCollector
How Did Nubia Shape Ancient Egypt? The ancient Egyptians were known for disliking, or even despising, foreigners. In art and texts,...
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The ancient Egyptians were known for disliking, or even despising, foreigners. In art and texts, they often depicted their closest neighbors—the Libyans, Asiatics/Canaanites, and the Nubians. Of those, they perhaps had the most complex relationship with the Nubians. The Egyptians...
TheCollector
How Rembrandt’s Art Became a Masterclass in Light and Shadow From the highest praise of some critics to the lowest execrations comparing his painting to “dung,”...
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From the highest praise of some critics to the lowest execrations comparing his painting to “dung,” Rembrandt’s later art was provocative in the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age. Today, his status is justly assured as an exquisite and intuitive handler of light and shadow as a...
History Today Feed
‘The Writer’s Lot’ by Robert Darnton review ‘The Writer’s Lot’ by Robert Darnton review JamesHoare Tue, 06/24/2025 - 08:09
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
8 Important Norse Symbols From the Viking World While many stories survive about Norse mythology and legendary Viking warriors, these mostly come...
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While many stories survive about Norse mythology and legendary Viking warriors, these mostly come from later Christian accounts, as the pagan Vikings wrote very little about themselves. But symbols were powerful in the Viking world. They could be used as shorthand for important...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Up to the Stars, and In to Our Souls
a week ago
TheCollector
How Nietzsche’s Zarathustra Redefined Morality & Revolutionized Philosophy Few philosophical writings are as evocative and poetic as Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Written in...
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Few philosophical writings are as evocative and poetic as Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Written in dramatic, even prophetic style, Nietzsche’s Zarathustra is not so much literature—it’s more of a provocation, a vision, and a call to humanity to go beyond itself. Through mystical...
TheCollector
The First Punic War: A Clash of Cultures The story of the Punic Wars is usually told from the perspective of the victors, the Romans, for...
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The story of the Punic Wars is usually told from the perspective of the victors, the Romans, for whom it was the first step towards dominating the Mediterranean. For the Carthaginians, the conflict with Rome initially seemed like a third-party dispute that would be resolved...
Flashbak
Hannah Arendt on Jews, Refugees And Suicide, 1943 “The comity of European peoples went to pieces when, and because, it allowed its weakest member to...
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“The comity of European peoples went to pieces when, and because, it allowed its weakest member to be excluded and persecuted.” – Hannah Arendt, We Refugees, 1943     Hannah Arendt (October 14, 1906–December 4, 1975) was a German Jew who escaped the Holocaust, became an American...
Classical Wisdom
The Founding Fathers and the Classics How the Ancients influenced America
a week ago
TheCollector
What Did People Eat in the Middle Ages? People often have several misconceptions about medieval food. There seems to be a notion that...
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People often have several misconceptions about medieval food. There seems to be a notion that peasants survived on crusts of stale bread and watered-down ale, while every night the lord of the manor and the kings and emperors around the globe were feasting on rich, expensive...
TheCollector
Battle of Cynoscephalae: Macedonian Phalanx vs Roman Legion Since the time of Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE), the Macedonians had dominated the eastern...
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Since the time of Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE), the Macedonians had dominated the eastern Mediterranean. Their heavy infantry phalanx rolled over the Greek cities and then the Persian Empire. To the west, Roman legionnaires had conquered Italy and were overwhelming Carthage....
History Today Feed
Does a Focus on Royalty Obscure British History? Does a Focus on Royalty Obscure British History? JamesHoare Thu, 06/19/2025 - 08:00
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Ptolemy I Soter, the Successor of Alexander Who Became a Pharaoh Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece were two of the greatest civilizations of the Mediterranean world....
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Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece were two of the greatest civilizations of the Mediterranean world. They were brought closer together when the Macedonian king Alexander the Great established his grand empire across the Greek-speaking world and the Near East, including conquering...
TheCollector
How the Sans-Culottes Became the French Revolution’s Radical Fighters With their long trousers, short jacket, and red cap of liberty, the sans-culottes are one of the...
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With their long trousers, short jacket, and red cap of liberty, the sans-culottes are one of the more distinctive figures commonly associated with the French Revolution. From 1792, the term sans-culottes referred to the most radical supporters of the revolution, demanding...
Flashbak
On My Stoop In Brooklyn Over Four Decades: Anthony’s Story We’re hanging out on the stoop of Anthony Catalano’s home in Boro Park, Brooklyn, New York City....
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We’re hanging out on the stoop of Anthony Catalano’s home in Boro Park, Brooklyn, New York City. These pictures are of the “two main stoops on my block throughout the five decades on my life in Broro Park, Brooklyn NYC,” says Anthony. We’ve featured Anthony’s superb pictures of...
TheCollector
The Dark History Behind Repin’s “Ivan the Terrible and His Son” Painting Ilya Repin was one of the most versatile and talented artists of his day and age. More than a...
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Ilya Repin was one of the most versatile and talented artists of his day and age. More than a century has passed since Ilya Repin’s Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581 was revealed to the public, and yet the work still manages to scare, provoke, and spark...
TheCollector
How Did the Spice Trade Influence Global Exploration? The spice trade is credited with bringing spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper to...
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The spice trade is credited with bringing spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and pepper to many parts of the world. The trade which started several millennia ago flourished due to high demand for spices, and is considered to be one of the main catalysts of globalization as...
TheCollector
Alix of Hesse, the Tragic German Princess Who Became the Last Tsarina Princess Alexandra led a privileged childhood in the German Empire, close to her cousins in the...
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Princess Alexandra led a privileged childhood in the German Empire, close to her cousins in the British royal family. Her charmed upbringing led to a teenage romance with the future tsar of Russia, Nicholas Romanov. She became the empress of the Russian Empire when her husband...
TheCollector
The Hero’s Journey & Classical Hero Archetypes in the Bible The “hero’s journey” is a staple of mythology, narratology, and psychology. The Bible contains many...
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The “hero’s journey” is a staple of mythology, narratology, and psychology. The Bible contains many examples of this monomyth in its stories of archetypal heroes and their journeys. This includes myths surrounding the birth of the hero, as well as the hero’s inner and outer...
TheCollector
6 Female Kings From World History Most societies throughout world history have been ruled by men. In these patriarchal systems, women...
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Most societies throughout world history have been ruled by men. In these patriarchal systems, women typically come to the throne in the absence of male dynasts or as queens who outlive or overthrow their spouses. Most female rulers who exercised power in their own right are known...
TheCollector
9 Myths About Hermes From Greek Mythology Hermes was the messenger of the gods and one of the twelve Olympian deities the ancient Greeks...
2 weeks ago
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Hermes was the messenger of the gods and one of the twelve Olympian deities the ancient Greeks believed ruled over the cosmos. He was a patron of merchants and thieves, and a protector of travelers. Identifiable by his herald’s wand and winged sandals, Hermes’ main role in...
Classical Wisdom
On the Making of the Modern State Classical Wisdom Litterae: Government
a week ago
TheCollector
What Does the Bible Say About Polygamy? Despite frequent references in popular Western culture to heterosexual monogamy as the traditional...
3 weeks ago
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Despite frequent references in popular Western culture to heterosexual monogamy as the traditional (and sometimes even “biblical”) view of marriage, the Bible itself neither condemns polygamy nor enjoins monogamy. Christians or Jews interested in forming a theology of marriage...
Flashbak
Snapshots of Kids Bike Jumping in the 1970s Back in the 1970s (and before), parents didn’t stress about our health and safety as much as they do...
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Back in the 1970s (and before), parents didn’t stress about our health and safety as much as they do today. It’s not that they cared less – they just didn’t worry obsessively about it. It’s a far guess to say that some of the kids seen bike jumping and being bike jumped (which is...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Ancient Volcanoes, the Founding Fathers and more...
a week ago
TheCollector
The Controversial Story of Olympias, Alexander the Great’s Powerful Mother Jealous, vengeful, cruel, foreign, and with a fondness for snakes, Olympias has often been portrayed...
3 weeks ago
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Jealous, vengeful, cruel, foreign, and with a fondness for snakes, Olympias has often been portrayed as a malevolent figure. More than two thousand years after she lived and died, it is impossible to know what she was actually like, but the actions of the mother of Alexander the...
TheCollector
When Was Britain’s Oldest College Founded? The post-Roman era of Britain is synonymous with the Dark Ages. Due to the very name of this era,...
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The post-Roman era of Britain is synonymous with the Dark Ages. Due to the very name of this era, many today view it as a time during which society had collapsed and Britain was in chaos. While such a view is not entirely without basis, there was still considerable development...
TheCollector
Why Did It Take Two Years for Juneteenth to Happen? The abolition of slavery in the United States is usually associated with the Emancipation...
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The abolition of slavery in the United States is usually associated with the Emancipation Proclamation, issued in its final form by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Juneteenth, a US federal holiday commemorating the liberation of African-American slaves in Texas,...
TheCollector
Was King Arthur… a King in the Earliest Legends? The question of King Arthur’s historicity continues to be debated. However, something that is...
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The question of King Arthur’s historicity continues to be debated. However, something that is frequently seen in many modern debates is the claim that Arthur, if he existed, was definitely not a king. Rather, he would have been just a war leader. This is based on the supposed...
TheCollector
Thor’s Adventures in Jotunheim (The Norse Myth of Utgard-Loki) The Prose Edda preserves a strange story that sees Thor, Loki, and two servants traveling to...
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The Prose Edda preserves a strange story that sees Thor, Loki, and two servants traveling to Jotunheim. But when they get there, nothing is as it seems. They encounter a world of illusion. Overall, it feels a bit like the Norse version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Many of...
TheCollector
Amaterasu, the Mercurial Goddess of the Sun in Japanese Mythology When something is 100% certain, we often say that it’s “as sure as the sun rises in the east.”...
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When something is 100% certain, we often say that it’s “as sure as the sun rises in the east.” That’s because the sun is the most dependable thing in all of human history. Except perhaps in Japanese mythology. Personified by the goddess Amaterasu (lit. “Heaven Shining”), one of...
Classical Wisdom
Volcanoes in the Ancient World Cataclysm and Change
a week ago
TheCollector
How Did the Small Kingdom of Georgia Beat the Mighty Seljuks in 1121? Decades of conflict between the Kingdom of Georgia and the Seljuk Turks culminated in a decisive...
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Decades of conflict between the Kingdom of Georgia and the Seljuk Turks culminated in a decisive battle fought in 1121 CE in the Didgori mountain ranges, 40 km west of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. King David IV (reigned 1089-1125) longed to put an end to the Seljuk raids and...
TheCollector
The Debasement of Roman Coinage During the Third-Century Crisis The history of Roman coins goes deep into the past, with the first true Roman coins introduced at...
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The history of Roman coins goes deep into the past, with the first true Roman coins introduced at the beginning of the 3rd century BCE. By the end of the 3rd century BCE, the silver denarius was first introduced, and it remained the dominant coin in the Roman world for the next...
TheCollector
Rome vs. the Alamanni at the Battle of Strasbourg (357 CE) In the mid-4th century CE, the Roman Empire found itself in a precarious position. While the emperor...
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In the mid-4th century CE, the Roman Empire found itself in a precarious position. While the emperor Constantius II had been entrenched in a protracted war against the Sassanids in the East, the other Augustus, Constans, was murdered by the Germanic usurper, Magnentius. The power...
TheCollector
Bayezid the “Thunderbolt”, the Ottoman Sultan Who Died in Captivity In the late 14th century, Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I annexed several Turkic emirates to ensure the...
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In the late 14th century, Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I annexed several Turkic emirates to ensure the political unity of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The lords who had their principalities usurped by Bayezid requested the aid of Timur, founder of the Samarqand-based Timurid dynasty,...
TheCollector
What Makes the Nag Hammadi Library So Significant? Not long after the founding of Christianity, the Christian faith spread throughout the Roman Empire....
