What the Barista is Brewing Today
Grab some espresso and dive in for some brewmination
The Surprising Historical Significance of Fortune-Telling
The possible futures predicted by fortune-telling happen just often enough to tantalize, preying on our deepest aspirations of catching a “big break.” By Cody Delistraty / 10.26.2016 In 1786, 14-year-old Marie Anne Lenormand ran away from the convent school where she was raised. Lenormand set off to Paris on her own, where she learned the[…]
Why a 14th-Century Mystic Appeals to Today’s ‘Spiritual But Not Religious’ Americans?
Meister Eckhart was a 14th-century Dominican friar, who gave sermons on the direct experience of God. His words are finding resonance among today’s spiritual seekers. By Dr. Joel Harrington / 12.06.2018Centennial Professor of HistoryVanderbilt University The percentage of Americans who do not identify with any religious tradition continues to rise annually. Not all of them, however, are atheists or agnostics. Many[…]
Thomas Aquinas and the Shape of Law
Recovering a more capacious social topology from the Thomist theology that modern Western philosophy supplanted. Titled Declarations of Dependence: Money, Aesthetics, and the Politics of Care(University of Nebraska Press, July 2018) my recent book develops the insights of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) for critical theory and aesthetics. While the modern Liberal imagination treats money as a finite, private and[…]
The Genesis of Secular Politics in Medieval Philosophy: The King of Averroes and the Emperor of Dante
By Dr. Sabeen AhmedPhD Candidate, Department of PhilosophyVanderbilt University Poi ch’innalzai un poco piu’le ciglia,vidi ‘l maestro di color che sannoseder tra filosofica famigliaEuclide geometrae Tolomeo,Ipocrate, Avicenna e GalienoAverois, che ‘l gran comento feo. Dante Alighieri[1] Abstract In contemporary political discourse, the “clash of civilizations” rhetoric often undergirds philosophical analyses of “democracy” both at home[…]
The Domus Aurea: From the Ashes of Rome, Nero’s ‘Golden House’
The Domus Aurea (Golden House), located between the Esquiline and Palatine Hills, was one of Nero’s most extravagant projects. The Domus Aurea (Latin, “Golden House”) was a large landscaped portico villa built by the Emperor Nero in the heart of ancient Rome, after the great fire in 64 C.E. had cleared away the aristocratic dwellings on the[…]
Palaces in Ancient Egypt: Cities for Kings and Gods
Illustration of the ancient palace of Malkata The grandeur that early European explorers had come to expect in royal building programs seems to have been reserved for sacred space and funerary complexes. By Dr. Steven Snape Reader in Egyptian Archaeology University of Liverpool Introduction For early European explorers in Egypt, it was inconceivable that the massive monumental[…]
British Soldier Artists in Colonial India
Whether drawing for official purposes or for pleasure, soldier-artists contributed a rich source to the visual imagery of colonial India in the 18th and 19th centuries. By Dr. Margaret Makepeace and Patrician Kattenhorn (not pictured) Makepeace: Fellow, Royal Historical Society Kattenhorn: Artist Britain’s earliest foothold in India came with trading stations, or factories, set up[…]
Royal Recipes in Mid-19th Century India
Some exciting recipes from the first cookbooks printed in Indian languages. The cuisines detailed within these books graced royal courts for nearly two millennia. By Dr. Abhijit Gupta Associate Professor of English Jadavpur University Which was the first-ever cookbook in India? Candidates for this honour must be many and pretty much impossible to determine, but[…]
Emigration Across the Atlantic: Irish, Italians and Swedes Compared, 1800–1950
Examining scale of emigration, the reasons behind emigrants’ departure, the various origins and destinations, and the attitudes in sender and receiver states. Abstract Emigration across the Atlantic by Europeans during the 19th and 20th centuries, and especially during the so-called age of mass European migration from 1850 to 1914, forms a key part of Europe’s recent[…]
Convivencia: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in Medieval Spain
Examining the inter-relationship of religion and culture in the time period of medieval Spain known as the convivencia. By Lindsey Marie Vaughan Abstract Few time periods in world history offer as unique a glimpse into cultural cohabitation as the one in medieval Spain following the Arabic invasion and preceding the Christian Reconquest ended in 1492.[…]
The Mongol Invasion of Russia in the 13th Century
Because of its geography, Russia is a relatively easy country to invade from both east and west. Introduction “Give us trade,”demanded the Vikings from the north. “Try our religion,” urged missionaries from the south. Now a new voice was heard throughout Russia. “Pay us taxes,” ordered the Mongols of the east. Because of its geography,[…]
The Beginnings of Russia in the Ninth Century
Russia spans not only two continents, butalso eleven time zones. Introduction Meet the Giant Imagine a giant standing with his left foot in one world and his right in another. The giant takes a little from one world and a little from the other world,and tries to get along with both. That giant is the[…]
Jefferson’s Delayed Credit as Author of the Declaration of Independence
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson was not then credited with its authorship. By Matthew Wills / 07.02.2016 The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We now credit Thomas Jefferson with the Declaration’s authorship, but that was not the case[…]
Jeffersonians Claimed Washington Was Hamilton’s Dupe. They Were Wrong.
