Monday, October 2, 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...

Who Was Ambrosius Aurelianus in 5th-Century Britain?

Around the year 495, an army of Britons and assimilated Romans won a decisive victory over a force of Anglo-Saxons on a battlefield either...

Cassius Dio

  Cassius Dio (c. 163-235) "It seems that those who exercise supreme powers know more about everyhting else than they do about their own affairs, and...

Lao Tzu

  Lao Tzu (6th-5th century BCE) "I alone am inactive and reveal no signs, Like a baby that has not yet learned to smile, Listless as though with...

The Vengeful Tale Of Hrafsi Ljotolfsson

  Hrafsi Ljotolfsson lived in Iceland around the time of the Age of Settlement (approximately 860-930). His father, the blacksmith Ljotolf, had been given permission...

Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu (10th and 11th century) "You would be wiser to keep your own counsel and take things the way they really are." From Murasaki...
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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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Adventures of Emperor Theophilus

(Byzantine Emperor Theophilos (r. 829-842), surrounded by dignitaries of his court. Illustration from the Madrid Skylitzes (Fol. 42v), c. 12th century, via Creative...

Han Fei Tzu

Han Fei Tzu (c. 280-233 BCE) "Those who fail to change old ways are often in fact prolonging the course of disorder, while those who...

Mencius

 (Mencius. ETC Wehrner's Myth and Legend, Gutenberg and Commons)   Like many other ancient Chinese writers, historians can only make educated guesses about Mencius' life. The...

Mo Tzu

(Mo Tzu, Photo: (Public domain) via http://history.cultural-china.com) The ancient Chinese philosopher and theologian, Mo Tzu, lived in the 5th century BCE, after the death...

Gottfried Leibniz

Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) "Bodies act as though, per impossible, there were no souls; and souls act as if there were no bodies, and both act...

Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) "We need a guide in unknown and uncouth parts, but in clear thoroughfares, and in open plains, only the blind stand in...

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) "Today the enemy would have won the war if only they had a commander who knew how to conquer." This comment...

Roman Senator Metellus Macedonius

Metellus Macedonius (Senator of Rome from the 2nd century BCE) "Fellow Romans, if we could make do without a wife, we would all be free...

Mo Tzu

Mo Tzu (5th Century BCE Philosopher and Theologian) "It is the business of the benevolent man to try to promote what is beneficial to the...

Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu (10th and 11th Century) "The letters worth reading are those sent when the writer was angry, or when dusk was falling and she...

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