February 2012
4 posts
6 tags
Artifact Profile: the Guennol Lioness
Before you read this post, you should know that I refer to myself as an “antiquities Communist,” meaning that I do not believe any private person has the right to own historical artifacts, capitalism be damned. Further, I believe that cases like the one below—aided by institutions such as Sotheby’s—are the lifeblood of the black market in antiquities; a market which, through the...
2 tags
oodlyenough asked: Okay this question is similar to what I asked before but maybe/hopefully a little different. If you could hop in a TARDIS to go witness something first-hand to ~solve~ a historical mystery/know the ~truth of what happened in some event or behind closed doors or whatever, what would it be?
5 tags
“A guy called Vasili Arkhipov saved the world.”
In this post, I talked at length about the definition of a “World War” and argued that, though large level global conflict can still happen, a “World War III” cannot happen because we have been operating within in a post-imperial context since about 1989; I also argued that if there was going to be a WWIII, it would have happened during the Cold War. There’s a bit more on this here.
So this is a...
Shameless moment of using this blog to my personal...
For those of you who are undergrads at universities large enough to have TAs, what do you like and what don’t you like in a TA—especially in discussion centered section meetings?
January 2012
12 posts
8 tags
Assurbanipal’s Library
The other day I was walking into my apartment with a friend, excited to introduce her to the masterpiece that is Summer Heights High, when all of the sudden a name popped into my head: Assurbanipal. And I was like “Why is an Assyrian-sounding name popping into my head?” It was clearly a sign.
Assurbanipal (685 BCE– 627 BCE) was the last great emperor of the neo-Assyrian Empire. Despite his...
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soapbox time
If you can, please sign this petition. Lawmakers in Arizona have banned public schools from teaching any courses with racial or ethnic themes. This is incredibly dangerous and (obviously) racist, and though I don’t know how much of an effect this petition will have I still urge you to sign it.
On a related note, the Tennessee Tea Party is fighting to remove mentions of slavery from...
5 tags
Fierce Historical Ladies post: Judith Sargent...
“We can only reason from what we know, and if an opportunity of acquiring knowledge hath been denied us, the inferiority of our sex cannot fairly be deduced from thence.”
Not only is Judith Sargent Murray (1751-1820) one in a long line of women throughout history who have spoken out against the gender-based double standards in their respective societies, but she used these women in...
3 tags
Journalism and Popular History
I’m not here to rag on journalists. In college, I majored in journalism before adding history as my second major, and I was very serious about being a career journalist for most of high school into my sophomore year of college. However, I became disillusioned by certain realities within the journalistic profession, and realized that I simply did not have the right personality to enjoy and be...
5 tags
The twenty-first century City on a Hill
I have said numerous times that this blog approaches history from a non-political standpoint, and I feel that I have adhered to this rule quite successfully for the most part. However, this post will break that rule, and will probably contain the most political material I will ever post to this blog.
This post contains an analysis of modern American social conservative rhetoric through the lens of...
thabaptiste asked: i was just skimming checking out blogs i was following but i swear your gonna be like my history teacher on tumblr. Your 22 also... Kudos for being so dope!
7 tags
oodlyenough asked: If you had a TARDIS and could go observe one historical event first-hand (but safely) what would you pick?
Just re-posting this for anyone who missed it yesterday.
I’ve seen some of the ~cool blogs~ doing this, so I will follow suit. If you have any questions about the person writing this blog that aren’t on the About page, or want to ask me things that aren’t like, directly related to history, I’d be happy to answer them for the next day or two (I’d appreciate it if you would refrain from asking...
4 tags
caesarindahood asked: What can you tell me about Boudicca overall? What was her personality like? What did she do? I've been eager to learn about her, but I got caught up in studying Belisarius.
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deanspi3 asked: Do you feel that Henry VIII was a visionary as far as religion, albeit a misguided one or just another horny old man thinking with his penis?
