This is an image of a lesser-known hero of the Early Modern period, the Dutch physician Johann Weyer (1515-1588). In an age of witch-hunts, when many women accused of consorting with the devil were tortured into confessing imaginary crimes, tried in law courts, and executed by burning, Weyer outspokenly wrote that such practices were inhumane, […]
Johann Weyer and Inhumane Treatment During Witch-Hunts Read More »
There is a tradition of misogynist scholarship which traces continuously from Ancient Greece to the early twentieth century. Legal, medical, philosophical, and theological arguements promoted the idea that women were inferior to men, and this was sincerely believed by many educated people. Yet this scholar pictured here — Henricus Cornelius Agrippa (1496-1535) — stood in
Contrasting Opinions of Henricus Cornelius Agrippa Read More »
This cruel object is a Cat-O-Nine-Tails whip, dating from about 1860. Slave owners from the American South used whips like these against the people they had enslaved. Notice the metal spurs at the end of each rope. Millions of people experienced this inhumane treatment, and the “peculiar institution” of slavery of course became a motivating
Cat-O-Nine Tails Whip Read More »
In 1862, the port city of Charleston, South Carolina, witnessed one of the most impressive feats in the Civil War. An African-American named Robert Smalls stole an entire ship from the Confederacy and escaped to freedom with his wife, two young children, and several other enslaved people. He did this right under the noses
Robert Smalls and His Escape from the Confederacy Read More »
In 1353, the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio completed one of the most important works of fiction in history, _The Decameron_. The book tells the story of ten young aristocrats – seven women and three men – who spend ten days together, passing the time by taking turns telling different stories. The occasion for their gathering
“The Decameron” and Escaping the Bubonic Plague Read More »
The social distancing requirements of today are stressful, but are much less deadly than measures of combating disease in the Middle Ages. Our word “quarantine” comes from the Italian words “quaranta giorni” for forty days, which was a standard length of time that sick and infected people would be shut off from the healthy population.The
The Medieval Quarantine Response Read More »
The Ancient Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet has a fascinating double role as both a vengegeful deity of destruction — especially bringing plague — but also a force that was thought to ward off disease. Her name can mean “The Mighty One” but she was also called the “Mistress of Dread.”. A particularly entertaining myth associated with
The Duality of the Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet Read More »
This Ancient Roman wall painting shows an opulent domicile, and adorned a bedroom of a first-century BCE aristocrat. The plants in the scenery show a love of the natural world common in elite decor. We know that Romans of means took great thought in how they situated their estate homes, considering matters like which way
Ancient Roman Painted Wall Decor Read More »
We humans are innately social creatures, and even the introverts among us long to feel included in a community we consider our own. Feelings of isolation cause grief and sadness, both now and in ages across time. The Old English poem known as “The Wanderer” evokes these emotions, telling the story of a man far
The Desire for Human Company Read More »
This Medieval map shows the northern and southern hemispheres, with the constellations drawn to represent the stars’ positions. Although it is likely ordinary Europeans could point out different patterns in the sky, you had to have elite training to be able to pass yourself off as a real star-gazer: it was totally normal for people
Medieval Map of the Hemispheres Read More »
What better way to divert our attention from present maladies than an article about Medieval farts? Passing gas had medical and social components, but the documentation on this subject turns out to be ripe in all directions.Holding farts in was considered unhealthy. For instance, the _Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum_ is a 12th-century Latin poem that warns
Social and Medical Needs of Medieval Farting Read More »
In the centuries before China was unified as an empire, petty kingdoms and warlords struggled for influence in a centuries-long diplomatic chess game. The bells shown here from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BCE) might have been owned by wealthy aristocrats engaged in such manuvers, and used for ceremonial importance, which would have
Ancient Chinese Diplomatic Bells Read More »
This image of the famous ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi (aka Lao Tzu) dates to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and shows the semi-legendary Lao Tzu as an old man, peacefully riding atop a bull. It is a fitting image for one of the most famous figures in the history of Doaism/Taoism, which emphasizes cultivating an ability
Chinese Philosopher Laozi Read More »
This plague doctor mask from the Deutsches Historisches Museum was developed in the 17th century, and the prototype is usually attributed to the French physician Charles de Lorne. It was not worn during the infamous Black Death pandemic of the 14th century, but rather a couple centuries afterward: for instance, during an outbreak in 1656
Plague Doctor Mask Read More »
This is the only depiction of Joan of Arc created in her own lifetime, and is a doodle out of the imagination of the illustrator made in 1429. In many ways — especially in her religious fervor and because she thought most women ought to behave conventionally — I find Joan’s personality grating. But the
Era Accurate Depiction of Joan of Arc Read More »
One of the most entertaining saints in the biz, Sainte Foy was known as the trickster saint (a reliquary holding some of her remains is on the second slide). She had all the usual chops to star in a holy cult centered around her: allegedly killed by Romans when she refused to do pagan sacrifices,
Sainte Foy and the Heist by the Monks of Conques Read More »
The Darlington Hiking Trail in south-central Pennsylvania runs over a seven-mile trajectory going east-west from the Susquehanna River to the Appalachian Trail, where the path turns into the Tuscarora Trail. The Darlington path actually predates the Appalachian Trail, having its origins from 1908, when people who began the Pennsylvania Alpine Club (such as the famed
South-Central Pennsylvania’s Darlington Hiking Trail Read More »
Doesn’t this coquettish figure just tempt you all over the place? The beauty of the noblewoman’s features here contrasts with the beast she is riding — as well it should, because this a 15th-century rendition of the Whore of Babylon from Christian mythology, as featured in _The Book of Revelations_. The sad thing about this
The Whore of Babylon and Women’s Problematic Sexuality Read More »
The Ancient Romans often anthropomorphasized abstract ideas, and the notion of “Rumor” was one of the most concrete examples of this. In the Late Republic, when politicians jockied amongst themselves to win the votes of citizen men of the assemblies, knowlegde about basic political ongoings was dependent upon oral transmission. Patrons worked to have their
The Ancient Roman Abstract Idea of Rumors Read More »
This detail of Auguste Rodin’s masterpiece, _The Burghers of Calais_ (1884-89) evokes a moment of despondency and sacrifice that took place in the Hundred Year’s War between France and England in the Late Middle Ages. The story ultimately has a happy ending, but nowhere is this foreshadowed in Rodin’s work.In 1346, the French town of
Wealthy Calais Classes Sacrifice for the Less Powerful Read More »
