For students of the humanities…
When we study the region of the ancient world known as Mesopotamia, we often focus only on a few major cultures: Sumer, Babylon, Akkad, Assyria, etc. However, there is evidence that there is more to the history of Mesopotamia. This article focusses on the evidence for the possible "Forgotten Kingdom" of Ebla. link to First… Continue reading Article: First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Elba
Ancient people produced many of the same things that we use in our modern world. Glass is one of those things, and the Romans were well known for the quality of their glass production. This article provides a wealth of information on the study of the practices of the Roman glass industry. link to Seeing… Continue reading Article: Seeing Through the History of Ancient Roman Glass
Arguably one of the most beautiful art forms, creating illuminated manuscripts was (and is) a time consuming labor of love. Unfortunately many Medieval and Renaissance books have been cut up so that the art could be collected by itself, but fortunately there are a number of complete volumes that still survive. In this article, the… Continue reading Article: Illuminated Manuscripts
Did you know that there were three Catholic martyrs named St. Valentine that are all honored with a feast day on February 14th? This article explains what we know (and what we don't) about each of these men who died for their faith and gave their name to a holiday dedicated to love. link to… Continue reading Article: History of St. Valentine
When most people think about the process of making pottery, they think about a potter using a wheel. While that is a very common way to make a pot, the art of making slab pottery is ancient in its own right. This article gives a good overview of the art form, and it includes links… Continue reading Article: The Basics of Hand-Building Slab Pottery
I show this video to my Ancient to Medieval students, but I think it can be valuable and interesting for all students of the humanities, particularly if they are interested in Egypt and the Pyramids of Giza. There are a few issues with it (the sometimes invisible walls are a little weird), but I like… Continue reading Video: 360° Travel Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza
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
Humanities Scholars 