4 tags
Further Reading
If you’ve been interested by the stuff I’ve been posting about, you might like these books:
The Punic Wars 264-146 BC (Essential Histories) by Nigel Bagnall
Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World’s Richest Museum by Ralph Frammolino and Jason Felch
Between Rome and Carthage: Southern Italy during the Second Punic War by Michael P. Fronda
Archives Power: Memory,...
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Christmas pt. 3: Santa and the Knickerbockers
The nation is altered; we have almost lost our simple true-hearted peasantry. They have broken asunder for the higher classes, and seem to think their interests are separate. They have become too knowing, and begin to read newspapers, listen to ale house politicians, and talk of reform. I think one mode to keep them in good humor in these hard times would be for the nobility and gentry to pass...
December 2011
8 posts
5 tags
Christmas pt. 2: Setting the Scene
In the last post I said that part 2 would be about how a few wealthy citizens of New York City invented modern Christmas. However, in writing this post, I realized that there remains too much material to be covered in one post. Thus, this post will discuss the socio-political factors which inspired these citizens to re-invent the holiday, and the third post will discuss how they actually...
10 tags
Christmas pt. 1: Puritans, Anglicans, and...
It’s not a secret that because of the measures taken by the later Roman Empire to convert mainland European pagan society to Christianity, many Christian festivals retain elements evocative of Pagan worship practices. Some of the most important of the Pagan religious festivals took place (and continue to take place) in late December, when ceremonies such as Saturnalia and Winter Solstice were...
8 tags
Chanukah and Historiography
You know, I was going to try to be unpredictable and not make a Chanukah post. But as I was writing my Big Fucking Christmas Post (That Isn’t About Paganism), I realized that this one couldn’t be avoided.
Today, Chanukah is kind of a cute holiday about god’s pyromania saving the Jewish people from cultural genocide with lots of songs about candles and spinning tops. With presents. But at its...
6 tags
Archives, Social History, and Money
Just so you’re not all like “…whut?” I’m going to go in a slightly different direction with this post than usual. I am studying History and Archives (I am enrolled in a joint History/Library Science graduate program), and while I tend to stick to the history side of things on this blog (because, you know, it’s a history blog), I thought it would be interesting to write a post about the...
4 tags
A counter-point to myself
I was talking to a good friend of mine (the same ones who edits these posts) about the socio-linguistics course she is currently taking, and she made a point about the classification of certain languages which made me re-examine some of the posts I’ve written about syncretic religion, or, the manner in which I wrote those posts.
In labeling a religion of language as syncretic, you are labeling it...
3 tags
drive-by post
“Historians are dangerous people, capable of turning everything topsy-turvy. They have to be watched.” -Nikita Khrushchev
In Soviet Russia, history watches you.
9 tags
Common Historical Myth/Misconception: Hannibal...
This is a post about military history. Just to keep things fresh~
On August 2, 216 BCE, Hannibal’s army defeated the Roman troops in the Battle of Cannae 250 miles away from Rome. It was their third victory in a row, and the second greatest defeat ever suffered by a Roman army up until that point in time. For millennia, historians—including Livy—have argued that Hannibal should have used the...
2 tags
Okay I am not even that into Ryan Gosling (idk, John Krasinski is more my style~), but this tumblr must be shared:
http://publichistorianryangosling.tumblr.com/
Enjoy.
November 2011
9 posts
4 tags
Further Reading
If you’ve been interested by the stuff I’ve been posting about, you might like these books:
A History of the Romans by Frank C. Bourne
Livy (Oxford Readings in Classical Studies) edited by Christina S. Kraus and Jane D. Chaplin
Roman Women (Cambridge Introduction to Roman Civilization) by Eve D’Ambra
The Warrior Queens: The Legends and the Lives of the Women Who Have Led Their Nations in...
7 tags
Fierce Historical Ladies post: Zenobia
In the third century CE, between the years 235 and 283 CE, the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined weight of invasions, civil war, plague, and economic depression. By the year 258, the empire had split into three states: the Gallic Empire, the Palmyrene Empire, and the Roman Empire between them. The three were not reunited until the rule of the Emperor Aurelian.
The Roman Empire as...