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Not long after the founding of Christianity, the Christian faith spread throughout the Roman Empire. As Christianity developed, the 27 books of the New Testament were recopied and distributed, along with other books, written later, which claimed false apostolic authorship. Many...
Flashbak
From Dusk Til Dawn: 29 Found Photos Taken In Changing Light We grow accustomed to the Dark — When Light is put away — As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp To...
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We grow accustomed to the Dark — When Light is put away — As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp To witness her Good bye — Emily Dickinson  They say that the glow of the sky you see at night isn’t starlight but leftover light from the Big Bang. Light is ancient and magical. Away …...
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Joseph Rous Paget-Fredericks’ Fabulous Dance Sketches Joseph Rous Paget-Fredericks (1905-1963) inherited his parents love for collecting theatre...
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Joseph Rous Paget-Fredericks (1905-1963) inherited his parents love for collecting theatre memorabilia. His family had close ties to the leading ballet companies and he was appointed Artistic Director for Anna Pavlova’s world tours in the early 1930s. Paget-Fredericks went on to...
TheCollector
Was Virgil’s Aeneid For or Against Emperor Augustus? The Aeneid was written at the end of the 1st century BCE, in the aftermath of numerous civil wars,...
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The Aeneid was written at the end of the 1st century BCE, in the aftermath of numerous civil wars, the fall of the Roman Republic, and the emergence of Augustus as the principal power in Rome. In this landscape, Augustus, the adoptive son of Caesar, strove to present himself as...
TheCollector
The Fragile Beauty of Glass Art (From Ancient Glassware to Modern Art) Glass is an ancient artistic material, used by artists of all cultures for millennia. Despite its...
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Glass is an ancient artistic material, used by artists of all cultures for millennia. Despite its fragility, it managed to preserve quite well, with traditions and artifacts being passed down from generation to generation of artists. Read on to take a look at the long history of...
TheCollector
5 Important Schools of Philosophy in Ancient Rome Roman philosophy generally shared an interest in studying the art of living. Ancient Roman schools...
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Roman philosophy generally shared an interest in studying the art of living. Ancient Roman schools of philosophy often wanted to answer the question: how does one live best? And they all proposed answers, albeit with important differences, on how the individual is to achieve...
TheCollector
Did a Real Woman Inspire Caravaggio’s Judith? Caravaggio’s depiction of Judith is unlike many of his contemporaries’ depictions of her. Could...
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Caravaggio’s depiction of Judith is unlike many of his contemporaries’ depictions of her. Could Caravaggio have known a real-life Judith to inspire him in 16th-century Rome?   The Biblical Judith   Judith was a woman described in the Bible as a savior for her village and people....
TheCollector
Why Did René Descartes Say “I Think, Therefore I Am”? “Cogito, ergo sum”, Latin for “I think, therefore I am”, is René Descartes’ most celebrated and...
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“Cogito, ergo sum”, Latin for “I think, therefore I am”, is René Descartes’ most celebrated and influential contribution to humanity. The statement was the prized conclusion of his famous journey of radical skepticism, one that served as the solid foundation of his philosophy. In...
TheCollector
The Life & Death of John (Son of Zebedee) of the Twelve Disciples John was the youngest among the Twelve Disciples. Throughout church history, Bible scholars have...
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John was the youngest among the Twelve Disciples. Throughout church history, Bible scholars have known him as John the Beloved, John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John the Elder, and the Beloved Apostle. He seems to have been a two-sided character, on the one hand “a son of...
TheCollector
The 6 Foundational Shinto Myths Shinto, “the way of the Gods,” has been the folk religion of Japan for thousands of years, even...
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Shinto, “the way of the Gods,” has been the folk religion of Japan for thousands of years, even after being partially subsumed into Buddhism. It resembles Taoism in many ways, with a focus on harmony with nature and ancestor veneration. Another key part of Shinto is the worship...
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The Death of the Great Barnato The Death of the Great Barnato JamesHoare Wed, 07/02/2025 - 08:00
a week ago
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Statism Classical Wisdom Litterae: Government
a week ago
TheCollector
Who Were the Legendary Sons of King Arthur? In the Arthurian legends, Mordred is by far the most famous son of King Arthur to modern audiences....
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In the Arthurian legends, Mordred is by far the most famous son of King Arthur to modern audiences. He was the figure who instigated a civil war against Arthur, leading to the downfall of Camelot. However, in the earliest traces of the Arthurian legends, Mordred was not Arthur’s...
TheCollector
7 Misunderstood Masterpieces and the Surprising Truth Behind Them Some famous paintings are not what they seem at first glance. Some symbols and forms transform over...
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Some famous paintings are not what they seem at first glance. Some symbols and forms transform over the years, leaving viewers unable to decode the true intentions of artists, even if it is a well-known and revered one. For example, for almost two centuries, art historians...
TheCollector
What Is Egyptian Blue? From Ancient Art to Modern Science Egyptian blue, the world’s first synthetic pigment, is so much more than just a color. Its...
2 weeks ago
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Egyptian blue, the world’s first synthetic pigment, is so much more than just a color. Its incomparable radiance was revered by pharaohs, and its complex chemical properties have long mystified researchers. Nearly 5,000 years later, it continues to captivate us with its ancient...
TheCollector
Why Is Goliath Killed Twice in the Bible? David’s slaying of Goliath is one of the Bible’s most well-known stories. But the story’s plot line...
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David’s slaying of Goliath is one of the Bible’s most well-known stories. But the story’s plot line in the Hebrew Bible contains three confusing wrinkles. First, the reader is introduced to David twice in the narrative. Second, David meets Saul, the king of Israel, twice in the...
TheCollector
The Iconography of Augustus’s Ara Pacis in Rome Rome’s first emperor Augustus erected the Ara Pacis, an altar dedicated to Pax Romana, in 13 BCE. It...
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Rome’s first emperor Augustus erected the Ara Pacis, an altar dedicated to Pax Romana, in 13 BCE. It celebrated that Augustus had brought peace to Rome following years of war, and its dedication coincided with a period during which Augustus promoted the importance of family and...
TheCollector
7 Great Medieval Cities That Thrived on Trade In medieval Europe, trade was a key part of the day-to-day economy. Great trading cities would see...
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In medieval Europe, trade was a key part of the day-to-day economy. Great trading cities would see hundreds, if not thousands, of merchants pass through their city gates every year, selling wares from lands as far away as India and China. It is hard to fathom in today’s...
TheCollector
4 Historic Sites in Arizona Arizona, home to Phoenix, the fifth-largest city in the United States, maybe one of the youngest...
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Arizona, home to Phoenix, the fifth-largest city in the United States, maybe one of the youngest states in the nation, but its history runs deep. Beyond its reputation for spring training games, vibrant universities, and record-high temperatures, Arizona offers a wealth of...
TheCollector
How the Seljuks Rose from Steppe Nomads to Rulers of a Vast Empire In the 10th century, a group of nomadic Turks called the Seljuks began a migration through Central...
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In the 10th century, a group of nomadic Turks called the Seljuks began a migration through Central Asia, searching for pasture for their herds. By 1071, this tribe had formed a mighty empire that encouraged the Turkic migration and settlement of Anatolia. This would ultimately...
Flashbak
Wisconsin Death Trip, 1973 – Small Town America In The Grip of Madness For more than 60 years, Charles Van Schaick (1852-1946) worked as a photographer in the town of...
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For more than 60 years, Charles Van Schaick (1852-1946) worked as a photographer in the town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin. Opened in 1879, he took around 8,000 of glass plate negatives, of which approximately 5,700 are studio portraits. The Charles Van Schaick collection, now...
Flashbak
The Decline of Western Civilisation III, 1998 “I didn’t get TACO BELL tattooed on my knuckles for nothing!” – The Decline of Western Civilisation...
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“I didn’t get TACO BELL tattooed on my knuckles for nothing!” – The Decline of Western Civilisation III, 1998     Directed by Penelope Spheeris in 1998, The Decline of Western Civilization III chronicles the punk lifestyle of teenagers  living in squats or on the streets in Los...
TheCollector
What Was the Relationship Between Assyria and Babylon? The Assyrian Empire grew out of the city of Assur, which was named for the principal god of Assyria,...
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The Assyrian Empire grew out of the city of Assur, which was named for the principal god of Assyria, and became a significant military power. Meanwhile, Babylon was under the patronage of the god Marduk and was known as an important cultural and religious center in the region....
TheCollector
9 Strangest Colors in Art History Humans have always been fascinated with color and its transformations. Starting from earth pigments...
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Humans have always been fascinated with color and its transformations. Starting from earth pigments at the dawn of humankind, they moved to experimenting with minerals, organic substances, and even synthetic materials to create new tones to use in art and design. Some of these...
TheCollector
Did Rome “Abduct” Mithras, the Persian Sun God? The establishment of Roman Mithraism in the West (1st to 4th century CE) mirrored the military and...
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The establishment of Roman Mithraism in the West (1st to 4th century CE) mirrored the military and cultural challenge to Roman hegemony that emerged in the East from the Parthian Empire.   Successor to a Persian legacy, Parthia was the true patron of Mithraism’s deeply antiquated...
Trying to Understand...
The Long And The Short Of It. Or, in defence of nuance.
4 days ago
TheCollector
The Evolution of Still Life From Baroque Art to Modern Minimalism Although still life painting as a representational form has existed since antiquity, it only began...
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Although still life painting as a representational form has existed since antiquity, it only began to take a form familiar to us in the 16th century during the Baroque era. Still life painting was fairly popular among women artists as it did not require studying nude human...
TheCollector
The Forgotten Son of Claudius Who Never Became an Emperor Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Messalina. The infant boy...
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Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Messalina. The infant boy was proudly named Britannicus by his father following his conquest of Britain, and as Claudius’s only living son, Britannicus was his presumed heir.   But when Messalina fell from...
History Today Feed
‘Language and Social Relations in Early Modern England’ by Hillary Taylor review ‘Language and Social Relations in Early Modern England’ by Hillary Taylor review JamesHoare Mon,...
6 days ago
TheCollector
Why Did Pausanias Write His Travel Guide to Ancient Greece? In the 2nd century CE, the Greek writer Pausanias spent decades traveling around ancient Greece,...
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In the 2nd century CE, the Greek writer Pausanias spent decades traveling around ancient Greece, which was then part of the Roman Empire. He recorded what he saw and compiled a guide for other travelers called the Perigereis Hellados or Guide to Greece. Through his descriptions,...
TheCollector
10 Masterpieces of Ottoman Architecture In its early years, the Ottoman Empire was inspired by Persio-Islamic and Byzantine culture. This...
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In its early years, the Ottoman Empire was inspired by Persio-Islamic and Byzantine culture. This affected the style of Ottoman architecture, and Mosques, madrasas, hospitals, bazaars, and palaces reflected this rich cultural blend. Learn about ten architectural marvels from the...
TheCollector
How Frida Kahlo Transformed Pain Into a Timeless Artistic Legacy Characterized by deep symbolism and vibrant color palettes, the works of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo...
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Characterized by deep symbolism and vibrant color palettes, the works of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo have been described as introspective and deeply personal. Best known for her powerful self-portraits, Kahlo’s works reflect lifelong health struggles, including her chronic pain...
TheCollector
Who Were the Desert Fathers (& Mothers)? The Desert Fathers appeared on the Christian historical scene in the third century CE. Saint Anthony...
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The Desert Fathers appeared on the Christian historical scene in the third century CE. Saint Anthony is often considered the most notable among them, though he was not the first. The Desert Fathers were committed and dedicated believers who chose an ascetic lifestyle that would...
TheCollector
The Adventurous Life of Marquis de Lafayette (Orphan, Soldier, Statesman) Gilbert du Motier, better known as Marquis de Lafayette, had the world at his feet. He was wealthy...
