The censorship board. George Creel is seated at far right. Harris & Ewing/Library of Congress An executive order signed in 1917 created what’s been called ‘the nation’s first ministry of information.’ The media are still feeling its impact. By Dr. Christopher B. Daly / 04.27.2017 Professor of Journalism Boston University When the United States declared[…]
Horace Greeley, between about 1860 and 1865. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration It’s easy to think of data journalism as a modern invention. It’s not. By Scott Klein / 03.17.2015 It’s easy to think of data journalism as a modern invention. With all the hype, a casual reader might assume that it was invented[…]
Early desire to remove George Washington as the Continental Army’s Commander-in-Chief. By Dr. John Buescher Historian You might not think that the father of our country had any detractors, but he did, especially in the wake of so many military setbacks—not only in New York, but later in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Starting with the[…]
Illustration of The Liberty Tree in Boston. From A History of Boston, the metropolis of Massachusetts, from its origin to the present period, by Caleb H. Snow, 1825 / Houghton Library, Wikimedia Commons Taxes that pushed colonists over the edge. By Dr. Andrew Shankman Graduate Program Director, Professor of History Camden College Rutgers University After[…]
Statue of Themistocles in Piraeus, Greece By David Van Dyk / 08.17.2016 “My boy, you will be nothing insignificant, but definitely something great, either for good or evil.” – School teacher of Themistocles Since he was only a child, he knew he had always wanted the respect and recognition of his fellow citizens. He hungered[…]
A detail from the frieze of the Treasury of the Siphians at Delphi depicting the Gods fighting the Giants (525 BCE), Delphi Archaeological Museum. / Photo by Mark Cartwright, Creative Commons In the ancient Greek world, warfare was seen as a necessary evil of the human condition. By Mark Cartwright / 03.27.2018 Historian In the[…]
Nordic Sámi (Saami) people in Sapmi (Lapland) in front of two Lavvo Tents / Photo by Granbergs Nya Aktiebolag, Wikimedia Commons Examining the interrelationship of trading, religious missions, and Crusading based mainly on Scandinavian sagas and chronicles. By Dr. Bjørn Bandlien Professor of Viking Age and Medieval History and Historiography Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge Introduction In[…]
New DNA analysis reveals that, before their mysterious disappearance, the Norse colonies of Greenland had a “near monopoly” on Europe’s walrus ivory supply. An overreliance on this trade may have contributed to Norse Greenland’s collapse when the medieval market declined. 08.08.2018 The Icelandic Sagas tell of Erik the Red: exiled for murder in the late[…]
Mohandas K. Gandhi / Wikimedia Commons The Indian leader saw nonviolence as an active and powerful thing—not just the absence of war. By Madhu Suri Prakash / 07.12.2013 A (non) + Himsa (violence) = Ahimsa Gandhi lived Ahimsa as a daily practice, waging peace to stop war and violence. His lifelong “experiments” with truth proved[…]
The Mallikarjuna temple on the left (originally called Trailokesvara temple) was built by queen Trailokyamahadevi (queen of Badami Chalukya King en:Vikramaditya II) around 740 CE. The Kasivisvanatha temple (also spelt Kashivishvanatha) is from the en:Rashtrakuta period. The location is en:Pattadakal in Karnataka, India. / Photo by Dineshkannambadi, Wikimedia Commons Examining the development of the criminal[…]
The Coronation of Charlemagne, fresco by Raphael at the Apostolic Palace, c.1516 / Wikimedia Commons The problem of Early Medieval royal succession in different circumstances. By Dr. Elke Ohnacker Professor of History Universität Konstanz Abstract The article is concerned with the problem of Early Medieval royal succession in different circumstances: the death of two of[…]
The Coronation of Charlemagne, by Friedrich Kaulbach / Wikimedia Commons Today he is regarded as the founding father of both France and Germany and sometimes as the Father of Europe, as he was the first ruler of a united Western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 08.14.2018[…]
Looking at the botanical and zoological basis of some of these elixirs to find out whether they’d actually work. Poisons and potions are the weapons of choice for many of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters. Used to seduce lovers, kill enemies and gain power, nothing was too noxious for Shakespeare. Photo by Dan Tentler, Flickr, Creative[…]
Still Life with Fruit, Oysters and a Porcelain Bowl, Abraham Mignon, 1660 – 1679. / Rijksmuseum Medieval people took the idea that the food they consumed could influence their sex lives far more seriously than we do today. By Dr. Katherine Harvey / 06.05.2014 Associate Lecturer in Medieval History Birkbeck College University of London The[…]
Image by Ancient Origins, Wikimedia Commons Ultimately, there is only one warrior culture. Its evolution and transformation over time and place, from our beginnings to arrival in the contemporary world, is the history of warfare. By Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan Military Historian Easter Island Easter Island is one of the loneliest places on earth,[…]
