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History Today Feed
Hunting Heretics: Inside the Medieval Inquisition Hunting Heretics: Inside the Medieval Inquisition JamesHoare Tue, 07/22/2025 - 09:13
22 hours ago
Classical Wisdom
Democracy and Tyranny Plato's Academy Event: This Weekend
20 hours ago
TheCollector
Why Did the Romans Conquer the World? Here’s Polybius’ Explanation The growth of the Roman Republic forever changed the ancient world. For those who lived through it,...
12 hours ago
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12 hours ago
The growth of the Roman Republic forever changed the ancient world. For those who lived through it, the swift rise of Rome from obscurity to superpower must have been stunning. Polybius, a leading politician in a Greek state that had been Rome’s ally and then enemy, experienced...
Flashbak
Phenomena of Materialisation : Investigating The Naked Psychic Eva Carrière “Miss Eva prepared the heads before every séance, and endeavoured to make them unrecognizable. A...
20 hours ago
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20 hours ago
“Miss Eva prepared the heads before every séance, and endeavoured to make them unrecognizable. A clean-shaven face was decorated with a beard. Grey hairs became black curls, a broad forehead was made into a narrow one. But, in spite of all her endeavours, she could not obliterate...
TheCollector
No One Knows How Cleopatra Really Died But These Are the Most Compelling Theories Cleopatra VII, the last active pharaoh of Egypt, died in August 30 BCE after her kingdom was invaded...
20 hours ago
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20 hours ago
Cleopatra VII, the last active pharaoh of Egypt, died in August 30 BCE after her kingdom was invaded and conquered by Rome’s first emperor, Octavian. Political ambition, strategic alliances, and legendary relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony marked her life. But her...
Classical Wisdom
What is Freedom? Lessons from Epictetus, the Stoic-Slave
2 days ago
TheCollector
Calypso, the Nymph Who Held Odysseus Captive Calypso was a beautiful nymph who lived alone on the isolated island of Ogygia. Her solitude changed...
2 days ago
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Calypso was a beautiful nymph who lived alone on the isolated island of Ogygia. Her solitude changed when the shipwrecked hero Odysseus washed ashore. Calypso fell in love with him and offered him immortality and an idyllic paradise in exchange for staying with her and marrying...
History Today Feed
‘Make the Foreigner Pay’: When Britain Tried Tariffs ‘Make the Foreigner Pay’: When Britain Tried Tariffs JamesHoare Mon, 07/21/2025 - 09:23
2 days ago
TheCollector
Discover the Irish Ogham, the Medieval “Tree Alphabet” Ogham, sometimes referred to as Ogam, was the earliest form of Irish writing. Otherwise known as the...
2 days ago
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2 days ago
Ogham, sometimes referred to as Ogam, was the earliest form of Irish writing. Otherwise known as the “tree alphabet” because of its distinctive branch shapes, connections have often been drawn between the Ogham alphabet and the ancient Druids, an Iron Age class of Celtic...
Dreams of Space -...
My Weekly Reader March 12, 1962 Happy Moon Day! This is the last of this batch of My Weekly Readers. I hope you haven't gotten too...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
Happy Moon Day! This is the last of this batch of My Weekly Readers. I hope you haven't gotten too tired of this summer break. In this issue we celebrate the USA in Space. This March 12th issue celebrates John Glenn's success and looking forward to the next set of missions...
TheCollector
What Is the Celtic Revival? (History, Art, and Impact) The Celtic Revival, which began in 19th-century Ireland, was a resurgence of popular interest in a...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
The Celtic Revival, which began in 19th-century Ireland, was a resurgence of popular interest in a variety of Celtic and medieval Irish traditions, including art, language, and mythology. The movement held great significance for Irish art history and archaeology, as well as for...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Poison and Politics
3 days ago
TheCollector
How the Rivalry of Charles V, Francis I, and Henry VIII Shaped Europe In an age when the exercise of power was largely personal rather than corporate, the machinations of...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
In an age when the exercise of power was largely personal rather than corporate, the machinations of and rivalry between three great monarchs (Charles V, Henry VIII, Francis I) could and did have an enormous impact on the events of the time. Nearly every war, alliance, scandal,...
Flashbak
The Life and Extraordinary History of the Chevalier John Taylor: The Eye Surgeon Who Robbed You... “The Eye, that most amazing, that stupendous, that comprehending, that incomprehensible, that...
