Since it’s Christmastime, I’m taking up related topics for my theme this week. The being featured here is of course not Saint Nick, but the Greco-Roman God Asclepius — whose birth, life, and death stories were extremely popular during Jesus’ lifetime. Turns out, the two deities had a lot in common.The story of the Virgin
Similarities of Greco-Roman God God Asclepius and Jesus Read More »
Tonight on December 21 we have a conflation of two celestial events: the winter solstice and the much-rarer conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Although the fact that these events are both happening at the same time is super awesome, they are not causally related. Hundreds of years ago in the fourth century during
Relationship of Sol Invictus and the Christian Birth of Jesus Read More »
“What’s myrrh, anyway?,” declares the mother of Brian in the classic Monty Python sketch (see second image). Turns out, gold, frankincense and myrrh had a lot of meanings that modern readers might not recognize.The story of the “wise” men that visit the babe Jesus only appears in the Gospel of Matthew. The author does not
The Magi (Wise Men) of Christmas Tradition Read More »
My topic for the turn of the year is the history of naming ceremonies. Such traditions have been important parts of human culture at least as long as recorded history, and this makes sense: naming children marks them as part of their communities, and much about a society can be understood from how folks went
Aztec Goddess Cihuacoatl and Naming Ceremonies Read More »
No surprise, much more documentation survives regarding naming ceremonies for the wealthy versus regular people in Ancient and Medieval societies. This is certainly the case with Japanese history. Isn’t it fantastic, though, that amidst the paucity of evidence — I mean, we know *so* little about Japanese childbirth and naming practices — we at least
Japan’s “Scroll of the Hungry Ghosts” Read More »
I hope yunz’ all can appreciate baby-killing demon-goddesses as much as I do. They appear in so many cultures, and explain so much about women’s fears (like being the worst sort of woman — a) one who murdered children and b) hadn’t been able to manage her love affairs with a man in socially-acceptable ways.).
Protection from Lilith in Traditional Jewish History Read More »
It is easy to dramatize the callousness of Ancient Roman fathers who controlled whether their infants were to be killed through exposure. As the tenderness of the gaze from adult to child carved on this marble statue shows, Roman fathers certainly could have loving affection for their children.The purification rituals surrounding Ancient Roman births were
Ancient Roman “Lustratio” Birthing Ceremonies Read More »
This week’s posts focus on the genesis of languages. Although languages develop over time, and are almost always (*thanks,* Esperanta) spoken before being written down, sometimes it is possible to identify singular moments in linguistic history when enormous change happens.Take the case of Korean, for instance. Historians are still in debate about whether it emerged
Genesis of the Korean Language Read More »
The story of the Tower of Babel from the Hebrew Bible’s _Genesis_ is a famous myth that explains the origin of the world’s multiplicity of languages. Surprise surprise, there are a whole lot of interpretations about the meanings of this story. But the human fascination about why there are so many languages cuts across many
Multiplicity of Languages From the Tower of Babel Read More »
If you haven’t seen the photos of the recently excavated “fast-food” counter from the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii, buried wholesale from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, here’s your chance.Located in what archaeologists call the “Regio V” section of the city, this is the first completely intact “thermapolium” or “hot snacks”
Excavation of the “Fast Food Counter” in Pompeii Read More »
You are looking at a detail of contemporary artist Peter Booth’s painting, “Apocolyptic Landscape” (1983) — the shapes are jagged and random; the red, black, and brown coloring evokes filth; and the black and white streaks appear flattened next to some penetrating rondels in red and yellow. It is a fitting accompaniment to discuss another
The Apocalypses by Apostle Peter and Peter Booth Read More »
Harry Potter fans might recognize this plant from a seveth-century Italian herbal: it is a mandrake, or in Latin, “mandragora.” So named because Ancient and Medieval Europeans thought the way that its root resembles a man (or a woman, see illustration three) was just so extra, the mandrake gained a reputation for producing effects far
The Mandrake Root in European History Read More »
Osteotome, anyone? You are looking at a reproduction of medical tools used in Ancient Roman surgery during the first century to cut into human bones. Many Ancient Roman medical instruments were made out of copper or copper alloys like brass (copper and zinc) or bronze (copper and tin). Educated physicians in Ancient Rome believed that
Ancient Roman Copper Medical Tools Read More »
Just how important is a single book? In the case of the one featured here, _De materia medica_, the answer is 1500 years: that’s how long this text dominated the genre of applied medical textbooks. The most important description of plants and their uses for over a millennia and a half, it wasn’t rediscovered in
Medicinally Used Plants in “De Materia Medica” Read More »
Today begins the Chinese New Year for 2021, when many rituals and celebrations welcome in the future in hopes that it will bring happiness, health, and prosperity. One of the traditions is shown in the image here: the drinking of a sort of wine called “Tusu.” Of course, it was specially important for the Emperor
Chinese New Year and Drinking “Tusu” Read More »
These pottery remains might not look like much to the untrained eye, but they are in fact recently discovered elements from what may be the world’s oldest beer factory.Located in the ancient Egyptian burial ground of Abydos, the collection of enormous units of pottery basins that heated the mixture of water and grains to make
Ancient Egypt’s Oldest Beer Factories Read More »
Here is Terry Jones of Monty Python fame in one of the very best comedic moments in film IMHO — he’s performing as a desert hermit whose vows of silence and harsh lifestyle are broken after the man called Brian accidentally leads a crowd of people to the shallow pit he had been dwelling in
Monty Python and Symeon the Stylite Read More »
This February 27, 2021, the discovery of the first Ancient Roman ceremonial chariot found in Italy was announced. Even though ruins from the city of Pompeii were found way back in 1748 (after the volcanic eruption had buried it in 79 CE), archaeologists are still unearthing amazing treasures around the area. This chariot survived with
Finding the First Ancient Roman Ceremonial Chariot Read More »
In the Eastern Roman Empire of Byzantium, disputes over proper religious beliefs polarized the state for centuries, giving fodder to the fourth-century pagan chronicler Ammianus Marcellinus’ claim that “no wild beasts are as ferocious as Christians are to each other”.To us the disputes seem ridiculous: should holy images/icons be allowed? Does Jesus have one or
Byzantine Empire Battles Over Religious Beliefs Read More »
You are looking at a coin of Julian “the Apostate,” the last pagan emperor of Rome (r. 361-363). It’s easy to gloss over the features because so many appear similar to others of the ancient world, but indulge me a moment. The side profile of Julian shows him with a beard. The flip side of
Ancient Roman Pagan Coin of Emperor Julian Read More »