Relief scene of Roman legionaries marching, from the Column of Marcus Aurelius, Rome, Italy, 2nd century CE / Photo by Barosaurus Lentus, Wikimedia Commons Looking at how war-making profoundly changed Greek and Roman society. By Dr. Harry Sidebottom Ancient Historian Introduction It is well known that the way in which a society makes war is[…]
Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin Roosevelt, and Premier Joseph Stalin / Library of Congress Franklin Roosevelt entered World War II with an eye toward a new postwar world, one where the United States would succeed Britain as the leader of Western capitalist democracies. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 08.12.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Introduction[…]
Click image to enlarge The years between the First and Second World Wars were politically and economically tumultuous for the United States and especially for the world. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 08.12.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Introduction The years between the First and Second World Wars were politically and economically tumultuous for the United[…]
Krak des Chevaliers, Syria / Photo by Bernard Gagnon, Wikimedia Commons The 13th century saw a number of significant changes in the design of European and Islamic fortifications. By Dr. David Nicolle The Development of Crusader Fortifications The 13th century saw a number of significant changes in the design of European and Islamic fortifications, the[…]
Saladin / Wikimedia Commons In July 1096 Kilij Arslan learned that an enormous throng of Franks (Franj) was en route to Constantinople. By Amin Maalouf Regard the Franj! Behold with what obstinacy they fight for their religion, while we, the Muslims, show no enthusiasm for waging holy war. – Saladin In that year, news began[…]
First lines of Beowulf from the damaged Nowell Codex Old English arose from the set of varieties of West Germanic which the early settlers spoke. By Dr. Raymond Hickey Professor for General Linguistics and Varieties of English Universität Duisburg-Essen Origins The Germanic settlers, who according to the Venerable Bede arrived in England in 449, brought[…]
This bilingual papyrus containing magical spells and recipes dates from the early third century A.D. and is written in both Greek and Demotic. In some passages, the Greek text is also transliterated into Demotic, and vice versa. London Magical Papyrus, A.D. 200–225, Romano-Egyptian. Papyrus and ink, 9 7/16 × 33 5/8 in. The British Museum,[…]
An ancient wall painting depicting the awakening of the Buddha Taṇhaṅkara in Upali Thein temple, Bagan, Myanmar / Photo by Jacklee, Wikimedia Commons The art and architecture of Southeast Asia was heavily influenced by Indian religions and artistic styles. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 08.12.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Sculpture in Southeast Asia Overview: Influences[…]
Machu Picchu Exploring the work of South American indigenous people’s before colonization. Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 08.12.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Ceramics in Early South America The ceramic objects of the Paracas, Nazca, and Moche communities of Peru vary in artistic forms and were important cultural artifacts. Like the Tiwanaku and Waki people of[…]
The Man of Law’s Tale might seem an unlikely specimen for examining the development of race in the Middle Ages. Not so fast. By Dr. Cord J. Whitaker / 09.2017 Assistant Professor of English Wellesley College Introduction The Man of Law The Man of Law’s Tale might seem an unlikely specimen for examining the development[…]
Wikimedia Commons Looking at the establishment of Western monasticism by St. Benedict of Nursia at Montecassino, Italy, in the 6th century. By Dr. Emanuel Paparella / 05.31.2008 Former Fulbright Scholar The term “Dark Ages” was once erroneously applied to the entire millennium separating late antiquity from the Italian Renaissance (500-1500 AD). Today’s scholars know better. There[…]
Madrid Codex (replica) in the Museum of the Americas, Madrid / Photo by Simon Burchell, Wikimedia Commons When the codex came along, it was a novel form for recording knowledge and information—a disruptive technology. By Anna O. Funk One of the most important disruptions in the history of the book was the invention of the[…]
A Roman wax tablet and stylus / Photo by Peter van der Sluijs, Wikimedia Commons Exploring the materials used for writing in the ancient world. By Alyssa Adams From the time that we discovered how to draw on cave walls, human interest in recording information and events flourished. Cities were built, societies and civilizations were[…]
Simon Armitage explores Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and reflects on how he approached his own translation of the poem. By Simon Armitage / 01.31.2018 Poet and Playwright We know next to nothing about the author of the poem which has come to be called Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It was probably[…]
Puzzling out the meaning of monsters in Beowulf, comparing the hero with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. By Dr. Victoria Symons / 01.31.2018 Honorary Lecturer in Literature University College London It’s no overstatement to say that Beowulf is – today – one of the most important surviving works of medieval literature. It is by[…]