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Gilbert du Motier, better known as Marquis de Lafayette, had the world at his feet. He was wealthy and had a deep family history in French nobility and military. He could have done just about anything with his life. Instead of resting on his laurels and enjoying the privileges...
TheCollector
The Siege Warfare That Shaped Ancient Greece & Rome Discussions of warfare in ancient Greece and Rome usually revolve around open field battles with...
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Discussions of warfare in ancient Greece and Rome usually revolve around open field battles with dense formations of infantry clashing, supported by cavalry and missile troops. But many ancient conflicts were resolved through sieges, with enemy armies attempting to breach a...
TheCollector
What Happened to Olympias, Mother of Alexander the Great? By the time Alexander the Great died in the summer of 323 BCE Olympias had over three decades of...
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By the time Alexander the Great died in the summer of 323 BCE Olympias had over three decades of experience at the forefront of Macedonian politics, first as a wife and then as a mother of kings. She was one of the first ancient Greek women to have a significant impact on...
TheCollector
How the Flight of the Earls Changed Irish History Forever The Flight of the Earls took place on September 4, 1607 when three prominent Gaelic noble...
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The Flight of the Earls took place on September 4, 1607 when three prominent Gaelic noble families,those of Hugh O’Neill, Rory O’Donnell, and the Maguire clan, fled Ireland to escape feared arrest and seek Spanish assistance for resumption of hostilities against the British...
TheCollector
6 Developments Which Revolutionized Early Modern European Warfare The early modern period is often cited as a military revolution. Though some scholars describe an...
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The early modern period is often cited as a military revolution. Though some scholars describe an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process, it is undeniable that European battlefields of the 16th and 17th centuries witnessed major changes in tactics and equipment. The...
TheCollector
How Were Medieval Battles Fought? A Guide to Medieval Warfare The medieval period was a time of near-constant conflict throughout Europe. In spite of the...
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The medieval period was a time of near-constant conflict throughout Europe. In spite of the seemingly endless wars, full-scale pitched battles—the favorite subject of history enthusiasts and Hollywood alike—were actually rare compared to other types of warfare. However, when they...
TheCollector
How Did Leon Battista Alberti’s “On Painting” Shaped the Renaissance? In his seminal book of art theory entitled On Painting, Leon Battista Alberti staked a claim for...
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In his seminal book of art theory entitled On Painting, Leon Battista Alberti staked a claim for painting as a liberal art for the first time. Split into three sections dealing with geometry, art theory and method, and the ethical constitution of great painters, this brief...
TheCollector
Who Were the Heracleidae? Discover Heracles’s Many Children In addition to his superhuman strength and knack for achieving the impossible, the legendary hero...
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In addition to his superhuman strength and knack for achieving the impossible, the legendary hero Heracles was known for his incredible libido. Heracles is said to have fathered numerous children as he traveled the ancient world, battling monsters, conquering armies, and...
TheCollector
How Did James VI and I React to the Scottish Reformation? We know King James I of England primarily through his name being attached to the King James Version...
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We know King James I of England primarily through his name being attached to the King James Version of the Holy Bible, which was printed in 1611. Before he was James I of England, he was James VI of Scotland, enthroned there in 1567. He was a Protestant King, but also believed in...
TheCollector
What Is the Most Visited Wonder of the World? Throughout human history, people have sought to build and to find the most incredible and...
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Throughout human history, people have sought to build and to find the most incredible and awe-inspiring things. Alongside this effort, people have also sought to categorize and determine which things are worthy of the greatest attention. In ancient times, the Greeks published...
TheCollector
Marquis de Lafayette: 12 Details About “The Soldier’s Friend” With nicknames like “The Soldier’s Friend” and “Hero of Two Worlds,” Marquis de Lafayette went down...
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With nicknames like “The Soldier’s Friend” and “Hero of Two Worlds,” Marquis de Lafayette went down in history as a man of means who used his resources for good. Involved in causes such as the American Revolution, French Revolution, and human rights for all, he was a soldier,...
TheCollector
The 3 Most Infamous Praetorian Plots That (Un)Made Roman Emperors The Praetorian Guards were the personal bodyguard of the Roman Emperors from the reign of Augustus...
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The Praetorian Guards were the personal bodyguard of the Roman Emperors from the reign of Augustus through to the rise of Constantine. From the first century CE to the early fourth, these soldiers had an unrivaled proximity to imperial politics. This made them incredibly...
TheCollector
The Last Effort to Save the Empire During the Fall of Rome The fall of Rome may be seen as irreversible in hindsight. However, several significant Roman...
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The fall of Rome may be seen as irreversible in hindsight. However, several significant Roman leaders of the 5th century were able to bring the empire to the brink of salvation. It was a betrayal that prevented the general Flavius Aetius from being able to complete the...
TheCollector
When Is Juneteenth and What Does It Celebrate? Also known as “Juneteenth Independence Day” or “Emancipation Day,” Juneteenth is a federal holiday...
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Also known as “Juneteenth Independence Day” or “Emancipation Day,” Juneteenth is a federal holiday marking the day when enslaved African Americans living in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom. While President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it would...
TheCollector
Tracing the Roots of Shaolin Kung Fu Back to Ancient China Shaolin kung fu, or Shaolinquan is one of the oldest extant styles of martial arts and one of the...
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Shaolin kung fu, or Shaolinquan is one of the oldest extant styles of martial arts and one of the most influential. It has existed since the 6th century CE as a means of self-defense and exercise for Buddhist monks. Over time it spread throughout Eastern Asia. Even many modern...
TheCollector
The Metaphysics of Stoicism: 4 Key Tenets One of the most fundamental questions examined by most philosophical schools of thought is the...
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One of the most fundamental questions examined by most philosophical schools of thought is the nature of existence. According to Stoicism, everything in the universe is matter, created, animated, destroyed, and recreated by divine fire, logos. Consequently, everything is...
TheCollector
How Did Genghis Khan Die? Theories and Mysteries We know the ferocious and ruthless yet able Mongol Khan died in August 1227 aged 65. August 18 is...
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We know the ferocious and ruthless yet able Mongol Khan died in August 1227 aged 65. August 18 is often given as the date. However, the reasons for his death are still shrouded in mystery. His rise from Temujin to Genghis Khan just two decades prior marked an empire-building...
TheCollector
6 Iconic Artworks by Wassily Kandinsky Before the 19th century, art was centered around naturalistic depictions designed to create a...
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Before the 19th century, art was centered around naturalistic depictions designed to create a realistic window onto the world. Artists were inspired by history, mythology, and the Bible, with Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Vermeer representing the pinnacle of artistic expression....
TheCollector
How Did Plato Influence the Early Church? Plato played an important role in the works of several Church Fathers as they defended the truth...
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Plato played an important role in the works of several Church Fathers as they defended the truth claims of Christianity in the early centuries. The writings of Church Fathers like Justin Martyr, Clement of Rome, and Origen demonstrate how Plato was used to synthesize Christianity...
TheCollector
Meet Henry the Navigator, the Man Who Began the Age of Exploration The late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period saw the “Age of Exploration” really come into play,...
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The late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period saw the “Age of Exploration” really come into play, from a Eurocentric viewpoint. Some of the biggest names in history are to be found in this period: Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama, Marco Polo, and perhaps a man that you’ve...
TheCollector
8 Myths About the Greek God Ares Ares was the Greek god of war and battle frenzy. He numbered among the twelve Olympian gods who...
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Ares was the Greek god of war and battle frenzy. He numbered among the twelve Olympian gods who ruled over the cosmos. While his sister Athena was a goddess of war, representing strategy and temperance, Ares represented battle lust and the horrors of war. He was often followed...
TheCollector
Hannibal’s Master Class in Ambush Tactics at the Battle of Trasimene In 218 BCE, war broke out between Rome and Carthage, the two largest powers in the Western...
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In 218 BCE, war broke out between Rome and Carthage, the two largest powers in the Western Mediterranean. What Rome expected to be a quick and easy war turned out to be a long, bitter, and costly conflict that would claim the lives of many brave Romans. The Romans suffered...
TheCollector
Meet Osiris, the Egyptian God Who Ruled the Afterlife (Myth & Facts) Osiris is best known as the god of the dead in ancient Egyptian religion, as the afterlife was...
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Osiris is best known as the god of the dead in ancient Egyptian religion, as the afterlife was created for Osiris after he was killed by his brother Set, and he enabled others to join him in eternal life. But Osiris is also connected to many other important aspects of ancient...
TheCollector
How Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ Defined Renaissance Genius At first glance, it seems like a simple sketch: a nude male figure within a circle and a square. But...
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At first glance, it seems like a simple sketch: a nude male figure within a circle and a square. But Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is anything but ordinary. Those familiar lines form a fascinating blueprint of Renaissance ideals, revealing layers of artistic and scientific...
TheCollector
The Rise & Fall of the Minoan Civilization (Bronze Age Greece) From about 3000 BCE until about the collapse of the Bronze Age in 1200 BCE, the Minoans were a...
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From about 3000 BCE until about the collapse of the Bronze Age in 1200 BCE, the Minoans were a premier Aegean culture. Located on the island of Crete, the Minoan people developed sophisticated trade and diplomatic ties with other cultures, such as the Egyptians. With the wealth...
TheCollector
What Do the Two Beasts of Revelation Symbolize? Early Christian scholars debated the inclusion of the Book of Revelation for centuries before it...
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Early Christian scholars debated the inclusion of the Book of Revelation for centuries before it became part of the Biblical canon. Some Christian scholars feared that its vivid imagery might lead to dubious interpretations, and many churches avoided studying it. Other scholars...
TheCollector
How Pompeii’s Bodies Are Preserved, Frozen in Time In 79 CE, the Vesuvius volcano in Southern Italy erupted, destroying settlements around it and...
3 weeks ago
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In 79 CE, the Vesuvius volcano in Southern Italy erupted, destroying settlements around it and taking the lives of up to 16,000 residents. The most significant death toll occurred in the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, wealthy local centers of trade and production. Since their...
TheCollector
How Many Children Did Genghis Khan Have? Separating Myth from Reality Genghis Khan’s genetic legacy has never been doubted. The question is, how many kids did Genghis...
2 weeks ago
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Genghis Khan’s genetic legacy has never been doubted. The question is, how many kids did Genghis Khan have? According to historical records, Khan’s official heirs numbered four through his primary wife Börte. Married to Temujin, later Khan, at age 17, Börte’s original tribe...
TheCollector
Battle of Andrassos: Byzantine Empire vs. Sayf al-Dawla’s Jihad During the 10th century CE Sayf al-Dawla, Sword of the Dynasty, ruler of the Emirate of Aleppo...
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During the 10th century CE Sayf al-Dawla, Sword of the Dynasty, ruler of the Emirate of Aleppo became the most prominent antagonist of the Byzantine Empire. Taking up the call of jihad, he launched devastating raids year after year across the Taurus mountains into the lands of...
TheCollector
Discover the Land of the Moche in Northern Peru Most people traveling through Peru head south, enticed by big-ticket highlights like Machu Picchu,...
2 weeks ago
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Most people traveling through Peru head south, enticed by big-ticket highlights like Machu Picchu, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, or the Amazon. But in the north, hidden treasures abound. This dry, coastal region was once home to the Moche, a powerful pre-Inca culture known for its...
TheCollector
The Antichrist in Fantasy, Prophecy, & History (What You Need to Know) The character known as the Antichrist has played a prominent role as the villain in many Hollywood...
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The character known as the Antichrist has played a prominent role as the villain in many Hollywood classics of religious horror, from The Omen to Rosemary’s Baby. The name and deeds of the Antichrist are also included in novels, songs, and philosophical doctrines. This article...
TheCollector
How Henry VII Took the English Throne & Founded the Tudors Henry VII often slips through the cracks of history, being sandwiched between the controversial...
