For students of the humanities…
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?
The Sumerians may well have been the first civilization based around cities in Mesopotamia, which makes it likely that they were the first such civilization anywhere. In fact, the Sumerians are credited with many "firsts": the wheel, cities, writing.... This article from the History Channel details 9 things about the Sumerians that you may not know.… Continue reading Article: 9 Things You May Not Know About the Ancient Sumerians
The Middle Ages may be long over, but that doesn't mean we aren't still discovering new things about that period. In this article from Smithsonian Magazine, the author explains new discoveries about both the Middle Ages and Ancien Rome that have been made during excavations at Exeter Cathedral in England. link to Archaeologists Discover 900-Year-Old English… Continue reading Article: Archaeologists Discover 900-Year-Old English Cathedral’s Hidden Medieval Crypt
Are you interested in the Middle Ages? If so, check out this artcle from English Heritage on some of their more ingenious (and a sometimes weird inventions). Some are a bit obvious (castles for defense), and some are a bit more obscure (the Medieval equivalent of toilets); but they all give you a look at how the… Continue reading Article: 7 INGENIOUS INVENTIONS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
Have you ever heard of a pie bird? If you like to bake, you may want to consider getting one. Basically, pie birds allow your pie to vent and help to keep the bottom from getting soggy. This Taste of Home article explains how pie birds work and how you can use them to get… Continue reading Article: How to Use a Pie Bird (and Why You Should)
Seeds are potential. Environmental changes and disasters can endanger that potential, so many countries and regions have come together to try to protect that part of their heritage by creating seed banks. This article from Smithsonian Magazine showcases the greatest of these seed banks and the precious resources it protects. link to Take a Virtual… Continue reading Article: Take a Virtual Tour of the ‘Doomsday’ Seed Vault
The sea is still filled with things that are strange, mysterious, dangerous, or just annoying. In this article, CNN explains the potential problems that a giant blob of sargassum seaweed may pose to shipping and tourism in the summer of 2023. link to A 5,000-mile-wide blob of seaweed is headed for Florida, threatening tourism across… Continue reading Article: A 5,000-mile-wide blob of seaweed is headed for Florida, threatening tourism across the Caribbean
Even when we have documentation of the past, it can still be hard to figure out what actually happened. In this article from the BBC, the author discusses the particular issues that surround attempts to understand how European Medieval and Renaissance knights fought. In this case, there is a lot of documentation--more than 80 surviving… Continue reading Article: The Lost Medieval Sword Fighting Techiniqes No One Can Decode
The tartan (plaid cloth generally associated with Scottish clans) is an important part of Scottish history. According to the BBC, an example--potentially from the 16th Century--has been found in a peat bog in Scotland. Although the cloth looks plain, researchers have been able to use scientific analysis to determine it's original colorful nature. This discovery… Continue reading Article: Oldest tartan found to date back to 16th Century
People have long studied the sky, and sometimes they are surprised and confused by what they say. The Medieval and Renaissance worlds are no exception to this. This article details several well documented incidents involving flying objects that have not been identified. link to The Mysterious 1561 Nuremberg Event ‘UFO Battle’
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
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
Are sea monsters real? Can someone "release the Kraken"? History and literature are filled with a myriad of stories about deadly beasts that sink ships and eat people. This article presents a theory that may explain as least some of the (less deadly and dangerous) stories. link to The Kraken: when myth encounters science
When you think of Legos shipwrecks and environmental disasters are probably not the first thing that comes to mind. However, that's what this article is about. Apparently, a shipwreck a couple of decades ago dropped 5 million Legos (amongst other things) into the sea off of the coast of England in what has come to… Continue reading Article: After 25 Years at Sea, Shipwrecked Lego Pieces Are Still Washing Ashore on Beaches in England
Humanities Scholars 