For students of the humanities…
Julius Caesar's war on Gaul brought him (and Rome) a great victory. This was significant for the history of both Rome as a whole and the region. This article from The Collector gives a good overview of that conflict. link to The Gallic Wars: How Julius Caesar Conquered Gaul (Modern France)
The Greco-Persian Wars helped to ensure that Western Civilization survived and thrived. This article effectively explains what the wars entailed. link to A Complete Timeline of the Greco-Persian Wars
The Jewish revolts against Rome are part of history that many people have forgotten. For those interested in this topic, however, Brigham Young University has put together a fairly comprehensive overview. link to The First Jewish Revolt against Rome
The Crusades took place during a tumultuous time in European history, and they are an interesting topic to study. This article from the BBC's History Extra gives a great overview of the First Crusade. link to The First Crusade: your ultimate guide
Romanticism is a period of art which valued things like emotion and nature over technical precision. The works that resulted were some of the art world's most amazing. This essay from The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides a foundation for study. link to Romanticism
Are you interested in the Harlem Renaissance? If so, this article from the National Museum of African American History & Culture is a solid place to start. link to A New African American Identity: The Harlem Renaissance
Archeology Magazine's website is full of a huge variety of information. They cover just about every area of culture that touches on archeology at all. For example, they have articles on Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Assyrians and other Mesopotamians, Medieval Europe, historic Christianity, Notre Dame, ancient Greece, the Black Death, and many other topics. link… Continue reading Website: Archaeology Magazine
For those interested in studying the medieval Black Death, an understanding of the nature of the disease which caused it is essential. Here are the websites for the CDC and the WHO (the link will take you specifically to their sections on the baterium Yersinia pestis, which caused the Black Death). link to Centers for… Continue reading Websites: Centers for Disease Control (CDC) & World Health Oranization (WHO)
Culture can be collected in the most surprising places. This article details the Smithsonian's efforts to document the history and culture of America's two biggest political conventions. link to What Smithsonian Curators Will Be Doing at the Democratic National Convention
Disease can have a drastic affect on societies and their art. In fact, art depicting plagues has been a constant throughout history. In this article from the BBC in 2020, the author discussses the art of plagues from the Black Death to the 21st Century. link to What plague art tells us about today
If you've ever been unhappy with your lot in life, did it occur to you that drawing killer bunnies might make you feel better? Well, it occurred to medieval manuscript artists. Drawing violent rabbits gave them a safe outlet for their frustrations in feudal Europe. link to Why Medieval Artists Doodled Killer Bunnies in Their Manuscript Margins
French may have a reputation for being a romantic language, but it is not purely a Romance language. In other words, its Latin base was massively changed by the people who inhabited the area and resulted in modern France today. Read this article (with videos) if you are interested in the origins of the French Language. link… Continue reading Article: Why French Sounds So Unlike Spanish, Italian & Other Romance Languages, Even Though They All Evolved from Latin
Some historical artifacts are literally torturous. The Iron Maiden is one such artifact. This article from Ancient Origins explains the device, gives an opinion on whether it was actually ever used, and details similar implements of torture. link to The Iron Maiden: This Medieval Torture Device Was Used as Recently as 2003!
No matter how much we love studying the past, there are times when it is a good thing that we cannot directly experience it. One such time involves London's "The Great Stink." Just like its name implies, "The Great Stink" resulted from the smell coming from the highly poluted and diseased Thames River during a particular summer. It… Continue reading Article: “The Great Stink” Engulfed London In A Cloud Of Fetid Air Back In 1858
Archeologists are dedicated to digging out details about the past, and what they find can often be surprising. Occasionally, archeology can even tell us what historical people or historical places smelled like. In this article from Smithsonian Magazine, the author discusses the implications of finding an ancient bottle of Roman perfume. link to What Did the Ancient… Continue reading Article: What Did the Ancient Romans Smell Like?
Humanities Scholars 