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Henry VII often slips through the cracks of history, being sandwiched between the controversial Richard III, a Renaissance Machiavellian prince, and Henry VIII, an impossibly charismatic and epoch-shaping monarch. But without Henry VII, there would be no Henry VIII. It was Henry...
TheCollector
Medieval Japan vs Medieval Europe: How Different Were They? In modern-day society, it is easy to see how Japan differs from Europe. Cultural ideals in Japan are...
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In modern-day society, it is easy to see how Japan differs from Europe. Cultural ideals in Japan are just about as far away from European (or “Western”) culture as you can get—but how far back do these differences go? In this article, we will explore just how different these two...
TheCollector
How Virgil Made Aeneas an Epic Hero Originally a minor figure in the Homeric epic The Iliad, Aeneas is cast by Virgil as the hero in his...
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Originally a minor figure in the Homeric epic The Iliad, Aeneas is cast by Virgil as the hero in his epic The Aeneid. This is an appropriate choice for Augustan Rome when Virgil was writing. Aeneas displays important virtues and an expedient bloodline, but he does not always meet...
TheCollector
9 Myths About the Greek God Hephaestus Hephaestus, the god of smithing and fire, was counted among the twelve Olympian gods. He does not...
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Hephaestus, the god of smithing and fire, was counted among the twelve Olympian gods. He does not feature as prominently in Greek myths as the rest of his family, but he is credited with creating all the divine tools used by gods and heroes, from Zeus’ aegis to the armor of...
TheCollector
Are There Really Unicorns in the Bible? Some Bible skeptics have criticized the Bible because of references to mythical creatures like the...
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Some Bible skeptics have criticized the Bible because of references to mythical creatures like the unicorn. They claim it undermines the legitimacy of the Bible as a serious religious work. The question we need to ask ourselves, however, is if the references to unicorns were...
TheCollector
The Celts & Celtic Mythology in Popular Culture Historic cultures often inspire modern artists and are reimagined for consumption as popular...
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Historic cultures often inspire modern artists and are reimagined for consumption as popular culture. The Celts are no exception. While attempts at genuine historical portrayals of Celtic history and culture are rare, the recent television series Brittania being a notable...
TheCollector
How Locke and His Heirs Redefined Beauty (Aesthetic Sense) The century that is very important for the development of modern aesthetics was influenced by the...
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4 weeks ago
The century that is very important for the development of modern aesthetics was influenced by the philosophers of the 17th century. This century is dominated by rationalism and empiricism. The latter begins with the philosophy of John Locke. Then, there is almost no mention of...
TheCollector
6 Facts About Freyr, the Norse God of Virility & Fertility The Norse god Freyr, with his shining golden boar, was associated with virility, fertility, and good...
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The Norse god Freyr, with his shining golden boar, was associated with virility, fertility, and good fortune. He was one of the most popular gods in the Viking Age. He was widely worshiped in a trinity along with Odin and Thor. Claimed as a divine ancestor by the Swedish kings,...
TheCollector
What Caused the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire? Ancient Rome is hailed as one of the most distinguished civilizations in history due to the amount...
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Ancient Rome is hailed as one of the most distinguished civilizations in history due to the amount of power and control it wielded at its peak. The empire had advanced technologies and outstanding military successes. Beginning in the 8th century BCE, it grew from a small town...
TheCollector
Who Is Lilith and Did Adam Have a Wife Before Eve? Although medieval folklore abounds with demonesses, none is more prominent than Lilith. Her origins...
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Although medieval folklore abounds with demonesses, none is more prominent than Lilith. Her origins trace back to Mesopotamian myths older than 2000 BCE, and similar spirits appear in even earlier traditions. Apart from one vague reference in Isaiah 34, Lilith is absent from the...
TheCollector
An Overview of the Ming and Qing Chinese Dynasties The Ming Dynasty was founded in 1368 and brought an end to Mongol rule in China. The dynasty reached...
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The Ming Dynasty was founded in 1368 and brought an end to Mongol rule in China. The dynasty reached its height in the early 15th century when the Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing and ordered Zheng He’s voyages of exploration. While the...
TheCollector
The Ghost Army: Masters of Deception in World War II In 1944, a tremendous challenge loomed for the Western Allies of World War II: Nazi Germany fully...
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In 1944, a tremendous challenge loomed for the Western Allies of World War II: Nazi Germany fully occupied France and was anticipating the necessary invasion. Although the Allies had amassed huge forces in Britain to storm across the English Channel and hit the Nazis hard, the...
TheCollector
Knights Templar & the Creation of Modern Banking Of all the knightly orders born of the Crusades, none are as well known or as heavily mythologized...
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Of all the knightly orders born of the Crusades, none are as well known or as heavily mythologized as the Knights Templar. From Dan Brown conspiracy thriller novels like The Da Vinci Code to the best-selling Assassin’s Creed video game franchise, the Knights Templar have long...
TheCollector
Satyrs Sparked the Wildest Parties in Greek Mythology Satyrs (also known as Silens) are considered some of Greek mythology’s most iconic and recognizable...
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Satyrs (also known as Silens) are considered some of Greek mythology’s most iconic and recognizable creatures. These exclusively male nature spirits are primarily human with snubbed noses, ears, tails, and sometimes the lower bodies of a horse or goat. They are associated with...
TheCollector
4 Infamous Rulers of the Neo-Assyrian Empire The Neo-Assyrian Empire dominated the landscape of the ancient Near East from 911 BCE until its fall...
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The Neo-Assyrian Empire dominated the landscape of the ancient Near East from 911 BCE until its fall in 609 BCE. The Old Assyrian period saw the Assyrian city-state become somewhat independent around 2025 BCE, and it gradually increased in strength until its penultimate period,...
TheCollector
The Mystery of the Black Madonnas and Their Connection to Ancient Egypt She’s more than stood the test of time; once hidden in grottos and secreted away in caves, the Black...
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She’s more than stood the test of time; once hidden in grottos and secreted away in caves, the Black Madonnas were “rediscovered” by her people who couldn’t bear to be parted from her. Instead of, “Behold the earth goddess, granter of fertility!” many pre-modern people simply...
TheCollector
An Overview of the Song, Liao, Jurchen Jin, and Yuan Chinese Dynasties The political fragmentation in China after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty was brought to an end by...
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The political fragmentation in China after the collapse of the Tang Dynasty was brought to an end by Zhao Kuangyin, a warlord who founded the Song Dynasty in 960. Northeastern China remained under the control of the Khitan Liao Dynasty, which was overthrown by the Jurchens early...
TheCollector
The Legend of Plato’s Atlantis, Inside the Mythical City The rumor of Atlantis can be traced back to the Greek philosopher Plato, who wrote about the island...
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The rumor of Atlantis can be traced back to the Greek philosopher Plato, who wrote about the island kingdom in two of his dialogues: Timaeus and Critias. Historiographical examination of these sources has led to three primary theories about Atlantis. First, it was a real place...
Flashbak
At The Beach In Los Angeles, 1975 – 1988 “I think that part of what these pictures are about is the difference between our preconceptions of...
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“I think that part of what these pictures are about is the difference between our preconceptions of a place and what, when we get there, that place turns out to be.” – Tod Papageorge, at the beach      Looking at Tod Papageorge’s photographs of Los Angeles beachgoers in the 1970s...
Classical Wisdom
Technological ‘Miracles’ Of Ancient Greece Which Marvel Matters Most?
6 days ago
TheCollector
Here’s Why John the Baptist Was Called the Greatest Prophet John was Jesus’s relative—perhaps a second cousin—born about six months before Jesus. With the...
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John was Jesus’s relative—perhaps a second cousin—born about six months before Jesus. With the exception of Mary, John could be considered the most important witness to Jesus’s identity as the Messiah of Israel, as recorded in the Four Gospels. His baptism of Jesus defined how he...
TheCollector
What Is Hegel’s Dialectic Method? When considering Hegel’s contribution to logic, nothing is more significant than his dialectic...
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When considering Hegel’s contribution to logic, nothing is more significant than his dialectic method. The method is prevalent in almost all his works, most notably Logic, Philosophy of History, and Phenomenology of Spirit. He describes it as “the only true method” and the basic...
TheCollector
How Did the Assyrians Conquer Egypt? When the Neo-Assyrian Empire set its sites on conquering Egypt, the country was in its Third...
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When the Neo-Assyrian Empire set its sites on conquering Egypt, the country was in its Third Intermediate Period. Egypt was divided and ruled by regional kings and under Kushite influence. While the Assyrians were successful in their conquest of Egypt in the 7th century BCE,...
TheCollector
The Incredible Life of Demosthenes, the Greatest Orator of Ancient Athens By the mid-4th century BCE, the political landscape of Greece looked markedly different from what it...
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a week ago
By the mid-4th century BCE, the political landscape of Greece looked markedly different from what it had been a century earlier. Then, Athens had been at its height and locked in war with her great rival, Sparta. Now, the supremacy of both states has been shattered. To the north,...
TheCollector
Helios Was the Personification of the Sun in Greek Mythology In ancient Greek mythology, Helios was the embodiment of the sun and drove across the sky every day...
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In ancient Greek mythology, Helios was the embodiment of the sun and drove across the sky every day in his golden chariot, creating the day-night cycle. As the god of the sun, Helios was also associated with light, life, and truth. From his place high in the sky, he was said to...
TheCollector
An Overview of the Sui and Tang Chinese Dynasties In 581 CE, the general Yang Jian seized power from the Northern Zhou and established the Sui...
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In 581 CE, the general Yang Jian seized power from the Northern Zhou and established the Sui Dynasty. The Sui reunified China in 589, but the failure of costly expeditions in Korea led to the collapse of the dynasty in 618. The Tang Dynasty reaped the rewards of Sui investments...
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...
TheCollector
What the Sanctuary of Odysseus Reveals About Ancient Greek Beliefs What if the myths you know are hiding deeper truths? For thousands of years, Odysseus—the legendary...
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What if the myths you know are hiding deeper truths? For thousands of years, Odysseus—the legendary king of Ithaca and hero of Homer’s Odyssey—has captured the imaginations of people worldwide. Now, thanks to modern archaeological discoveries on the storied Greek island, the gap...
TheCollector
What Was the Impact of the Silk Road Sogdians? They may be largely unknown in the modern world but in their time the Sogdians were exceptionally...
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They may be largely unknown in the modern world but in their time the Sogdians were exceptionally influential. The Sogdians were an Iranian-speaking people who originated from Central Asia (modern-day Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and were at the center of the Silk Road trade. Their...
TheCollector
The Weighing of the Heart Ceremony & Its Role in the Egyptian Afterlife One of the most famous scenes surviving from ancient Egyptian art is the Weighing of the Heart...
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One of the most famous scenes surviving from ancient Egyptian art is the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony, during which the heart of the deceased was weighed against the feather of Ma’at. If the heart was lighter than the feather, they passed into ancient Egypt’s paradisical...
TheCollector
The Jōmon Period: Japan’s Mysterious Origin Story Long before the age of shoguns and samurai, before the Japanese people even arrived in what is now...
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Long before the age of shoguns and samurai, before the Japanese people even arrived in what is now considered their homeland, the islands were already inhabited in what is known as the Jōmon period. While the people of the Jōmon period had no written language, archaeology reveals...
TheCollector
The History of Neutral Moresnet, Europe’s Forgotten Micronation Following Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1825, the Congress of Vienna...
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Following Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1825, the Congress of Vienna aimed to draw a new map of Europe. During the negotiation processes, the area of Moresnet, a small village in the province of Liège, modern-day Belgium, posed challenges as both the...
TheCollector
What Would a Day in the Public Baths of Ancient Rome Look Like? At the 8th Roman hour, or 2 pm, the Romans would finish their working day and head to one specific...
