For students of the humanities…
As the February 2023 Turkey earthquake reminded us, there are many irreplaceable cultural treasures in earthquake zones (in addition to the even more precious and irreplaceable humans) around the world. The Hagia Sophia is one such treasure, located in Western Turkey. This article from Nature discusses Hagia Sophia's durability in the face of natural disasters… Continue reading Article: Hagia Sophia: Shaken, not stirred
Do you ever wonder how ancient Roman concrete buildings still look amazing, while our concrete sidewalks quickly crack? If so, then this article will help answer your questions. The Smithsonian talks about the innovations the Romans included that has allowed a number of their concrete structures to survive through to today. link to "Self Healing"… Continue reading Article: “Self Healing” Concrete May Have Preserved Ancient Roman Structures
Buildings are an integral part of our history, and the older the building is, the more it can tellus about our past. In Ireland, there is a pub that is currently called Sean's Bar, and it is believed that it was first built in 900AD. This article discusses its status as the oldest pub in… Continue reading Article: Sean’s Bar Is The Oldest Pub In Ireland, And Possibly The World
Unfortunately, not all art is valued all of the time. In Italy, the traditional villages and their traditional way of life were seen as old and tired in the first half of the twentieth century, and many people moved to the city for a faster-paced, hopefully more lucrative life. Things are changing now, and Italy… Continue reading Article: How Italy Is Bringing Its Rustic Villages Back to Life
In this article from 2017, ArtNet details the destruction (that was at that time still ongoing) of cultural heritage sites by ISIS. Stories like this show the destructive affect of war on art and culture (in addition to its painful consequences for people's lives and families). link to A Monumental Loss...
Are you researching an architectural topic (particularly a contemporary one)? If so, you may find something interesting on the website of Architectural Digest. Their search function can be a little awkward, so you may have to do a bit of a manual search. Their articles may be a little hard to find, but they are… Continue reading Website: Architectural Digest
The brave men and women of Ukraine have been in the news in ways they never could have imagined over the last few days, but how much do you know about their culture? For those who are interested in finding out more about these brave people, this article gives an excellent overview of their rich… Continue reading Article: Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine’s Featured Topics in Ukrainian Art and Architecture
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
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 Stonehenge? If so, then I highly recommend this detailed article from the British Museum's blog. They provide a great deal of interesting information and a number of amazing visuals. I appreciate that this article goes over the history, in addition to talking about how it's put together. link to Introduction to… Continue reading Article: Introduction to Stonehenge
Humanities Scholars 