“Ah, history!” declares author and YouTuber John Green, “always resisting simplicity!” And you can definitely see these sentiments realized in this brass-and-silver-inlay Islamic wine jug. Inscribed on it are the words “To Allah belongs . . . Might. . . Victory . . . Strength”. But we all know that drinking alcohol is forbidden in […]
Intoxication in Medieval Islam Read More »
The 13th-century Morgan Bible has some of the best Medieval illustrations for trebuchets, the missile-launchers that shot artillery using a beam that would cast stones or other things (such as human heads during the First Crusade at Nicaea) from an attached sling. There were two sorts of trebuchets — the ones that used hand-pulling to
The Morgan Bible Trebuchets Read More »
Fans of Indiana Jones may remember the film about the Holy Grail, and the part where Indy needs to figure out which of the many ancient cups in front of him was the one Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. Of course, the answer was a drab and utterly innocuous vessel — to match
Nanteos Cup: Contender for the Holy Grail Read More »
The Persian Empires that preceded the Arab invasions of the seventh century developed amazing methods of shaping silver. Usually mixed with an alloy of copper to strengthen the piece, Persian metalsmiths used multiple ways of engraving, stamping, and layering silver. The craftsmanship produced silver objects of all sorts,l. Of course, only elites or royalty could
This baddie not only flourished in 14th and 15th century Eurasia. It also killed millions in the 6th cenuury, and struck again in 19th century China. Scientists are now thinking it might have caused a bottleneck in the population of Europeans in the Neolithic era too!
Jamestown was the first permanent settlement by the English in the Americas, but its earliest years were hardly successful — in fact, the community almost died out at first, during the “starving time” winter of 1609-10. As settlers faced disease and drought, they also were surrounded by the hostile Powhatan peoples, which meant that leaving
The Ancient Egyptian deity Bes had an ugly face, bowed legs, and dwarfism. Yet he inspired the opposite of revulsion, and was a beloved protector of women and children.
Ancient Egyptian Deity Bes Read More »
This 4,000 year old tablet from Ancient Babylon has part of the _Epic of Gilgamesh_ on it. There is a great English rendition by Stephen Mitchell. It’s so cool that the first recorded story deals with the fundamental source of human concern – the inevitability of death.
Babylon Epic of Gilgamesh Tablet Read More »
Creationists frequently bring up the Piltdown Man to support their idea that scientists deliberately lie about human evolution. True, the Piltdown Man was a famous fake (built by *one* “scientist”) – a supposedly missing link between humans and apes. However, it was actually the scientific community that proved the bones to be a forgery.
Charles Darwin’s beard was no accident! He grew it to hide his patchy skin and look more masculine. Source: Follow the story behind his and other Victorian beards in _Victorians Undone_ by Kathryn Hughes.
Charles Darwin’s Beard Read More »
Belladonna was a poison used during the Italian Renaissance. Sean Carroll’s “Mindscape” podcast this week features Raychelle Burks, who discusses poisons, chemical analytic forensics, and history.
Catch up on how historical geneticists are unveiling fascinating new discoveries about early human history ( example- new discussion about the so-called “Hobbit” peoples from the Indonesia area). _Who We Are and How We Got Here_ is a great read!
Hobbit Peoples Skull Read More »
The Antikythera Mechanism from Ancient Greece had over 30 gears, and could predict when eclipses would happen, track the irregular orbit of the stars, and figure out when the Olympic games would happen!
The Antikythera Mechanism Read More »
Ah! What could be cooler than the 15th-century Voynich Manuscript, a document that has stumped linguists and cryptographers since its rediscovery? Yeah, It’s super fascinating. It uses different letters and people have tried corresponding them to various languages like Latin (it has some Latin words in the margins). The paintings are about medical/”sciency” stuff, and
15th – Century Voynich Manuscript Read More »
This enormous (20 meter/65 feet tall) replica of a Medieval trebuchet is as close as we might get to imagining the largest one ever made: the “Warwolf” or “Ludgar/Loup de Guerre”. It was created as a juggernaut of a weapon by King Edward I (aka “the Hammer of the Scots”) to eviscerate the Scottish in
Ludgar/Loup de Guerre Read More »
The symbol you see here that means “prescription” comes from an abbreviation of the Latin word “recipe” meaning “take”, as in the command form of the verb recipere, which means “to hold or contain.” It doesn’t come from a joining of the letters R and x, but rather the slashed line through the “R” was
Latin Etymology of Rx Read More »
The stately Classical background of Paris’ Panthéon has been the perfect location to house the invention of 19th-century physicist Léon Foucault: a massive pendulum made of a 62-lb brass-coated led bob, suspended from the Panthéon’s central dome by a 220-foot wire. Foucault debuted his pendulum in 1851, and although the original was damaged in 1995,
Foucault’s Pendulum Read More »
Lookit these super bitchin’ swords! This past week (Sept 6, 2023), archaeologists working in Israel announced their discovery of four Ancient Roman swords and the head of a javelin (called a pilum), found in amazingly preserved condition in a cave near the Dead Sea in Israel. Three of the swords were of a kind known
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This is an “oath skull” from the secret “vehmic” courts of northwest Germany’s Westphalia region. Dating to about 1600, it is carved with the initials S.S.G.G., which stood for “Stein, Strick, Gras, grün” (“stone, rope, grass, green”). The whole thing is macabre to modern viewers, and it might have been meant to be spooky and
Oath Skulls in the Vehmic Courts of Early Modern Germany Read More »
Exhibit from the NYC Met, where you can see a teensy dragon (if you squint) on the robes of this eastern medieval bishop, showing cultural influences from east Asia.
Eastern Medieval Bishop Read More »