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At the 8th Roman hour, or 2 pm, the Romans would finish their working day and head to one specific place to socialize, relax, and clean off the dirt of the day: the terme, or public baths. While some were lucky enough to have their own bath (balnea) at home, most headed to the...
TheCollector
What Is the “Gospel of Mark” All About? The Gospel of Mark is the shortest and arguably the first gospel of the three synoptic gospels....
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The Gospel of Mark is the shortest and arguably the first gospel of the three synoptic gospels. Scholars believe that the authors of Matthew and Luke may have used it as a source for their gospels due to the overlap they share with Mark. Mark presents a fast-paced version of the...
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
5 days ago
TheCollector
How Ancient Assyria Used Religion to Become a Superpower Religious policies have been utilized by monarchies and governments for political gains since the...
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Religious policies have been utilized by monarchies and governments for political gains since the beginning of civilization. Few have done so as successfully as the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The kings of both the Old and Middle Assyrian periods provided their successors with the...
TheCollector
The Raphael Rooms in Vatican City Revealed Entering the Raphael Rooms is like stepping through a portal to the heart of the Italian...
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Entering the Raphael Rooms is like stepping through a portal to the heart of the Italian Renaissance. In the early 16th century, at the peak of the storied art movement, Raphael and his workshop painted a spectacular suite of papal apartments in the Vatican.   The resulting...
TheCollector
Who Were King Arthur’s Legendary Wives? In the Arthurian legends, the wife of King Arthur is famously named Guinevere. However, the idea...
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In the Arthurian legends, the wife of King Arthur is famously named Guinevere. However, the idea that King Arthur only had a single wife is not something that is seen in Welsh tradition. In fact, even some Latin texts refer to him having multiple wives. In any case, Welsh...
TheCollector
Ibn Battuta’s Epic 30-Year Journey Across the Medieval World In the mid-14th century, Moroccan judge and scholar Ibn Battuta embarked on an epic 24-year-long...
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In the mid-14th century, Moroccan judge and scholar Ibn Battuta embarked on an epic 24-year-long journey worldwide. He was received by kings and queens, robbed and kidnapped by rebels, and even ended up marrying into the royal family of Omar I, Sultan of the Maldives.   Battuta’s...
TheCollector
What Did Socrates Really Mean When He Said “Know Thyself”? Inscribed at the Delphic temple of Apollo was the famous maxim, ‘know thyself’, a charge that...
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Inscribed at the Delphic temple of Apollo was the famous maxim, ‘know thyself’, a charge that Socrates continuously invoked in numerous Platonic dialogues. Self-knowledge was the essence of Socrates’ philosophical project, not in the modern sense of self-discovery, but in the...
TheCollector
The Assyrian Conquest of Babylon (What Really Happened?) The Assyrian conquest of Babylon took centuries, with successive Assyrian kings committing to the...
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The Assyrian conquest of Babylon took centuries, with successive Assyrian kings committing to the cause. Babylon’s kings fought hard for their autonomy but could not resist the continuous onslaught. However, while the Assyrians wanted to dominate Babylon, they also respected the...
TheCollector
Why Does the Assyrian King Sennacherib Appear in the Bible? Sennacherib was an Assyrian king who reigned from 705 to 681 BCE. He was known for consolidating and...
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Sennacherib was an Assyrian king who reigned from 705 to 681 BCE. He was known for consolidating and expanding the Neo-Assyrian Empire. In the biblical narrative, he invaded Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah in 701 BCE, capturing many fortified cities and eventually laying...
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
What Is Christian Mysticism? (Definition, History, Practices) When you think of Christian mysticism, the obvious probably comes to mind: exorcisms, contact with...
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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 Was the Temple in Ancient Judaism? (Purpose & Significance) The Temple in Jerusalem was the structure that replaced the Tabernacle the Israelites traveled...
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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
How Did Dutch Golden Age Art Demonstrate Protestant Values? The art created throughout the Dutch Golden Age shone a light on the lives of ordinary individuals....
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The art created throughout the Dutch Golden Age shone a light on the lives of ordinary individuals. This art not only represented everyday commonplace activities but also demonstrated the values, morals, and expectations of a Calvinist/Protestant life.   Domestic Settings of the...
TheCollector
Traitors or Survivors? The Tlaxcalans and the Conquest of Mexico Many see the fall of the Aztec Empire and the subsequent conquest of Mexico as a result of the wit...
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Many see the fall of the Aztec Empire and the subsequent conquest of Mexico as a result of the wit and boldness of Hernán Cortés and his conquistadors’ endeavors. However, without the help of Tlaxcalan warriors, the Spanish never would have taken the great city of Tenochtitlan....
TheCollector
The Story of Kösem Sultan Who Ruled the Ottoman Empire With an Iron Fist Kösem Sultan, initially a concubine, then the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, was a...
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Kösem Sultan, initially a concubine, then the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, was a controversial figure even in her own time. She not only exercised power through three different sultans but influenced court politics in her own right. She had her son Ibrahim deposed from...
TheCollector
What Was Chivalry in the Middle Ages? The idea of chivalry has gone from the stereotypical image of a knight in shining armor rescuing a...
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The idea of chivalry has gone from the stereotypical image of a knight in shining armor rescuing a maiden who has been imprisoned in some evil man’s castle in the Middle Ages (like in many fairytales), to the notion of a modern-day man holding a door open for a woman. But...
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Machines, Myths and Robots... Classical Wisdom Litterae Magazine & Special Interview with Adrienne Mayor
6 days ago
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...
Flashbak
Jürgen Schadeberg: Happy Hour Flashbak: What makes a good photograph? Jürgen Schadeberg: Content, composition and training.     In...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
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,...
TheCollector
6 Monastic Marvels of Medieval Europe Monasteries helped shape medieval Europe in ways that often go unnoticed today. Beyond their...
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Monasteries helped shape medieval Europe in ways that often go unnoticed today. Beyond their religious role, they influenced learning, politics, and art across the continent. Of the thousands built between the 5th and 15th centuries, more than 500 still stand; some in truly...
TheCollector
9 Ancient Roman Roads That Still Exist Today During Roman times, the empire stretched from Britain to the Middle East, held together by fortified...
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During Roman times, the empire stretched from Britain to the Middle East, held together by fortified cities, sprawling forums, aqueducts, and military camps. Sites like Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the arena in Nîmes, the Roman theater in Cartagena, and the arches of Narbonne...
TheCollector
How Did Medieval Religion Shape Everyday Life? To say that religion shaped everyday life in the Middle Ages would be an understatement. In fact, it...
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To say that religion shaped everyday life in the Middle Ages would be an understatement. In fact, it was so important that not going to church once a week was simply not an option. There were multiple church services throughout the day, let alone the week, and Medieval religion...
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
What Court Rules Did Marie Antoinette Have to Follow? With privilege comes specific obligations, or so it would seem in the 1700 French royal court of...
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With privilege comes specific obligations, or so it would seem in the 1700 French royal court of Versailles. In order to reinforce the hierarchy and culture the French royal family had specific rules and pageantry attached to regular every day occurrences that Marie Antoinette...
TheCollector
6 Inspirational Women Who Redefined Art History For centuries, women had no access to formal artistic education and the art world, yet they found...
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For centuries, women had no access to formal artistic education and the art world, yet they found ways to influence it and secure their places in history. For centuries, women were patrons, collectors, muses, or creators themselves who impacted the art of others. Some of them had...
TheCollector
Where Was the Battle of Camlann? King Arthur’s Legendary Final Battle According to the Arthurian legends, King Arthur was mortally wounded at the infamous Battle of...
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According to the Arthurian legends, King Arthur was mortally wounded at the infamous Battle of Camlann. This was the culmination of a civil war between Arthur and his nephew, Mordred. The historicity of this legendary account is seriously questioned by modern scholars....
TheCollector
Heroic Warrior Deaths in Beowulf and The Song of Roland Both La Chanson de Roland and Beowulf are national epic poems whose heroes die in dramatic and...
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Both La Chanson de Roland and Beowulf are national epic poems whose heroes die in dramatic and memorable ways. Both are distinctly products of their religious setting, though those settings are different for each poem. Wyrd, an Anglo-Saxon word that gives us the Modern English...
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
What Is the Fruit of the Spirit in Christianity? Many people erroneously refer to the fruits of the spirit. The Bible does not refer to “fruits” but...
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Many people erroneously refer to the fruits of the spirit. The Bible does not refer to “fruits” but to “fruit.” It then lists nine characteristics, all positive, that are ways the fruit of the spirit manifests itself. As with any Biblical text, it is imperative to consider the...
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...
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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...
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 Story of Cleisthenes:, the Founder of Democracy in Ancient Athens The Athenians were generous when it came to commemorating the founders of their democracy. The...
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3 weeks ago
The Athenians were generous when it came to commemorating the founders of their democracy. The 6th-century reformer Solon was held in high regard, as were the two assassins of Hipparchus, Harmodius and Aristogeiton. Even the mythological king Theseus was venerated. Oddly, the one...
TheCollector
How Did People Track Time Before Clocks? Humans’ age-old desire to tell time has helped propel the rise of more advanced time-telling tools....
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Humans’ age-old desire to tell time has helped propel the rise of more advanced time-telling tools. The need to track the different parts of the day and night led people in ancient civilizations, such as those in Greece and Egypt, to develop water clocks, sundials, and other...
TheCollector
What Is The Jungian Model of The Psyche? Carl Jung’s greatest contribution to psychology was his intricate understanding of the human mind....
a week ago
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a week ago
Carl Jung’s greatest contribution to psychology was his intricate understanding of the human mind. His model of the psyche is a holistic and dynamic representation of our inner architecture, with all the seemingly contradictory layers that make us who we are. Decoding the Jungian...
TheCollector
How the Plantation of Ulster Transformed Irish Society The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
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...
TheCollector
Hannibal’s First Great Victory Over Rome at the Battle of Trebbia (218 BCE) In 218 BCE, the Second Punic War erupted when Carthage captured the Spanish city of Saguntum, an...
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
In 218 BCE, the Second Punic War erupted when Carthage captured the Spanish city of Saguntum, an ally of the Roman Republic. The war was one of the ancient world’s largest conflicts. It was fought across Spain, Italy, and Africa, eventually spilling over into Greece and Asia....
TheCollector
Exploring the Sacred Valley Before the Incas When people think of Peru’s Sacred Valley, they picture Inca ruins, royal estates, and sun temples...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
When people think of Peru’s Sacred Valley, they picture Inca ruins, royal estates, and sun temples carved high into the impossibly beautiful Andes. But this fertile corridor has a much older story. Before Cusco became a capital, other civilizations were building, farming,...
TheCollector
Was Anne Boleyn the Wife King Henry Loved Most? Lovers of British history are obsessed with Anne Boleyn. It is undoubtedly she, out of all the six...
a week ago
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a week ago
Lovers of British history are obsessed with Anne Boleyn. It is undoubtedly she, out of all the six wives of King Henry VIII, who is given the most attention in any publication or production.   Thanks to the enduring power of literature and media, Anne Boleyn has been reimagined...
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...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
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...
Classical Wisdom
Archimedes The Super Villain The Death Ray Of Syracuse
4 days ago
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 days ago
TheCollector
The Powerful Sayings of the Desert Fathers The Desert Fathers withdrew from society, embracing monastic living in the deserts of Egypt,...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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...
TheCollector
Plutarch & His Parallel Lives: The Biographer of Greece & Rome Every student of ancient history has heard the name Plutarch, whose extensive collection of...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Every student of ancient history has heard the name Plutarch, whose extensive collection of biographies of important figures from Greek and Roman history has become part of the standard curriculum. While he was a prolific writer, his most famous work is his Parallel Lives, in...