3 days ago
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3 days ago
“The Eye, that most amazing, that stupendous, that comprehending, that incomprehensible, that miraculous Organ, the Eye, is the Proteus of the Passions, the Herald of the Mind, The Interpreter of the Heart, and the Window of the Soul. The Eye has Dominion over all Things. The...
TheCollector
The Draugr (Norse Undead) Who Haunted the Viking World The Vikings believed in life after death, but also that people could get caught between life and...
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The Vikings believed in life after death, but also that people could get caught between life and death. Returning as a revenant usually happened to evil people who clung to life for their own vile purposes. These zombie-like creatures were called, among other things, “draugr,”...
A Collection of...
Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part II: Starting at the End This is the second part of our series (I) discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage,...
5 days ago
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5 days ago
This is the second part of our series (I) discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor, subsistence, death – of pre-modern peasants and their families. As we’ve discussed, pre-modern peasant farmers make up the vast majority of human beings in in the past. Last...
TheCollector
When Was Homer’s Iliad Written? Unraveling the Controversy Homer’s Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. Traditionally, that war has been dated to the late...
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Homer’s Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War. Traditionally, that war has been dated to the late Bronze Age, approximately c. 1200 BCE. However, the Iliad itself was not written that early in history. There is wide agreement that Homer—or whoever the true author of the Iliad...
Classical Wisdom
The World's First Female Serial Killer? Ancient Roman True Crime
5 days ago
TheCollector
Was “Bad” King John Really That Bad? Among the kings of England there have been eight Henrys, eight Edwards, and six Georges but there...
5 days ago
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Among the kings of England there have been eight Henrys, eight Edwards, and six Georges but there has only ever been one John. His successors did not want to be associated with the stain the name had in the minds of the English people. Considering what the monk Matthew Paris...
Flashbak
Photographing The Black Panthers: All Power To The People (1967 – 1973) “I wanted to show the whole picture of the Black Panther Party. Most of the media focused on the...
5 days ago
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“I wanted to show the whole picture of the Black Panther Party. Most of the media focused on the rallies and looked for controversy. I wanted to show what it was like behind the scenes and portray a more complete, complicated portrait of the Panthers.” – Stephen Shames...
TheCollector
How Gustave Moreau’s Mystical Paintings Defined the Symbolist Movement The late 19th century was a time of political and social upheaval in France. In response to the...
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The late 19th century was a time of political and social upheaval in France. In response to the changing cultural landscape, a small group of writers and artists struck out in defiance of the literal, natural art popular at the time. They turned their focus inward, using their...
Classical Wisdom
The Mad Genius Who Gave Us the Elements Empedocles: The Eccentric Philosopher
6 days ago
TheCollector
How Dark Age Britain Created Welsh Mythology Many mythologies from around the world are based in a historical setting. For example, in the case...
6 days ago
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Many mythologies from around the world are based in a historical setting. For example, in the case of ancient Greek mythology, many scholars agree that much of it originates in some sense from Bronze Age Greece. What about Welsh mythology? Over the 20th century, many scholars...
Flashbak
London’s World West: Harlesden in 1997 Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden...
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Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden was in the London borough of Brent, as it remains today. It’s when Peter Marshall was walking around the place taking pictures. Bordered by the north-west London -dens of Neasden...
TheCollector
What Did an Ottoman Sultan Eat In a Day? In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman palace kitchens were places where delicious and...
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In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman palace kitchens were places where delicious and innovative foods emerged. A sultan’s personal tastes, whether leaning towards savory or sweet, influenced the culinary culture of the court. Some of the sultan’s favorite foods, like...
Trying to Understand...
A Little Intelligence ... ... about Intelligence.
a week ago
TheCollector
The Unique History of Wales (From the Stone Age) Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England,...
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Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England, something that angers most Welsh people due to the turbulent history between the two countries. Wales has a long and fascinating history, all of its own, characterized by consistent...
Classical Wisdom
How to Have Willpower Ancient Meditations and Modern Psychology on Self-Control
a week ago
TheCollector
What Were the Founding Principles of Monophysitism? Monophysitism is a belief that Jesus Christ had only one divine nature, rather than a nature that...
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Monophysitism is a belief that Jesus Christ had only one divine nature, rather than a nature that was both fully divine and fully human within one person. The Monophysite theology took various forms with various people over the early centuries of Christianity.   The Emergence of...
