Giovanni Boccaccio (c. 1313-1375)
"It is my conviction that no mortal being who is without experience of love can ever lay claim to true excellence."
...
Emperor Heraclius became the ruler of Constantinople and its empire after overthrowing his predecessor, Emperor Phokas (r. 602-610). By taking the throne, Heraclius inherited...
Mark Twain (c. 1835-1910)
"A statesman gains little by the arbitrary exercise of ironclad authority upon all occasions that offer, for this wounds the just...
As told in the folklore and mythology of ancient Greece, there existed a malevolent supernatural entity called Gello, known to target young children and...
In many languages worldwide, the words used to designate peoples and settlements can often be quite literal. Warriors fight in wars; buccaneers were named...
Odin (from Hávamal)
"The mind alone knows what lies near the heart,
he is alone with his spirit;
no sickness is worse for the sensible man
than to find...
(Gaston Phoebus, “Livre de Chasse” (1387), via Creative Commons)
Hunters will often do odd things to approach their prey—they dress up like foliage, imitate...
Within the peculiar pages of The Malleus Maleficarum, published around 1487 by the inquisitors Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, an odd tale about a...
In many languages worldwide, the words used to designate peoples and settlements can often be quite literal. Warriors fight in wars; buccaneers were named...
This painting, by the Italian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (c. 1696–1770), strives to re-create (albeit with some historically inaccurate wardrobe choices) an early encounter...
In many languages worldwide, the words used to designate peoples and settlements can often be quite literal. Warriors fight in wars; buccaneers were named...
Giovanni Boccaccio (c. 1313-1375)
"It is my conviction that no mortal being who is without experience of love can ever lay claim to true excellence."
...
This portrait, painted by the Austrian artist Hans Canon (c. 1829 - 1885) depicts Moses—the lawgiver of the Abrahamic religions. Featured in this painting...
Mark Twain (c. 1835-1910)
"A statesman gains little by the arbitrary exercise of ironclad authority upon all occasions that offer, for this wounds the just...
This painting, by the Italian artist Salvator Rosa (c. 1615-1673), depicts a scene of the usually cheerful philosopher, Democritus (c. 460-370 BCE), departing from...