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Artifacts of Material History

Minoan Pottery : Form and Technique

By Jess Taylor – Setting The Minoan civilization often evokes thoughts of myths of the bull-headed Monitor and his labyrinth, images of the ruins of the Knossos palace, with its red, tapered columns and advanced multi-storied architecture, their early written languages, the untranslated Linear A and translated Linear B as […]

Controversies

Should Freemasonry Be Considered Controversial?

Freemasonry Lodge in Vienna, 1789 (courtesy of Wienmuseum) By Pauline Chakmakjian – My publisher Markosia in the UK recently released my trilogy: The Sphinxing Rabbit: Her Sovereign Majesty, The Sphinxing Rabbit: Book of Hours and The Sphinxing Rabbit: Clubs and Societies.  All three books in the series from a publisher noted for graphic novels make […]

Paleobotany

A Selective History of the Sacred Poppy

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) image in public domain. By Patrick Hunt –  Any history of the opium poppy, in this case Papaver somniferum or the “sleep-bringing” poppy, must be replete with its known medical use and perhaps equally its less scientific lore. Why it has been known as the “sacred […]

Artifacts of Material History

Ship Figureheads: Statues of the Sea

Bayeux Tapestry Norman Ships with Dragon Prows as “Figureheads” (image public domain) By Timothy Demy – The carving and painting of eyes, faces, and figures on boats and ships is an ancient practice that continues around the globe in the present day. Whether the eyes were decorative, religious, or believed […]

History of Science

MIND MATTERS:  Tragedy, Psychology and Mental Illness

Image courtesy of J.C. Scull, Mental Illness – History and Ancient Treatments, Invisible Illness, 2022 By Walter Borden, M.D. –   In the Dark Ages of Greek ancient history (before writing), mental illness and seizure disorders were considered as demonic possession of one kind or another. Mysticism was the prevailing explanation of all unknowns. […]

Food History

Long History of the Fig

Emma Bridgewater Figs (Photo P. Hunt) By Patrick Hunt – If asked what the oldest cultivated fruit might be, how surprised would anyone be to know it could be the fig (represented by the botanical specimen of Ficus carica), apparently cultivated through the long Early Neolithic at least back to […]

Food History

Chateauneuf-du-Pape’s Domaine de Beaurenard

Domaine de Beaurenard, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Sept. 2023 (Photo P. Hunt) By Patrick Hunt – Regardless how many times I’ve had a wine degustation in Chateauneuf-du-Pape over three decades, it never fails to excite when driving over the regional road D-68 from the north into the vineyards and then finally see the […]