In our theme this week of “women who were famous for something they didn’t do,” I turn to the well-known and macabre story of the alleged death of Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796). The incredibly successful monarch had her husband assassinated, suppressed many rebellions, and was a patron of the arts. But she […]
The Rumor of Catherine the Great’s Death Read More »
In this third crossover history post on “fashion statements that made history” with Katie McGowan, I feature one of the most famous beards in history, worn by the Pharoh Hatshepsut, which means “foremost of women.” Yep, you read that right: Hatshepsut dressed in drag.Hatshepsut (c. 1503-1482 BCE) had been wedded to the powerful ruler Thutmose
Queen Hatshepsut and Drag Read More »
In the final crossover post this week in “fashion decisions that made history,” by Katie McGowan and myself, I am featuring the fabulously intricate imperial robes called _caftans_ worn by the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire.In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Ottoman Dynasty governed an area around Anatolia (modern Turkey and environs), controlling some
Extravagance of Sultan Caftans of the Ottoman Empire Read More »
It’s almost Halloween, dear readers, so you’ll be able to suss out my theme for this week without a hitch. On that note, I cannot believe that I have not yet done a post on Elizabeth Bathory, aka “the Blood Countess”.So here’s her story: born into an aristocratic Hungarian family in 1560, Elizabeth Bathory was
Elizabeth Bathory – “The Blood Countess” Read More »
Many cultures have produced mythologies of the frightening undead. But in the modern American imagination, our ideas about Vampires can largely be traced to the early 1700’s. In Eastern Europe, tales of the deceased who somehow caused the deaths of their living neighbors began to arise.The first documented episode came out of the Serbian village
Undead Mythologies of Vampires from Eastern Europe Read More »
What was it about Eastern Europe in the 1700s that brought about so many stories of Vampires? Some scholars note that Western European countries like Britain might have enjoyed these legends because they could make people feel civilized — those “eastern places” were rural, Catholic, superstitious, and backward in the minds of nationalist Brits.However, there
The Blood Disorder Porphyria and Vampirism Read More »
And what would a week’s worth of Eastern European Vampire posts be without a story on Vlad “the Impaler” Dracula? I should especially include Vlad because Boston College, where I got my Ph.D., had not one but *two* Dracula specialists when I was studying there.In American pop culture, the Vampire repertoire takes its cue from
Vald “The Impaler” Tepes and His Minor Inspiration of Dracula Read More »
Here are some of the soldiers of the famed terracotta army, constructed on the demand of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, as part of a grand mausoleum dedicated to himself.Qin Shi Huang was known for many achievements — standardizing weights across his lands, unifying China, beginning new construction of the Great Wall,
Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Army Read More »
Those who know me, know that each year in lieu of holiday cards, I write historically themed Christmas carols. And this year, I give you the following, sung to the tune of “Good King Wenceslas”.When the plague spread all about/ thirteen-forty seven.Buboes pussing, fevers out/ Time to bury your kin.Philip tried to find the cause/
A Bubonic Plague Inspired Christmas Carol Read More »
This week’s posts feature great moments in the history of immunology. Although the death of Vizzini (and corresponding survival of the hero Westley due to his years of building up immunity to iocaine powder, among the deadlier and fictitious poisons known to man) in _The Princess Bride_ might be famous in terms of cultural history,
The Antibody Serums of Shibasaburo Kitasato and Emil von Behring 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 »
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 »
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 »
For centuries, Europeans’ #1 go-to treatment for the disease Syphilis was an administration of mercury. Physicians managed it via theraputic fumigation, through injections, and as topical creams – often in the form of mercurous chloride, called “sweet mercury” or “calomel”. As the 16th-century poem “Syphilis” notes: “All men concede that mercury’s the best/ Of agents that will
Medieval Syphilis Treatment (With Mercury) 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 »
In these pandemic times, attention has justly been drawn to the critical role that hospitals and their staff have played in preventing social collapse by providing relief to millions of sufferers — those that manage to return to health, and those whose last days’ solace has been granted by weary health-care workers. We can thank
The Importance of Byzantine Xenon Hospitals Read More »
If you wanted to get ahold of the most important book of magic in the Middle Ages — I mean, inspire-the-most-fantasy-Buffy-the-Vampiresque sorts of spells magic, replete with demons, charms, incantations, arcane use of astrology, etc., then you would have to look no further than the _Picatrix_.It sounds like the name of a Pokemon, but Picatrix
“Picatrix” the Middle Ages Book of Magic Read More »
This exquisite reverse of a Late Roman (c 400 CE) mirror is the closest object I could find that relates to one of the premier minds of antiquity, that of Anathemius of Tralles, who lived in the late 5th- mid 6th- centuries. He lived in the bustling capital city of Constantinople when it was at
Anathemius of Tralles the Comedian of Constantinople Read More »