History Today Feed
How Hertha Ayrton Made Waves How Hertha Ayrton Made Waves JamesHoare Wed, 07/16/2025 - 09:05
a week ago
TheCollector
Hygiene and Bathing in the Middle Ages The Middle Ages has a reputation for being a time when the average person lived in filth and...
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The Middle Ages has a reputation for being a time when the average person lived in filth and squalor, bathing was unheard of, and personal hygiene was a foreign concept. But is this true? There is no simple answer to this question since the Middle Ages lasted almost a thousand...
Flashbak
Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia: Dragons And Other Real Monsters “I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi,...
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“I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi, who shows us dragons and other monsters in his Monstrorum Historia     Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia is a huge 13-volume encyclopaedia of life on Earth. The books cover...
TheCollector
Get to Know Venerable Bede, the Father of English History Bede is remembered today chiefly as a historian. Yet he was a dynamic intellectual giant in the...
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Bede is remembered today chiefly as a historian. Yet he was a dynamic intellectual giant in the Early Middle Ages and his most famous historical work is far more than a dry recounting of events. Let us explore Bede, his History, and the influence that it has had.   Northumbria in...
History Today Feed
On the Spot: Kathleen DuVal On the Spot: Kathleen DuVal JamesHoare Tue, 07/15/2025 - 08:09
a week ago
TheCollector
What Did the Emancipation Proclamation Do? Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for...
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Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate territories. Although its immediate impact was limited by enforcement challenges, its symbolic power redefined the nation’s purpose and the very...
Classical Wisdom
A Tale of Zeus as a Goose The Totally Unhinged Story Behind the Stars
a week ago
TheCollector
What Was the Significance of Philippi and Colossae in Biblical History? The Apostle Paul traveled throughout much of the Roman Empire in the first century spreading...
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The Apostle Paul traveled throughout much of the Roman Empire in the first century spreading Christianity and preaching to people and churches. Two of the cities he visited were Philippi in Greece and Colossae in Asia Minor (now Turkey).   Philippi Before Paul Arrived   Philippi...
History Today Feed
‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth North review ‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth North review JamesHoare Mon, 07/14/2025 - 08:42
a week ago
Flashbak
An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland by Bernard Sleigh, 1920 “I believe in Faeries. It is very natural and not a bit foolish; for in these days we are quickly...
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“I believe in Faeries. It is very natural and not a bit foolish; for in these days we are quickly learning how little we know of any other world than our own.” – Bernard Sleigh, An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland Bernard Sleigh   After doctors drilled a hole in his skull to alleviate...
TheCollector
How Solomon’s Wisdom Shaped a Kingdom Solomon is synonymous with the honor, prosperity, and riches of Israel. These material things were...
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Solomon is synonymous with the honor, prosperity, and riches of Israel. These material things were never his goal but were the result of his desire to serve God as a trustworthy steward of his people. Solomon’s wish was to have the insight to distinguish between good and evil and...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Destiny and... Death Rays?
a week ago
TheCollector
The Passionate (& Controversial) Relationship of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera In 1929, 22-year-old Mexican painter Frida Kahlo married muralist Diego Rivera, who was two decades...
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In 1929, 22-year-old Mexican painter Frida Kahlo married muralist Diego Rivera, who was two decades her senior. More than lovers, their mutual influence was most prominent in their respective artistic creations. Their admiration for each other’s talent, as well as a shared belief...
Flashbak
Stephen Salmieri: First Photos of Coney Island, 1967 – 1972 “I used to be a fireball of energy – if I had two or three days a week to spare where I wasn’t on an...
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“I used to be a fireball of energy – if I had two or three days a week to spare where I wasn’t on an assignment I was out with my camera in the city. I covered this city like an archeologist.” – Stephen Salmieri, Coney Island Trips, 1967 – 1972     Between 1967 … Continue reading...
TheCollector
What Is Structuralism? (Definition & Facts) Structuralists say structures can be uncovered anywhere—from human behavior to star clusters and...
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Structuralists say structures can be uncovered anywhere—from human behavior to star clusters and snowflakes to mathematics. In fact, structuralism offers a kind of mathematization of the entirety of nature, even systems that were once considered too complicated to model, such as...
Flashbak
The Fireworks King: Brock’s Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making, 1922 “My object has not been to write a text-book on firework-making, but rather to trace the art from...