TheCollector
How Slaves Created the Free Greek State of Ancient Messenia Beneath the foundations of the legendary Spartan political system labored the oppressed Messenians....
a week ago
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a week ago
Beneath the foundations of the legendary Spartan political system labored the oppressed Messenians. Messenia, a prosperous corner of southwestern Greece, was conquered by the Spartans in the 8th century BCE. Its population, along with elements of the Spartan region of Lakonia,...
TheCollector
5 Timeless Financial Tips from Greek and Roman Philosophers We often look to well-known experts for financial advice, and the ancient Greeks and Romans were no...
a week ago
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a week ago
We often look to well-known experts for financial advice, and the ancient Greeks and Romans were no different. Classical philosophers gave advice on debt management, smart investments, and the accumulation and preservation of wealth. From Epictetus to Plato, nearly every...
TheCollector
Octavia the Younger, the Roman Woman Who Shaped an Empire By the time of her death in 11 BCE, Octavia the Younger had lived through some of the most...
a week ago
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a week ago
By the time of her death in 11 BCE, Octavia the Younger had lived through some of the most tumultuous decades in Roman history. As the Roman Republic entered its death throes, Octavia was caught between rivals, as her brother, Augustus, vied with her husband, Mark Antony, for...
TheCollector
How the Hittites Used Fear & Strategy to Create a Bronze Age Empire During the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), an Indo-European people known as the Hittites...
a week ago
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a week ago
During the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), an Indo-European people known as the Hittites expanded beyond their borders in central Anatolia to create an empire. The Hittites conquered most of Anatolia, the northern Levant, and destroyed the Mitanni Kingdom, which they...
TheCollector
How Long Would It Take for an Ancient Traveler to See All Seven Wonders? If you were an ancient traveler with wanderlust, you could theoretically see all of the ancient...
a week ago
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a week ago
If you were an ancient traveler with wanderlust, you could theoretically see all of the ancient wonders of the world if you were in relatively decent physical shape and had access to a boat. Journeying between them would take over two months, maybe more, and take you across long...
TheCollector
7 Medieval Weapons & Armor The Medieval Period, which roughly stretched from 500 to 1500 CE, was a turbulent time of...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Medieval Period, which roughly stretched from 500 to 1500 CE, was a turbulent time of near-constant conflict. In order to gain an edge on the battlefield, armorers and weapons makers developed an astonishing variety of weapons to deal out damage and armor to keep a warrior...
TheCollector
The Three Sacred Treasures of Japan (History & Importance) The Three Sacred Treasures—the Jewel of Yasakani, the Sword of Kusanagi, and the Mirror of Yata —are...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Three Sacred Treasures—the Jewel of Yasakani, the Sword of Kusanagi, and the Mirror of Yata —are among the most legendary and mysterious objects found in Japanese history. When brought together, these sacred items are referred to as the Imperial Regalia of Japan, and they...
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...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
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
Who Was the Only Sole-Ruling Queen in Biblical History? In the biblical book of Second Samuel, God gives the recently crowned King David a promise via the...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In the biblical book of Second Samuel, God gives the recently crowned King David a promise via the Prophet Nathan: David’s dynasty would never end. There would never cease to be a king in David’s line sitting on this throne. But in a dramatic incident several generations later,...
TheCollector
What Can Marcus Aurelius Teach Us About Resilience? When we encounter challenging obstacles in our lives, we instinctively tend to fight against them,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
When we encounter challenging obstacles in our lives, we instinctively tend to fight against them, escape them, or simply freeze. Marcus Aurelius, however,  responded to obstacles in a different way. Armed by the wisdom of Stoic philosophy, he considered barriers on his journey...
TheCollector
How Did the Quakers Transform from Radical Dissenters to Icons of Peace? The Quakers are widely recognised today as a “peace church” marked by a distinct rejection of...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Quakers are widely recognised today as a “peace church” marked by a distinct rejection of ecclesiastical hierarchy. They are widely admired for their humanitarian work and known for their preference for “Meeting Houses” over churches. However, their modern pacifist image...
TheCollector
Which Is the “Better” Sword? Katana vs Longsword Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
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...
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....
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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...
TheCollector
Your Ultimate Guide to São Paulo’s Must-See Art Attractions São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and in the western hemisphere with over 22 million people....
4 weeks ago
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4 weeks ago
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and in the western hemisphere with over 22 million people. Within this massive metropolis are world-class museums, art galleries, and endless street art. The city is home to famous artists and collectors who fuel its creative energy. This...
TheCollector
Sulla’s Brutal Siege of Athens (87-86 BCE) With the sack of Corinth in 146 BCE, Greek resistance to Roman power had been dealt a crushing blow....
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
With the sack of Corinth in 146 BCE, Greek resistance to Roman power had been dealt a crushing blow. After Lucius Mummius had defeated the Achaean League, there was an influx of art and loot into the Republic. These treasures profoundly shaped Roman culture, as “captive Greece...
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...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
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...
History Today Feed
God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature JamesHoare Thu, 07/10/2025 - 09:08
3 days ago
TheCollector
The Secrets of Mycenaean Gold in Ancient Greece Mycenaean gold is a dazzling emblem of Greece’s Bronze Age. Luminous artifacts, from regal funerary...
a week ago
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a week ago
Mycenaean gold is a dazzling emblem of Greece’s Bronze Age. Luminous artifacts, from regal funerary masks to intricately wrought jewelry, bring to life an ancient world of beauty and power. But beneath the aesthetic brilliance of Mycenaean gold, there lies a trove of hidden...
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...
4 days ago
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4 days ago
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...
Classical Wisdom
Fate and Free Will The Stoic Perspective
2 days ago
TheCollector
What Is the “Gospel of Luke” All About? Luke, a physician, played a significant role in the early church but was not an eyewitness to the...
a week ago
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a week ago
Luke, a physician, played a significant role in the early church but was not an eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus. He nevertheless compiled his account of the gospel after careful research to produce a reliable, orderly account of what Jesus had said and done during...
TheCollector
Yuan Dynasty of China: History, Origins, Decline Throughout its incredible history, there has seldom been a time in China when the Chinese rulers...
a week ago
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a week ago
Throughout its incredible history, there has seldom been a time in China when the Chinese rulers themselves have been overthrown at the hands of foreign invaders. That is what makes the Yuan Dynasty so interesting—and so culturally different from other famous dynasties in Chinese...
TheCollector
How the Janissaries Became the Most Powerful Force in Ottoman History Formed in 1363 by Sultan Murad I, the Janissary Corps was a group of elite fighters who, as the...
a week ago
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a week ago
Formed in 1363 by Sultan Murad I, the Janissary Corps was a group of elite fighters who, as the ruler’s property, owed complete loyalty and allegiance to the Sultan. This group would go on to influence politics until their dismemberment in 1839. For centuries, the Janissaries...
TheCollector
How Were Handles Made on Ancient Minoan Pottery? The Minoan civilization existed from about 2800 BC to 1100 BCE and thrived as a group through...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Minoan civilization existed from about 2800 BC to 1100 BCE and thrived as a group through maritime trade. Living on the island of Crete, the Minoan civilization eventually spread to most of the Aegean region and mainland Greece. Crete’s strategic location on the sea routes to...
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,...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
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
Why Are Aristotle’s “Categories” Fundamental to Logic? Aristotle’s Categories is a foundational philosophical work that provides a framework for...
a week ago
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a week ago
Aristotle’s Categories is a foundational philosophical work that provides a framework for understanding existence and engaging in classification. The text describes ten categories: substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, position, state, action, and passion....
TheCollector
What Are the Main Female Archetypes In Myth and Culture? In Jungian psychology, female archetypes are primordial patterns of femininity in the collective...
a week ago
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a week ago
In Jungian psychology, female archetypes are primordial patterns of femininity in the collective unconscious. We can consider them the blueprints that determine the different manifestations of female figures featured in myth and culture. Every female archetype is characterized by...
TheCollector
Neolithic Wonders Along the Scottish Coastline Along Scotland’s rugged coastline stand some of the most remarkable Neolithic sites in all of...
a week ago
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a week ago
Along Scotland’s rugged coastline stand some of the most remarkable Neolithic sites in all of Europe. Older than the pyramids, these stone structures reveal how people once lived, farmed, worked, and worshipped. While well-known places like Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar draw...
TheCollector
7 Famous Cubist Artists Who Achieved Greatness Cubism was one of the most radical art movements of the 20th century. Emerging in Paris, Cubism was...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
Cubism was one of the most radical art movements of the 20th century. Emerging in Paris, Cubism was both influential and polarizing, leaving no one indifferent. Discover the principles and evolution of the movement through the works of seven famous Cubist artists who shaped the...
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...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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
3 Legendary Migrations That Shaped Pre-Roman Britain Ancient and medieval writers were thoroughly interested in stories of the origins of nations....
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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
Medieval Battles Marked by Stunning Underdog Victories Medieval battles were brutal, blood-soaked grind. Clever tactics and strong leadership often...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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...
TheCollector
Battle of Himera: Carthage vs. Ancient Greeks of Sicily Since the fall of Phoenician Tyre, the Mediterranean, once interconnected by vast trade networks...
a week ago
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a week ago
Since the fall of Phoenician Tyre, the Mediterranean, once interconnected by vast trade networks running from southern Iberia to the Levantine coast, was in flux. Sicily was perfectly positioned to serve as a central commercial hub for the two halves of the sea. But who would...
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...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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...
TheCollector
The Puzzling Origins & Meaning of the Nazca Lines The Nazca Lines in southern Peru fascinate history enthusiasts worldwide. Since these glyphs first...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Nazca Lines in southern Peru fascinate history enthusiasts worldwide. Since these glyphs first began to be studied in the early 20th century, the theories for their origin and purpose have ranged from astronomical markers to representations of the Nazca people’s mythology 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...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
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
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...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
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
10 Important Sites of the Celtic World The Celtic people, who occupied large areas of Europe during the Iron Age, have left their mark...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The Celtic people, who occupied large areas of Europe during the Iron Age, have left their mark across the landscape. Surviving Celtic sites include villages, sanctuaries, burial mounds, and natural wonders considered sacred. This article looks at ten of the most important Celtic...
TheCollector
How Did the Libyans Shape Ancient Egypt? The ancient Egyptians had three primary foreign enemies throughout their history: the Nubians, the...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
The ancient Egyptians had three primary foreign enemies throughout their history: the Nubians, the Canaanites/Asiatics, and the Libyans. Of these three groups, the Libyans are perhaps the most enigmatic. The Egyptians rarely ventured into the Libyan homeland, just to the west of...
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....
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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
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...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
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...
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...
2 days ago
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2 days 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 Is Nature Portrayed in Shakespeare’s Macbeth? William Shakespeare is known worldwide for his mastery of the English language as a poet and...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
William Shakespeare is known worldwide for his mastery of the English language as a poet and playwright, as well as an actor. Not the least of these contributions is the introduction of close to 1700 words we now use regularly. Among his common themes of love, loss, grief, and...
TheCollector
How Medieval Japan’s Fusion of Buddhism and Shinto Created Shinbutsu-Shugo The religious beliefs of any society both reflect and underpin the daily lives of people from all...
6 days ago
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6 days ago
The religious beliefs of any society both reflect and underpin the daily lives of people from all walks of life. When one culture assimilates another, there is often conflict between old and new beliefs. Japan has a long-established tradition of taking elements from other...
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...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
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
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...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
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 the Byzantines Crushed the Arab Sieges of 674 and 717 The roots of both the 674 and 717 Bosporus battles lay in the Umayyad Caliphate’s ambition to end...
a week ago
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a week ago
The roots of both the 674 and 717 Bosporus battles lay in the Umayyad Caliphate’s ambition to end Constantinople politically and religiously. In the 660s, the Umayyad Caliphate’s campaigns began to complete the initial Arab conquests. North Africa, Palestine, and Syria fell in...