1 tag
catch-the-trade-winds asked: I LOVE YOUR BLOG SO MUCH! :) I am a huge fan of history, particularly classical civilizations, Ancient Egypt, Europe ~1500s-1800s, and USA 1800s-1900s, so I'm so glad I found you :D
3 tags
cjshoe asked: I don't really have a question, I would just like to say thank you for your last post about how there was no concept of Africans enslaving other Africans, how they didn't view themselves that way, there was no national identity and putting that sort of tag at the beginning of text books, or anywhere, is deeply offensive. I'm not even a person of color, or Native American, but I am...
Full Disclosure
I know a lot of people feel very strongly about advertising, so I’m going to be super up front. I had to quit my retail job back in September because of unsafe walking conditions, and have been unable to secure employment since. While there may be a TA position looming in my future, nothing is really sure.
This blog has accrued many more followers than I thought it would ever attract, and has...
9 tags
Common historical myth/misconception: the white...
I think it’s time for us to talk about the effects of white guilt on historical revisionism, especially within the USA. The following sentiments need to gtfo of the common Intro to American History lexicon:
-The blacks sold each other into slavery before the whites came along, so the white people were just as bad as the Africans.
-Black people in America had slaves too, so I don’t get why we’re...
8 tags
The politics of the historian Livy as seen through...
This post contains discussion and description of rape and violence against women. In addition, the presented narratives are greatly shortened in the interest of length.
The Ancient Roman historian Livy came of age against the political backdrop of the power struggle between Antony and Octavian. He began his writings after Octavian’s victory over Antony, and continued with his writings through the...
1 tag
Hey everyone. I apologize for the lack of real posts over the last two weeks or so. My coursework level recently went from “oh wow that’s a lot of reading but that’s cool lalala” to “Oh. I have 16 papers due tomorrow on a day’s notice*,” leading to increased levels of “omg grad school is haaaard,” and little time for much else.
Hopefully by...
4 tags
Further Reading
If you’ve been interested by the stuff I’ve been posting about, you might like these books:
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman
The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings by Bart D. Ehrman
Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman
The Art of Ancient Egypt: Revised Edition by Gay Robins
The Art...
October 2011
6 posts
2 tags
monstergagaholic asked: Hello! I am an upper school history student in Maine. I read your blog religiously (no pun intended) and I really look up to you. I hope that one day I can become an ancient history professor. Do you have any advice concerning colleges with a good classics department?? Thank you!
12 tags
Artifact Profile: the Bust of Nefertiti
Nefertiti was the wife of the controversial 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaton (also known as Amenhotep IV). Akhenaten and Nefertiti lived during the thirteenth century BCE, and were responsible for the move of the Egyptian capital from Thebes to Amarna. The site of Amarna was excavated by Ludwig Borchardt of the German Oriental Institute from 1912 to 1914.
The Bust of Nefertiti
On December 6, 1912,...
1 tag
Last week tumblr made me an editor of the new History tag (which is incredibly flattering and I really owe it all to you people), and since then several people have asked me about how to go about being featured on the History tag. So, while I don’t know about the other editors, here’s a general idea of what I look for when I’m surfing http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/history/everything:
-Actual...
5 tags
coolchicksfromhistory asked: Re: Your Jesus post. I once took a class called Jesus was a Jew about how Christianity grew out of 1st cen. Judaism. I think you're right about the climate (temple Judaism, Gnostics, etc), but the spread of Christianity is heavily influenced by convert friendly Paul, who died around the time of the destruction of the temple. Prior to Mark, there was believed to be Q, which the communities...
8 tags
On the Historicity of Jesus
I received this question via email: “Do you think that Jesus is a historical figure?”
So here are three disclaimers before I start this post:
1) As a secular Jew, I do not maintain a belief in any deity, Abrahamic or otherwise. I really don’t care how other people worship; everybody has the right to interpret the meaning of their existence in whatever way they choose as long as they do not try to...
2 tags
goldenegg31 asked: Saw your post on the History Major Heraldic Beast tumblr and I was wondering where the info about ancient wizards was on Pottermore.