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“My object has not been to write a text-book on firework-making, but rather to trace the art from earliest times, and to give a description of the development and process of manufacture… My excuse for adding another volume to the literature of the art is that I am of the eighth...
TheCollector
How the Roman Aeminium Became Coimbra, One of Portugal’s Oldest Cities Present-day Coimbra hides an extraordinary past. Here, you can find the most well-preserved...
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Present-day Coimbra hides an extraordinary past. Here, you can find the most well-preserved cryptoporticus from the Roman Empire and the richest Baroque library in Europe. At Coimbra, you will also discover remnants of the Moorish occupation.   Coimbra also played a vital role in...
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,...
a week ago
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a week ago
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 Are the 5 Biggest Islands in the World? Less than 30 percent of the world’s surface is covered in land, yet this is still a massive amount...
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Less than 30 percent of the world’s surface is covered in land, yet this is still a massive amount of space that humans have sought to explore and exploit. Included in all this land are around 200,000 islands.   From the icy Arctic to the tropics, here are the five biggest...
Classical Wisdom
Fate and Free Will The Stoic Perspective
a week ago
TheCollector
The Real Story of Henry V, England’s Warrior King Few monarchs have captured the imagination of a nation as much as King Henry V (r. 1413-22). The...
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Few monarchs have captured the imagination of a nation as much as King Henry V (r. 1413-22). The inspiration behind hundreds of books, plays, and movies, the nine-year reign of this English monarch is deemed as one of the most successful not just of any English king, but of any...
Flashbak
1960s London Through A Russian Horizont Panoramic Camera We’ve been to East London in the 1960s with Tony Hall before, heading down the pub and to the shops....
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We’ve been to East London in the 1960s with Tony Hall before, heading down the pub and to the shops. Now we get to see the streets in panoramic pictures taken by his Horizont (Горизонт) camera. Made between 1967 and 1973 by Russia’s Krasnogorsky Mekhanichesky Zavod (KMZ), the...
TheCollector
Medieval Battles Marked by Stunning Underdog Victories Medieval battles were brutal, blood-soaked grind. Clever tactics and strong leadership often...
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Medieval battles were brutal, blood-soaked grind. Clever tactics and strong leadership often mattered, yet true upsets happened only when the weaker side found an edge. Whether better weapons, better tactics, knowledge of the terrain, or an unbreakable esprit de corps. The...
History Today Feed
God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature JamesHoare Thu, 07/10/2025 - 09:08
a week ago
TheCollector
Can the Real King Arthur Be Identified as Athrwys of Gwent? The search for the real King Arthur has occupied historians for centuries. Often, arguments center...
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The search for the real King Arthur has occupied historians for centuries. Often, arguments center on the idea that a real historical person was the inspiration for the legendary king. Once candidate proposed by scholars is Athrwys of Gwent, the son of King Meurig. Since the late...
Classical Wisdom
Archimedes The Super Villain The Death Ray Of Syracuse
a week ago
TheCollector
How the Plantation of Ulster Transformed Irish Society The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious...
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The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious province into a stronghold for the British Crown in Ireland. The process of how Ulster became Protestant saw the native Gaelic Irish population being evicted in favor of English and...
Flashbak
Jürgen Schadeberg: Happy Hour Flashbak: What makes a good photograph? Jürgen Schadeberg: Content, composition and training.     In...
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Flashbak: What makes a good photograph? Jürgen Schadeberg: Content, composition and training.     In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Jürgen Schadeberg (18 March 1931 – 29 August 2020) was often in pubs and bars in Glasgow, London, Cambridge, Berlin, Hamburg, Johannesburg, New York,...
TheCollector
Which Is the “Better” Sword? Katana vs Longsword Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the...
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Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the knightly longsword and the Japanese katana, which is the better sword? Both two-handed swords were used by a warrior-noble class as their sidearm, both depicted at various times as the...
Trying to Understand...
The Long And The Short Of It. Or, in defence of nuance.
a week ago
TheCollector
What Is the Venice Biennale? History, Highlights, and Global Art Impact Every other year, Venice transforms its winding network of canals into a citywide art gallery. The...
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Every other year, Venice transforms its winding network of canals into a citywide art gallery. The Venice Biennale is often referred to as “the Olympics of the art world.” It is an international art festival that includes a curated main show, dozens of national pavilions, and...
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
a week ago
TheCollector
The Unknown Artworks of Kahlil Gibran Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) is one of the most widely read and translated writers of the 20th century....
