Saturday, September 30, 2023

Bronze Asses Were A Requirement For Early Ancient Roman Upper Classes

Unfortunately, information on the earliest periods of Rome’s history are scant and heavily obscured under thick layers of folklore and myth. The city by...

The Story Of Sam, The Medieval Irish Guard Dog

A flashy figure named Olaf “Peacock” Hoskuldsson was said to have been a chieftain in the Laxardal region of Iceland and reportedly lived around...

The Battle of Svolder, by Halfdan Egedius (c. 1877-1899)

This drawing, by the Norwegian artist Halfdan Egedius (c. 1877-1899), was inspired by the last battle of the Norwegian king, Olaf I Tryggvason (r....

The Tale Of Thrain Sigfusson’s Bizarre Divorce And Remarriage At The Wedding Of His Nephew

According to folklore set in 10th-century Iceland, a man named Thrain Sigfusson was invited to attend the wedding feast of his prominent nephew, Gunnar...

Njal Thorgeirsson (Njal’s Saga)

Njal’s Saga (written anonymously in the 13th century) "It's not breaking a settlement...if a man deals lawfully with another—with law our land shall rise, but...

Charlemagne, By Jean Marie Mixelle (c. 18th-19th century)

This illustration, vaguely labeled “Charlemagne” or “Charlemagne: Emperor of West and King of France,” was created by the French artist Jean Marie Mixelle (c....

Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri (c. 1265-1321) "Just as a swimmer, who with his last breath flounders ashore from perilous seas, might turn to memorize the wide water of his...

Mark Twain

Mark Twain (c. 1835-1910) "No sound and legitimate business can be established on a basis of speculation." From chapter 19 of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut...

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Apollo and Daphne, By An Unknown 17th-Century Workshop

This tapestry, by an unknown 17th-century workshop, depicts the beginning of a raucous myth involving three deities. The female character on the right side...

Diana and Endymion, by Magnus Enckell (c. 1870-1925)

This rather abstract painting, by the Finnish artist Magnus Enckell (c. 1870-1925), was inspired by the ancient Greco-Roman myth of Endymion. His tale is...

The Story Of Sam, The Medieval Irish Guard Dog

A flashy figure named Olaf “Peacock” Hoskuldsson was said to have been a chieftain in the Laxardal region of Iceland and reportedly lived around...

The Buddha

  The Buddha (this saying recorded c. 3rd century BCE) "Better than a thousand statements composed of meaningless words is a single meaningful word which, having been heard, brings...

The Covert Night Raid Of Xenophon Against A Well-Guarded Persian Tower

  In 399 BCE, the philosopher, historian and mercenary, Xenophon, was in the last year of his famous adventure with the so-called Ten Thousand. The...

Xenophon

  Xenophon (c. 420-350 BCE) "Let us be the ones who first arouse others to demonstrate their valour. Prove yourselves the best possible officers! Prove yourselves...

The Buddha

  The Buddha (6th-5th century BCE) "The night is long for the wide awake. The mile is long for the weary. The round of birth and death is...

King Cleomenes I of Sparta—His Eventful Reign And His Odd Demise

The co-kings of Sparta, Cleomenes I (of the Agiad royal house) and Demaratus (of the Eurypontid royal house), ruled in the opening years of...
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The Burning Of Troy, by Claes Jansz. van der Willigen (c. 1630-1676)

This painting, by the Dutch artist Claes Jansz. van der Willigen (c. 1630-1676), depicts the end of the Trojan War and features a family...

Bendis—A Famous, Yet Mysterious, Thracian Goddess

Bendis was the name of a goddess of Thracian origin whose worship spread to Athens by the late 5th century BCE. Despite having a vibrant...

Caesar Defeats The Troops Of Pompey, By Justus van Egmont (1601–1674) and Gerard Peemans (1637/39–1725)

This tapestry, titled Caesar Defeats The Troops Of Pompey, was designed by Justus van Egmont (1601–1674) and woven by the workshop of Gerard Peemans...

Apollo and Daphne, By An Unknown 17th-Century Workshop

This tapestry, by an unknown 17th-century workshop, depicts the beginning of a raucous myth involving three deities. The female character on the right side...

There Were Hair Rinses And Curling Irons In Ancient Rome

Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE), a masterful Roman poet, wrote verses about romance, love, eroticism, and all manner of topics related to women—including fashion trends—in...

Lucan

Lucan (c. 39-65) "Virtue and absolute power do not mix." From Lucan’s Civil War (Book 8, approximately between lines 600-610), translated by Matthew Fox (Penguin...

Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill (c. 1874-1965) "How else are we going to marshal adequate and if possible overwhelming forces against brazen, unprovoked aggression, except by a...

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (c. 1564 – 1616) "Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend More than cool reason ever comprehends. The lunatic, the...

Religious Tolerance In The Reign of Hákon The Good Of Norway

Harald Finehair, the first king to unite Norway, is believed to have retired or died around the year 940, ending his momentous reign. His...
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Latest Posts

The 10th-Century Warrior Emir Of Aleppo Who Plagued The Byzantine Empire

(Illustration of Sayf al-Dawla from a 13th century copy of the History of John Skylitzes (Skyllitzes Matritensis (Biblioteca Nacional de España), via Creative...

Bede

Bede (c. 673-735) “If history records good things of good men, the thoughtful hearer is encouraged to imitate what is good: or if it records evil of...

Apollonius of Rhodes

Apollonius of Rhodes (Greek/Egyptian Scholar and Poet, 3rd Century BCE) "Mortals can never sidestep fate; the cosmic net is extended round us everywhere." From Apollonius of...

Changelings In The Malleus Maleficarum

(A devil leaving a changeling, painted by Martino di Bartolomeo  (1389–1434), via Creative Commons)   The Malleus Malleficarum of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger (published...

The Great American Writer, Edgar Allan Poe, Married A Child

(Left: Photograph of Edgar Allan Poe, reproduced from a lost daguerreotype c. between 1844 and 1847, Right: Watercolor of Virginia Clemm Poe painted after...

Albert Camus

Albert Camus (1913-1960) "What I know, what is certain, what I cannot deny, what I cannot reject--this is what counts." From The Myth of Sisyphus...

Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu (10th and 11th century Japanese novelist) "To the noble heart that aspires to soar aloft, high above the clouds, depths of a thousand fathoms...

During WWII, A United States Serviceman Became A Serial Strangler In Australia

(Photograph of Edward Leonsky taken prior to 1942, via Creative Commons)   Private Edward Joseph Leonski, also known as Eddie, was one of around 15,000...

A Dark, Supernatural And Sensual Tale About Periander, The Ancient Tyrant of Corinth

(Painting of Odysseus trying to embrace a ghost, by Jan Styka c. 1901, via Creative Commons)   Periander was the second tyrant of Corinth. Although...

Herodotus

Herodotus (5th century BCE Greek Historian) "Indeed, I will do anything you bid me; but I will tell you none the less what I think...

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