Unruly History in the News #43
Inlcuding an incredible map, old coins, and declassified Cold War photos
Hey folks,
I hope everyone had a lovely week. I finally completed all of my holiday shopping and am about halfway through decorating my house—I might be done decorating before it’s time to take it all down again! 😅
Today I’ve got a bit of a request—do you have 5 minutes to tell me what you think of Unruly Figures? I’ve put together an end-of-year feedback survey that only takes a few minutes to fill out. This will help me make decisions for 2024 and make sure that you are getting more of what you want from Unruly Figures! Everyone who fills out the survey will be entered to win a $50 gift card to a store of their choice (as long as the store sells online gift cards and isn’t dangerous in any way).
This week, in history acting unruly…
Is there a shipwreck hiding somewhere off the coast of Italy? The discovery of tens of thousands of fourth-century bronze coins—but no vessel to transport them—suggests yes.
When Christie’s auctioned off this map from the Getty family’s private collection, they had no idea what a rare object they had actually held. Dated to the 16th century by Christie’s, the map is actually from 1360, making it one of the oldest known nautical maps in the world. The sleuthing required to figure that out sounds straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.
Now called the "Rex Tholomeus" Portolan Chart, it was spotted, bought, and investigated by 2 map traders in La Jolla, CA. Image credit: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images This is so cool—using Lidar, a group of amateur archaeologists found Collyweston Palace, a Tudor palace once believed to be unfindable. It was used by Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth I, among others. Professionals from the University of York are taking over the dig now.
This deep history of food systems in eastern Africa could help us understand (and hopefully solve) patterns of food insecurity today.
Did Louisa May Alcott write under a pen name to preserve her literary reputation while still selling stories and making money? Yes, several, and researchers are still finding more!
The musical Hamilton might suggest that Aaron Burr invented campaigning, but a centuries-old campaign slogan was just found on a wall in Pompeii.
These 184-year-old bullet holes are scars from the Chartist uprising, which fought for voting rights for working-class men in Wales.
In art history news…
Art historians have long thought that the triangular rock in Jean Fouquet's Melun Diptych was about the stoning of Saint Stephen. But new evidence suggests that the object in the painting may be a Stone Age hand ax, suggesting that Medieval French people were just as obsessed with ancient artifacts as we are.
Can the historically perceived trustworthiness of a figure really be analyzed using just their portraits? This study used machine learning to analyze facial cues in paintings and found that “estimated levels of perceived trustworthiness in portraits increased over the period 1500–2000. Further analyses suggest that this rise of perceived trustworthiness is associated with increased living standards.”
The Virgin of Guadalupe is seen as an inclusive, loving symbol for millions of Latinos in the US. Her feast day is coming up (December 12).
In excavations…
A metal detectorist found a hoard of Roman coins—they just sold for more than £15,000 at auction. The hoard had been unearthed over 2 years and included an extremely rare commemorative Third Miliarensis coin issued by Emperor Theodosius.
The rare Third Miliarensis coin. Photo source: Noonans. In Nottinghamshire, a housing development dig unearthed kilns, a henge monument, and more, all dating between 12,000 years old and 3,000 years old. Archaeologists believe the site might have had some religious significance because it is near the head of a spring.
Wales was once ruled from hundreds of hillforts. Excavating and studying these archaeological sites seems to be the key to unlocking pre-Roman Welsh history, which has been lost through Roman propaganda about how the people of Wales lived before they were conquered.
These declassified Cold War satellite photos revealed nearly 400 unknown Roman forts. After studying the imagery, researchers believe that “the Romans built the forts to enable safe, peaceful trade across the landscape.”
We often talk about humans as drivers of ecological changes, but what about humans as drivers of evolution? The pressure we are putting on habitats is driving rapid change in animal species on a scale not seen since the last mass extinction event.
Don’t forget, I’m still running the Black Friday sale—an annual subscription makes a great gift for the history lover in your life!