For students of the humanities…
For students of culture, the online home of the Smithsonian Magazine is an incredible resource. They have searchable sections on Smart News, History, Science, Innovation, Arts & Culture, Travel, At the Smithsonian, Photos, Videos, and Games. Wherever your interests lie within the Humanities, the Smithsonian Magazine would be a good place to start your research.… Continue reading Website: Smithsonian Magazine
English Heritage is a English charity that takes care of a number of historic properties. They also have put together extensive learning resources, which can be accessed on the "Learn" section of their page. If you are interested in anything related to England or the British Isles, then I strongly suggest you check out their… Continue reading Website: English Heritage-Learn
This article from Smithsonian Magazine gives a great overview of the career of an amazing sculptress who fought to create her career in the white male dominated art world of the 19th Century. As a person of color, Edmonia Lewis had to contend with racism; as a women, she had to work against sexism; and… Continue reading Article: Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Shattered Gender and Race Expectations in 19th-Century America
I recently shared translations of the poetry of the Akkadian author Enheduanna, and in that post, I mentioned that we have an image of the lady in question. This article showcases the relief that represents Enheduanna, and it provides a good amount of information both on that and on her life as well. link to… Continue reading Article: Ur Digitization Project: Item of the Month, June 2012
Applied (or Practical) Arts are those that exist in the space between Craft and Fine Arts. Depending on your point of view, they can belong to either category (or maybe both categories). If you're interested in learning a about papercraft or fiber arts, then this site is one that you should visit. link to The… Continue reading Website: The Spruce Crafts
Licoricia of Winchester was a moneylender in 13th Century England. In an age that stigmatized both Jews and women in business, Licoricia weathered much adversity, created a successful career, and catered to many affluent clients (including the king). Now, her home town of Winchester is erecting a statue to immortalize this amazing woman and to… Continue reading Article: Meet the ‘Most Important’ Jewish Woman in Medieval England
It always gives me great pleasure to remind people that the first author (whose name we know) was a woman. While her poetry is not quite as old as The Epic of Gilgamesh, Enheduanna's work is special because we know who wrote it (the author of The Epic of Gilgamesh remains anonymous). Even better, we… Continue reading Article: The Temple Hymns of Enheduanna
Magic was important in the ancient world, but it's unfortunately an aspect of culture that modern scholars often ignore of view as somewhat silly. I think that the fact that it was important to the ancients means that it's an important part of understanding them. This article from the Expedition Magazine at the Penn Museum… Continue reading Article: Secrets of Ancient Magic: The Power of Spells, Curses, & Omens
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy offers excellent, up to date information on just about every topic within the field of Philosophy. My favorite part about this site is the fact that it is imminently searchable, and when you get your results, it will provide you with what you were looking for and also with related… Continue reading Website: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
When studying Medieval Europe, it's important to remember that, while we can make some generalizations, each region or country in Europe faced some unique challenges during this period. England in particular experienced the many things in the Middle Ages completely differently than the rest of Europe. In some ways this post is about a section… Continue reading Article: English Heritage-Early Medieval
I think that this article may have the longest title of anything I have written about so far, but Ancient Origins has put together a very interesting look at an often neglected people. When we look at the history of language and writing, we often throw the word "cuneiform" out there without any context. This… Continue reading Article: Sumerian Tablets: A Deeper Understanding of the Oldest Known Written Language
Are you interested in current events in the art world? If so, then Artnet's news section is a great place to start. They post a great number and variety of articles on many diverse topics relating to what interests the art world today. Some of their posts deal exclusively with contemporary art and artists, while… Continue reading Website: Artnet News
This video is required viewing for my Art Appreciation class, but it's so interesting, I wanted to include it here as well. Tapestry making is an amazing art, and it's one that I don't think is valued today as highly as it should be. Take a look and see what you think. link to The… Continue reading Video: The Art of Making a Tapestry
If you've ever wondered why the Ancient Egyptians went to all of the trouble to develop the skill of pyramid building, only to stop building them, then you may enjoy this article. It gives a good overview of the progression of pyramid building, and then it follows that up with several well supported theories on… Continue reading Article: Why Did the Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs Stop Building Pyramids?
Are you interested in the Minoans? If so, you have a lot of company. Everyone loves a mystery, after all, and the Minoans are certainly mysterious. These citizens of Crete created an empire, but we're not really sure what caused that empire to fall. Their art is amazing, but we can't read their writing (Linear… Continue reading Article: Minoan Crete
Humanities Scholars 