For well over two hundred years, Thomas Jefferson and his admirers have had to choose between two unflattering interpretations of George Washington’s presidency. By Dr. Stephen F. Knott / 01.25.2016 Professor of National Security Affairs U.S. Naval War College For well over two hundred years, Thomas Jefferson and his admirers have had to choose between[…]
The Dantean Anomaly (1309-1321): Rapid Climate Change in Late Medieval Europe with a Global Perspective
In the last years of his life, Dante Alighieri was an unsuspecting witness to a rapid shift in climatic conditions that led to cooler and wetter weather all over the continent. I am in the third circle, filled with cold, / unending, heavy, and accursed rain; / its measure and its kind are never changed.[…]
How Ancient and Medieval Science Fiction Imagined the Mobility Revolution
At first glance, a category like ancient science fiction might seem paradoxical. By Mike Bezemek / 08.30.2017 At first glance, a category like ancient science fiction might seem paradoxical. Most contemporary discussions of science fiction tend towards movies, TV shows, and fictional stories from the past 50 to 100 years—with the early part of that period being called the[…]
Croesus: An Ancient Ruler Brought Down by His Own Wealth and Hubris
There is evidence that he was an actual historical king who ruled from the city of Sardis, though the story may be legend. Croesus (pronounced ‘KREE-sus’) was the King of Lydia, a country in western Asia Minor (corresponding to modern-day Turkey) from 560-547 BCE and was so wealthy that the old expression “as rich as Croesus” originates in reference to[…]
Noble Villas in New Kingdom Egypt
There were distinct differences between city and village (country) life, each with its own unique advantages and disadvantages. By Dr. Steven Snape Reader in Egyptian Archaeology University of Liverpool Although, with exceptions at Amarna, there are few surviving traces of noble villas from the New Kingdom, we have some idea of how they must have looked[…]
The Italian Renaissance: A Classical Rebirth
Introduction Art, literature, and architecture are forms of expression. These forms of expression often communicate what is happening during certain periods in time. Have you ever heard the word Renaissance? The word Renaissance means“rebirth” and comes from both the French and Latin languages. This word Renaissance describes a cultural movement that began in what is[…]
A Case of Cultural Hybridity: The European Renaissance
Lecture by Dr. Peter BurkeEmeritus Professor of Cultural HistoryEmmanuel CollegeUniversity of Cambridge I It is a pleasure and an honour to give the second lecture here in honour of Jack Goody, who is not only a friend and a neighbour in Cambridge – which is still a kind of village – but also a colleague,[…]
William of Norwich and a Jewish Woman’s Appeal of Murder in Medieval England
Periodic outbursts of hostility incited numerous massacres of the Jews in the Middle Ages. Setting the Scene The period leading up to the expulsion of the Jews from England in July of 1290 was a time of mounting uncertainty for the Anglo Jewry. That Saint Augustine’s long-endorsed “toleration theory”[1] was beginning to lose its force is[…]
The Medieval Origins and Growth of Ashkenazi Judaism
The Ashkenazi Jews developed a distinct liturgy and culture. Introduction Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim, are Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities of the Rhineland—”Ashkenaz” being the Medieval Hebrew name for Germany. They are distinguished from Sephardic Jews, the other main group of European Jewry, who arrived earlier in Europe and lived primarily in Spain. Many[…]
Immigration and Integration in the Roman Empire
One of the Roman Empire’s most important keys to its durability was its inclusiveness. As a Roman historian, I’m struck by how often people ask why the Roman empire ended, since a far more interesting question is surely how it managed to survive for such a long time while extended over such an enormous area.[…]
Fortified Cities in Ancient Egypt
The Lion Temple Walls do seem to be a defining feature of many Egyptian settlements throughout the dynastic period. By Dr. Steven Snape Reader in Egyptian Archaeology University of Liverpool The origin of urbanism in Egypt includes the emergence of heavily defended walled settlements as major political and economic centres. The policy of providing enclosing walls for[…]
George Washington’s Flexible Constitutionalism
The Constitution did not give the President power to issue a proclamation or legislate, but Washington set a precedent for all his successors. By Harlow Giles Unger / 10.21.2013 Author and Historian “If the minority … are suffered to dictate to the majority…there can be no security for life, liberty or property.” Although President Barack[…]
George Washington, France, and the Victory at Yorktown
The citizen soldiers may have started the Revolution, but it was the French that finished it—something that would have never happened without George Washington’s realization that victory depended on the intercession of a powerful ally. By Nathaniel Philbrick / 10.01.2018 Author and Historian Q: Your two previous books, Bunker Hill and Valiant Ambition, have given readers a new way[…]
Emperors, Gods, and Foreign Invaders of the Aztec Empire
Moctezuma I expanded the Aztec Empire beyond the Valley of Mexico by constantly waging war. Introduction As the city of Tenochtitlán grew, the Aztec fought for dominance over other city-states in the area. In 1428 CE, Tenochtitlán formed a Triple Alliance with the cities of Texcoco and Tlacopan in the Valley of Mexico.These three cities[…]
Tenochtitlán: Aztec City on the Water’s Edge
The Aztec empire existed more than 500 years after the Maya abandoned their great inland city-states. Introduction Did you know that the modern capital of Mexico, Mexico City, was built on top of another city? If you visit Mexico City today, you can see archaeologists at work.They are busy uncovering the ancient city of Tenochtitlán.[…]
The Battle of Frigidus, 394 CE: Final Clash Between East and West
The battle marked the end of the internal conflict in the Roman Empire and the solidification of Christianity. Introduction The battle on the Frigidus River is a battle in the eastern Alps between the army of the Eastern Roman Empire under the command of the Emperor Theodosius the Great and the army of the Western[…]
The Persian Wars and the Maritime Supremacy of Ancient Athens
Figure 1: Greek Colonization of western Asia Minor / Image by Alexikoua, Wikimedia Commons The development of naval supremacy and of democracy became interdependent. In the period of about 600–480 BCE, Ionian colonists emigrated from Attica to the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey [1]. There they inhabited a narrow coastal strip from[…]