September 2011
11 posts
1 tag
Just thought I’d remind you all that I really love answering your questions. If there is any historical thing you don’t understand or a subject you’d like to see posted about or anything like that, then please leave it in my ask box, or email it to me and I’d be happy to answer anything (as long as it doesn’t edge into modern politics).
Ask here:...
11 tags
Drive-by fun facts
-On Friday 2, 1982, Argentina—under the rule of the National Reorganization Process—occupied the Falkland Islands. Because Britain claimed the islands as their territory, this act began the Falklands War. As the British troops were deployed, the British regimental bands would sarcastically play Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina to see them off.
-There is a town in central Italy called Narnia. It has...
4 tags
Further Reading
If you’ve been interested by the stuff I’ve been posting about, you might like these books:
Dignifying Argentina: Peronism, Citizenship, and Mass Consumption by Eduardo Elena
Historical Dictionary of Albania by Robert Elsie
The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Peron’s Argentina by Uki Goni
The New Cultural History of Peronism: Power and Identity in Mid-Twentieth-Century Argentina by...
7 tags
Fierce Historical Ladies post: Eva Peron
Eva Duarte was born as an illegitimate child to a wealthy man and his mistress. When he abandoned them, it left the family not only with the shame of his abandonment and the hardship of poverty, but with the label of “illegitimate.” At the time Eva was born, illegitimate children did not have the same rights as legitimate children. And as a female illegitimate child, there were very few rights...
7 tags
Eva Peron: Aftermath, Legacy, and Myth
Eva was given a state funeral, and the public outpouring of grief was so great that eight people were crushed in the dash to be close to her body as it was moved through the streets. Her body was embalmed and kept on display in the Department of Labor. In 1955, the military staged a coup.
The new regime criminalized the act of owning a photo of Juan or Eva, and had her body shipped to Milan....
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Eva Peron: Life and Career
Maria Eva Duarte was born in 1919 to a wealthy rancher and a woman he was not married to. Her father abandoned her, her mother, and her four siblings when she was one year old, leaving them to poverty and the shame of being cast off and illegitimate.
As they struggled to make ends meet, Eva performed in every play and concert put on by her school, and became determined to be a famous actress...
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Eva Peron: Historical and Political Background and...
Argentina declared independence from Spain in 1825. Almost immediately thereafter, the country became embroiled in a Civil War which lasted until 1853. A constitution was installed in that year, and the country remained relatively stable until 1930.
The early twentieth century was a fairly prosperous time for Argentina; by 1929 Argentina had the world’s fourth highest per capita GDP. However, the...
1 tag
Facebook
Hey everyone! I made a facebook page for this blog, and you can find me here. I’ll be using that page to notify you when a new post goes up (with links, of course), share any history-ish things I come across that are too small to merit their own post, and occasionally mention real life-y things if they are related to history.
I also have a twitter account that I use the same way.
Thanks...
6 tags
Eva Peron: Fierce Historical Lady?
Many moons ago, boleyns requested that I write a Fierce Historical Ladies post about Eva Peron. I was really excited to begin my research, because I didn’t know much about Eva Peron. But as the months went by, and as I typed up crappy post after crappy post, I began to realize that I was approaching the subject incorrectly.
In general, I am hesitant to analyze anything that happened after World...
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Artifact Profile: The Euphronios Krater
So far I’ve discussed two artifacts that are currently in the center of repatriation debates. So to change it up a bit, let’s talk about an artifact which was successfully repatriated: the Euphronios Krater.
A krater is a decorative bowl which the Ancient Greeks used to mix wine with water. Euphronius—an Athenian vase painted active in the late 6th, and early 5th century BCE—was a highly...
9 tags
The sworn virgins of Albania
The Kanuni i Leke Dukagjinit (The Code of Lekë Dukagjini) is an oral law code which ruled the lives of those residing in the Northern Albanian area for at least five centuries. It was first codified in the 15th century by the Albanian Prince Lekë Dukagjini, but it was not written down until the 19th century. For this reason, scholars are unsure as to its origins.
The Kanun is divided into 12-14...