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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 frescoes exemplify the artistic achievement and aesthetic […]
2 days ago

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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 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 they gained from those ties, the Minoans […]

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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 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 afterlife. If it was heavier than the feather, […]

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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 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 in the 12th century. The Jurchen Jin […]

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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, 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, according to the biblical narrative, Moses shattered the tablets upon […]

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Who Were King Arthur’s Legendary Wives?

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 tradition tends to preserve the […]

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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 afterlife. If it was heavier than the feather, […]

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6 hours ago 1 votes
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