TheCollector
How Did Emperor Constantine Shape the History of Christianity? Under Emperor Constantine’s rule and within a half-century afterward, Christianity experienced...
a week ago
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a week ago
Under Emperor Constantine’s rule and within a half-century afterward, Christianity experienced significant changes. It went from a persecuted religion to becoming the state religion of the Roman Empire. This change was largely attributable to Constantine, a fierce defender of the...
TheCollector
Who Were the Puritans? (History & Beliefs) Emerging in the context of Henry VIII’s English Reformation, the Puritans, a loosely knit community...
a week ago
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a week ago
Emerging in the context of Henry VIII’s English Reformation, the Puritans, a loosely knit community of English protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, believed that the Church of England preserved too many remnants of Roman Catholicism. They sought more radical reform – a...
TheCollector
Decoding Friedrich Nietzsche’s Two Most Famous Declarations Friedrich Nietzsche is a timeless icon in the history of philosophy whose works continue to inspire...
a week ago
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a week ago
Friedrich Nietzsche is a timeless icon in the history of philosophy whose works continue to inspire thousands of people worldwide. His oeuvre is not just prized for its philosophical genius, but for its bold and masterful poetic style. Out of everything Nietzsche composed, “God...
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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18 hours ago
“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...
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....
4 days ago
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4 days 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...
History Today Feed
The Victorians, Creation, and the Dinosaur Problem The Victorians, Creation, and the Dinosaur Problem JamesHoare Mon, 05/19/2025 - 09:00
a month 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....
6 months ago
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6 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...
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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
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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...
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6 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...
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121
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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...
Wrong Side of...
Rats! The Year of the Plague #2
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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...
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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...
African History...
A history of the Majeerteen Sultanate: 1700-1927. Maritime trade and diplomacy in the northern Horn of Africa.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Sacred Flames and Divine Philosophers
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
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...
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6 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
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...
a month ago
110
a month 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...
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...
6 months ago
109
6 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
106
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...
Classical Wisdom
How To Eat: An Ancient Guide to Healthy Living Registration *NOW* Open
5 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Coinage and the Tyranny of Fantasy ‘Gold’ This week on the blog I want to take a brief detour into discussing historical coinage, particularly...
6 months ago
105
6 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...
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?
5 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Homer Vs Hesiod Poets of War and Peace
2 months ago
African History...
A history of the Rozvi kingdom (1680-1830) From Changamire's expulsion of the Portuguese to the ruined cities of Zimbabwe.
over a year ago
Open Culture
Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter of Advice to People Living in the Year 2088 There was a time when a company like Volkswagen could commission various luminaries to write letters...
6 months ago
102
6 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...
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
101
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
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...
6 months ago
101
6 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
99
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...
TheCollector
8 Most Important Works of Socialist Realism Socialist Realism was the dominant cultural doctrine in the Soviet Union. Artists were expected to...
a month ago
97
a month 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...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Mothers of the Ancient World
a year ago
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
97
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...
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...
6 months ago
96
6 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...
Wrong Side of...
The Terrible Loneliness of Genius The Canon Club: Vincent van Gogh
5 months 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...
5 months ago
95
5 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...
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...
5 months ago
95
5 months ago
Hey, folks. As much as I hate doing it, I have to pull a ‘gap week’ this week, as the second part of the Gracchi series (on the younger brother, Gaius Gracchus) isn’t done yet and I have some academic travel that I need to prepare for which is going to demand most of my …...
Classical Wisdom
Can We Choose NOT to Be Harmed? How can we train Resilience?
over a year ago
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....
6 months ago
94
6 months ago
When Leonardo da Vinci was 42 years old, he hadn’t yet completed any major publicly viewable work. Not that he’d been idle: in that same era, while working for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, he “developed, organized, and directed productions for festival pageants, triumphal...
Open Culture
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
94
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...
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
94
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...
weird medieval guys
The Medieval Monks Who Lived on Top of Giant Pillars A history of the monastic high life
a year ago
Res Obscura
LLM-based educational games will be a big deal For the first time, digital games can make qualitative assessments of learning. Here's what that...
a year ago
weird medieval guys
Explore medieval life and death with these 5 brilliant interactive maps! Travels, murders, and......eels?!!
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: On the Gracchi, Part I: Tiberius Gracchus This week, we’re going to talk a bit about the brothers Tiberius (trib. 133) and Gaius (trib. 123-2)...
5 months ago
92
5 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,...
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
91
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...
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
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Denmark Are immigrants overrepresented in crime? If so, which immigrants? And why?
11 months ago
TheCollector
The Jacobin Movement: Revolutionaries and Radicals The late 18th century in France was a tumultuous time, marked by the rise of revolutionary...
a month ago
90
a month 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...
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
90
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...
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...
11 months ago
90
11 months ago
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, pornography was the preserve of the well to do. Smut was published in  shot-run books of a couple of hundred copies. These books were full of stories and poems, but the highlights were the explicit erotic illustrations drawn...
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...
6 months ago
89
6 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...
Trying to Understand...
Things Are Falling Apart ... And the centre's not looking too good, either.
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
89
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.
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,...
6 months ago
89
6 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...
War Is Complicated. And not just the fighting bit.
over a year ago
Open Culture
The Sinking of the Britannic: An Animated Introduction to the Titanic’s Forgotten Sister Ship We all know about the Titanic. Less often do we hear about the Britannic—the sister passenger liner...
7 months ago
88
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...
African History...
A history of the Buganda kingdom. government in central Africa.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Honesty: What's In It For Me? First, do lots of harm.
over a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
Finding Your Beard Style in the 19th Century In the previous post I noted the variety of facial hair styles that were worn by men in the...
over a year ago
87
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...
Classical Wisdom
The Mother Goddess of Rome And Her Controversial Religion
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
87
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...
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
87
a year ago
The history of childhood is one of multiplicity — so why do we tell parents such simplistic stories about it?
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
86
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...
Trying to Understand...
Into the Waste Land Nothing connects.
over a year ago
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
85
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 …...
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...
6 months ago
85
6 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...
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
5 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...
6 months ago
84
6 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.
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: 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
84
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...
African History...
A complete history of Zeila (Zayla): ca. 800-1885 CE. Journal of African cities: chapter 14
9 months 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...
11 months ago
84
11 months ago
At the close of the 18th century, the West African hosts of the Scottish traveler Mungo Park informed him of a range of mountains situated in "a large and powerful kingdom called Kong".
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
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...
6 months ago
84
6 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.
Res Obscura
Why did clothing become boring? An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like...
7 months ago
84
7 months ago
An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like when they didn't
Classical Wisdom
Are Protests the Best Way to Say Nay? Can Mobs Make the Change They Want to See?
a year ago
CrimethInc.
News from the Front: The Reflections of a Russian Anarchist in Rojava : On the Collapse of Assad,... The toppling of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was many years overdue. Yet the tragedies in...
6 months ago
84
6 months ago
The toppling of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was many years overdue. Yet the tragedies in Syria are not over. Israel has bombed hundreds of locations around the country and seized a considerable amount of land in the southwest, while Turkish proxy forces are threatening...
African History...
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
84
a year ago
"Stories about his [Mansa Musa's] journey have numerous anecdotes which are not true and which the mind refuses to admit".
A Collection of...
Collections: Ancient Greek and Phoenician Colonization Davis senatum consuluit a.d. III Idus Octobris apud aedem Patreontis; de colonis Graecis et Punicis...
a year ago
84
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...
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 brief note on Ethnicity and the State in Africa the evolution of the Tutsi/Hutu dichotomy in the precolonial Great Lakes.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
China And Russia Walk Into A Room. And don't say a word about Europe.
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
83
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.
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
83
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...
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
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
83
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...
African History...
a brief note on themes in African art. Cartography, Culture and History in the artwork of the Bamum kingdom.
11 months ago
weird medieval guys
Why did medieval people invent so many collective nouns? A pride of lions, a paddling of ducks, and....a herd of harlots?
over a year ago
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
82
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...
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...
6 months ago
82
6 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...
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
82
a year ago
Telephones popularized "hello," "lox" is 8,000 years old, and other reasons why the history of words matters
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
a month ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, July 12, 2024 Fireside this week! I had hoped to have the start of the Imperator Teaching Paradox series ready for...
a year ago
81
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
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...
6 months ago
81
6 months ago
On January 13, 1931, the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects held a ball at the Hotel Astor in New York City. According to an advertisement for the event, anyone who paid $15 per ticket (big money during the Depression) could see a “hilarious modern art exhibition” and things...
Global Inequality...
The end and the beginning of history Three ways of thinking about Lea Ypi’s Free
a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
Sweden's immigration taboo Immigration data kept behind closed doors
11 months ago
Dr Alun Withey
Should I Stay or Should I go?: Encouraging travel in the early modern period. Travel today is often portrayed as a healthy activity, good for body, mind…and what’s left of the...
a year ago
81
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...
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
81
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...
Trying to Understand...
Games Nations Play. But they forget the people and the Street.
a year ago
African History...
Life and works of Africa's most famous Woman scholar: Nana Asmau (1793-1864) On the contribution of Muslim women in African history.
a year ago
African History...
a brief note on the history of Music in Africa plus an overview of Ethiopian musical traditions
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
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
80
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...
Trying to Understand...
Teach Your Children .... Not to be afraid of moral relativism.
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
79
a year ago
Popular history of Africa before the colonial era often divides the continent’s military systems into two broad categories —the relatively modern armies along the Atlantic coast which used firearms, versus the 'traditional' armies in the interior that fought with arrows and...
Trying to Understand...
We Are All Civilisational States It's just that some people don't realise it.
over a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
News Just In: Dr W Joins TikTok – @dralun7 Yes, it’s true – I’ve finally joined the 21st century and decided to try something new. I am still...
7 months ago
79
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, …...
Classical Wisdom
Do We Need Dress Codes? Are standards elevating or elitist?
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
79
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...
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Sweden Worrying crime trends in the land of Pippi Longstocking
10 months ago
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
Trying to Understand...
The Threat of Back to Normal Global power has always been distributed.
over a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
The case for prisons The purpose of prisons, and the evidence of their efficacy
9 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Too Much of Not A Lot Winning the day and losing the war.
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
78
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...
Trying to Understand...
Let's Hear It For The "Underlying Causes." Here's the answer. What was the question again?
over a year ago
African History...
The complete history of Gondar: Africa's city of castles (1636-1900) Journal of African cities chapter 8
over 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
77
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...
Global Inequality...
The life of Maynard K. A review of Zach Carter’s “The Price of Peace”
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
One Way Or Another .... We're going to get you.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Understanding What's Happening in France. The kinetic phase may come next.
over a year ago
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
77
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
12 Ancient Greek Terms that Should Totally Make a Comeback Eudaimonia, Arete, and much more...
over a year ago
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
76
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...
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
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
76
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...
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
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...
6 months ago
76
6 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...
2x2 geopolitics Wars and ideology simplified
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Does FREE WILL Exist? And if not, what are the consequences?
7 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Who’s in the Tomb? A Macedonian Mystery: The Tombs of Aigai
a year ago
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...
11 months ago
76
11 months ago
You might not know the name Arnaldo Putzu (1927 – 2012) but chances are that if you grew up in the 1960s and 1970s you’ve seen his work on movie posters and magazine covers. Born in Rome, Putzu studied at the Rome Academy and discovered a love of portrait painting. After...
Trying to Understand...
Let's Be Enemies Since it seems to be the fashion these days.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Year's Midnight. Kindness can be a revolutionary act.
over 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...
6 months ago
76
6 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...
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...
6 months ago
76
6 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...
Patterns in Humanity
2024 in writing A brief recap of my 2024 posts
6 months ago
Classical Wisdom
The Tragedy of Ajax Greece's Second Greatest Soldier?
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Another Of My Essays In French And some odds and ends.
11 months ago
Global Inequality...
To be young, perchance to dream A review of Miloš Vojinović's “The political ideas of the Young Bosnia”
6 months ago
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...