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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...
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)...
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
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Battle of Lugdunum Was the Largest Battle in Roman History On New Year’s Eve 192 CE, the Roman Empire’s Golden Age, almost a century of political tranquility,...
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On New Year’s Eve 192 CE, the Roman Empire’s Golden Age, almost a century of political tranquility, came to an abrupt and violent end. A protracted period of civil war followed as various men sought to fill the void left by the imperial dynasty that died with Commodus. This...
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Machines, Myths and Robots... Classical Wisdom Litterae Magazine & Special Interview with Adrienne Mayor
2 weeks ago
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...
Classical Wisdom
Technological ‘Miracles’ Of Ancient Greece Which Marvel Matters Most?
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
What Was the Temple in Ancient Judaism? (Purpose & Significance) The Temple in Jerusalem was the structure that replaced the Tabernacle the Israelites traveled...
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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...
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,...
2 weeks ago
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...
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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...
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...
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...
Flashbak
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
What Are the Main Female Archetypes In Myth and Culture? In Jungian psychology, female archetypes are primordial patterns of femininity in the collective...
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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...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Ancient Volcanoes, the Founding Fathers and more...
2 weeks ago
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...
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.
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."
2 weeks ago
Global Inequality...
Nomonhan, 1939 A four-month long war between Great Powers of which you have never heard
2 weeks ago
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...
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...
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...
Classical Wisdom
The Founding Fathers and the Classics How the Ancients influenced America
2 weeks ago
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...
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...
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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2 weeks ago
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...
History Today Feed
Swahili on the Road Swahili on the Road JamesHoare Thu, 07/03/2025 - 08:00
2 weeks ago
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...
2 weeks ago
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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...
Trying to Understand...
An Apology And A Few Suggestions. More next week.
2 weeks ago
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
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....
Patterns in Humanity
The rise of life expectancy Illustrated and explained
2 weeks 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...
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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...
Classical Wisdom
On the Making of the Modern State Classical Wisdom Litterae: Government
2 weeks ago
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...
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Statism Classical Wisdom Litterae: Government
2 weeks ago
History Today Feed
The Death of the Great Barnato The Death of the Great Barnato JamesHoare Wed, 07/02/2025 - 08:00
2 weeks ago
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...
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 …...
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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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,...
History Today Feed
Plato’s Last Word to Dionysius Plato’s Last Word to Dionysius JamesHoare Tue, 07/01/2025 - 08:00
3 weeks ago
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...
3 weeks ago
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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...
Classical Wisdom
Volcanoes in the Ancient World Cataclysm and Change
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Raphael Rooms in Vatican City Revealed Entering the Raphael Rooms is like stepping through a portal to the heart of the Italian...
3 weeks ago
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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...
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...
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...
History Today Feed
‘The Big Hop’ by David Rooney review ‘The Big Hop’ by David Rooney review JamesHoare Mon, 06/30/2025 - 08:00
3 weeks ago
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...
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Up to the Stars, and In to Our Souls
3 weeks ago
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...
3 weeks ago
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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,...
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...
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...
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...
3 weeks ago
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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!
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...
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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3 weeks ago
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...
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...
Classical Wisdom
Freud and the Greeks The Classical Roots of Western Psychology
3 weeks ago
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...
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...
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
Discover the Land of the Moche in Northern Peru Most people traveling through Peru head south, enticed by big-ticket highlights like Machu Picchu,...
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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...
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...
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...
History Today Feed
England’s Prison Population Problems England’s Prison Population Problems JamesHoare Thu, 06/26/2025 - 08:58
3 weeks ago
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...
Classical Wisdom
On The Shortness of Life Seneca’s Advice for Dealing with Death
3 weeks ago
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...
Trying to Understand...
Digging Deeper. Because the alternative is worse.
3 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...
History Today Feed
Artificial Inspiration Artificial Inspiration JamesHoare Wed, 06/25/2025 - 08:26
3 weeks ago
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...
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...
4 weeks ago
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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...
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...
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
4 weeks ago
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...
Classical Wisdom
Oh Muses, You Sound So Heavenly! The Myth Behind the Music and the Stars...
4 weeks ago
History Today Feed
Marcus Garvey Meets the KKK Marcus Garvey Meets the KKK JamesHoare Mon, 06/23/2025 - 08:06
4 weeks ago