6 months ago
75
6 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...
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
75
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...
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...
6 months ago
75
6 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...
Global Inequality...
Trump and the Rise of Asia My interview with "Atlantico"
7 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Raise a Tribal Army in Pre-Roman Europe, Part I: Aristocrats, Retainers and... For the next few posts, I want to take a look at how some ‘tribal’ peoples raised armies, in...
a year ago
75
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...
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
75
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...
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...
7 months ago
75
7 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...
Trying to Understand...
Their Enemies The Russians But what about the rest of us?
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Addenda: The Provinces This is the second and (in theory) last addendum to our series on Roman civic governance (I, II,...
a year ago
74
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...
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...
6 months ago
74
6 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...
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
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
74
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...
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
74
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...
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
74
a year ago
Generative AI offers a new, more engaging (and, hopefully, more empathetic) way of teaching history. But how to use it?
Trying to Understand...
Ukraine In NATO Would Be A Disaster ... But not necessarily for the reasons you think.
a year ago
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
74
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...
Patterns in Humanity
Global crime How do crime rates vary around the world? And how reliable is the data?
7 months ago
Patterns in Humanity
Age and infertility Facts and misconceptions about maternal age-related infertility
6 months ago
Open Culture
The Engineering of the Strandbeest: How the Magnificent Mechanical Creatures Have Technologically... Life evolves, but machines are invented: this dichotomy hardly conflicts with what most of us have...
7 months ago
74
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...
Classical Wisdom
Tolkien and the Classics Plato, Cicero... Bilbo?
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
Should We Own Stuff? The Wealth and Gold of Ancient Georgia
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
73
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...
Trying to Understand...
People, States and Borders. And other dubious ideas.
11 months ago
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
Dionysus The God of Wine!
9 months ago
Trying to Understand...
So They Want Negotiations, Now. Have they any idea what they are talking about?
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...
10 months ago
72
10 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...
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
72
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...
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...
6 months ago
72
6 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...
Trying to Understand...
They Say They Want Rearmament .... We-ell, you know ....
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, June 28, 2024 Fireside this week! My hope in terms of the upcoming schedule is to have my usual July 4th post next...
a year ago
72
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...
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
72
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...
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
Trying to Understand...
The Third World War Has Been Cancelled. It was all too difficult, finally.
a year ago
African History...
The complete history of Kano (999-1903) journal of African cities chapter 9
over a year ago
Global Inequality...
“To the Finland Station” Trump as a tool of history
6 months ago
Res Obscura
When technology follows art From optics to machine learning, artists have played an important, if underrated, role in the...
a year ago
72
a year ago
From optics to machine learning, artists have played an important, if underrated, role in the history of technology
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
72
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,...
African History...
A social history of the Lamu city-state (1370-1885) Journal of African cities chapter 5
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Little People With Agency. No, not that Agency.
9 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Plato On Knowledge What is True?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
The Two Trojan Wars Secret Origins
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plato Vs Aristotle
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
72
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...
Trying to Understand...
The Year of Failing To Understand. Not your usual end-of-year review.
6 months ago
African History...
The Dahlak islands and the African dynasty of Yemen a complete history of a cosmopolitan archipelago in the red sea (4th-19th century)
over a year ago
African History...
A complete history of Jenne: 250BC-1893AD Journal of African cities chapter 6
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
When Ukraine Is Over ... How will they turn out the lights?
5 months ago
Open Culture
How Keith Jarrett Played on a Broken Piano & Turned a Potentially Disastrous Concert Into the... Nearly fifty years ago, the celebrated young pianist Keith Jarrett arrived in the West German city...
6 months ago
71
6 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...
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
71
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...
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...
6 months ago
71
6 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,...
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
71
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...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Origins of Stoicism
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
If We Had More Than a Hammer ... We might not be in this mess.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Essential Classics Memorial Sales Ends
a year 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...
11 months ago
71
11 months ago
Among the first ancient Egyptian accounts on its southern neighbors is an old kingdom inscription that describes a trading expedition to an unspecified region called the land of Punt. Egyptologists had long debated about the location of this mysterious territory before recent...
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
71
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...
Trying to Understand...
Don't Give Peace Too Many Chances. Nothing is more dangerous than a flawed peace treaty.
over a year ago
Overcoming Bias
Feels Gone Wrong The films A Complete Unknown, on Bob Dylan, and In Restless Dreams, on Paul Simon, make vivid to me...
6 months ago
70
6 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.
Trying to Understand...
Everything is (Somewhat) Connected. But some things are more connected than others.
over a year ago
Res Obscura
Historical maps probably helped cause World War I On cartography as historical argument
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
70
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...
Classical Wisdom
Why Read Modern Books? Now Available: Night Drew Her Sable Cloak
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Peter Pan goes to Ukraine Some people never grow up.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Religion in the Olympics The Olympics: Do they Unite or Divide Us?
11 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Five Reasons Why Socrates Was A Terrible Husband Should you meet your heroes?
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Teaching Paradox, Imperator, Part I: Divisa in Partes Tres This is the first part of a three-part (if I can keep it) series, examining the historical...
11 months ago
70
11 months ago
This is the first part of a three-part (if I can keep it) series, examining the historical assumptions of Imperator: Rome, a historical grand strategy game by Paradox Interactive, set during the rise and collapse of the Roman Republic from 304-27 BC and covering the broader...
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 long history of African diplomacy. historical links between west africa and the Maghreb.
a year ago
Flashbak
Edmund Dulac’s American Weekly Covers – 1924-1951 Edmund Dulac is remembered today as one of the founding fathers of the Golden Age of Illustration,...
a year ago
70
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...
Classical Wisdom
Art of the Etruscans Romans before the Romans
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Can't Do, Won't Do! But striking poses is fun and easy.
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...
7 months ago
69
7 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...
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
69
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...
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...
5 months ago
69
5 months ago
For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly urban phenomenon associated with large states.
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
69
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...
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...
11 months ago
69
11 months ago
This is the first half of the second part of our three part look at Paradox Interactive’s Hellenistic-era grand strategy game Imperator: Rome. I had hoped to do this part in a single post, but my book writing schedule intervened and so it became necessary to split it up. Last...
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...
7 months ago
69
7 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...
Flashbak
Harold Lloyd’s Amazing Christmas Tree For American actor Harold Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) Christmas was the time to...
6 months ago
69
6 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...
Classical Wisdom
Why Did Rome Fall? & Which Lesson Should We Take Away?
over a year ago
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
Trying to Understand...
Round Two? There Is No Round Two. Game pretty much over in Ukraine.
over a year ago
African History...
a brief note on Africa in 16th century global history. the international relations and manuscripts of Kongo
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Evils Of Professionalism In politics, anyway.
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,...
10 months ago
69
10 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.
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
69
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...
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:...
9 months ago
68
9 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...
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
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
68
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
Trying to Understand...
How About a Victory for the Left Occasionally? Here are a few modest ideas.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
The Mysterious Phaistos Disk And the Palace where it was found...
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....
7 months ago
68
7 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...
Macron is Safe for the Moment But the future worries me.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Will it Bend or Will it Break? The international system, that is.
over a year ago
Overcoming Bias
What Would Socrates Do? Christians often ask themselves, as a guide to living, “What would Jesus do?” In her new book Open...
5 months ago
68
5 months ago
Christians often ask themselves, as a guide to living, “What would Jesus do?” In her new book Open Socrates, my podcast-cohost Agnes Callard suggests we instead ask “What would Socrates do?”
Trying to Understand...
The Sense Of An Ending. But right back where we started from.
11 months ago
Global Inequality...
Devant la guerre On E. H. Carr's "The twenty years' crisis 1919-39"
7 months 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
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
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
Trying to Understand...
A Fistful of Clockwork Oranges What's it going to be, then?
over 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
67
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...
Trying to Understand...
Books To Help Us Understand The World? Well, a few, anyway. And a bit.
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
67
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...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Best of the Best
over a year ago
African History...
The Meroitic script and the documents of ancient Kush (ca. 300BC-450CE) The Meroitic writing system of the kingdom of Kush is one of the best-known, yet most enigmatic...
6 months ago
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
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
67
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...
Trying to Understand...
Reality Would Like A Word. Paging Tom and Daisy Buchanan
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Emotions: Better Out or In? Can Catharsis Help... or Harm?
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
And Now for Something Completely Different. Am I me? Are You you? ?
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Socrates' Wayward Student ...and the Philosophy of Pleasure
over 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
Weekend Roundup Plutarch and Pleasure
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...
6 months ago
66
6 months ago
The Smithsonian sets the scene for this Christmas card sent in 1933, a few years into the Great Depression. They write: Despite the glum economic situation, the Pinero family used a brown paper bag to fashion an inexpensive holiday greeting card. They penned a clever rhyme and...
Trying to Understand...
It's War, Josep, But Not As We Know It Trying to understand what Ukraine is all about.
over a year 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...
10 months ago
66
10 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
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...
5 months ago
66
5 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...
Classical Wisdom
Empedocles The Philosopher God?
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
You And Whose Army? NATO would do well to stay out of Ukraine.
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
NATO's Phantom Armies. And the ghost of Carl von Clausewitz.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Healthy Skepticism for Better Debates Philosophical Tools for the Holidays
7 months ago
African History...
A history of the Massina empire (1818-1862) the sucessor of Songhai
over a year ago
Wrong Side of...
Will the last young professional to leave Britain turn off the lights? 'Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself’
6 months ago
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
66
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,...
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...
6 months ago
66
6 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...
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
66
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...
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
66
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...
Classical Wisdom
Do We Need Passports? Or Borders? Watch now (23 sec) | Crossing with Radiohead
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Modern World Is Boring. Where are the heroes and the adventures now?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Sparta and… Scotland? Laconic wit through the centuries
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
66
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...
Classical Wisdom
Artemisia of Caria Commander, Queen, and Eva Green
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Story of Thebes
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Constantine and the Queen of Carthage
over a year ago
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,...
5 months ago
65
5 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...
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
65
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...
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
65
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...
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
65
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...
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...
6 months ago
65
6 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...
Res Obscura
Why Early Modern Books Are So Beautiful Three theories
a year ago
A Collection of...
Continues the Hiatus, 2024 Friends, Readers, Countrymen, lend me your eyes! As sadly expected, the hiatus is going to continue...
9 months ago
65
9 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...
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...
6 months ago
65
6 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...
African History...
A complete history of Dogon country: Bandiagara from 1900BC to 1900AD demystifying an ancient African society
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Machine Stops. And fiddling won't fix it.
10 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Blindspots and Biographies
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Past Is Another Country. A book review from the future.
12 months ago
Hidden History
Antarctic Snow Cruiser In 1939, the United States began work on a colossal motor vehicle to be used for exploration and...
6 months ago
64
6 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...
Classical Wisdom
Events Listing Ancient Women, Marcus Aurelius, Economics and Resilience...
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
Classical Wisdom
Dido: Queen of Carthage Doomed Lover of Ancient Myth
over a year ago
Trying to Understand...
A Short Service Announcement. From this week, and on an experimental basis, I’m enabling paid subscriptions for those who may be...
a year ago
63
a year ago
From this week, and on an experimental basis, I’m enabling paid subscriptions for those who may be interested. The essays themselves will continue to be entirely free, and I don’t have plans to produce subscriber-only material. I’ve also set up a Buy Me a Coffee cup.
Wrong Side of...
The Indian-American century On the Anglo-Indo-sphere
6 months ago
Flashbak
Far Out Images from Johann Zahn’s Oculus Artificialis (1685) “A complete treatment of the construction and use of lensed optical instruments. Presented in three...
6 months ago
62
6 months ago
“A complete treatment of the construction and use of lensed optical instruments. Presented in three fundamentals, that is, bases: the physical, the mathematical, and the practical or mechanical” – Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus sive Telescopium     The German student of light...