Unruly History in the News #91
Things we forgot, mummified crocodiles, and archaeological finds galore.
Hey everyone,
Welcome to another round of history being unruly in the news. This week contains a lot of forgetfulness! Just so many times societies forgot to document things, or lost the documentation, leaving us to rediscover them later. So that’s fun.
I also have a follow-up on this post about losing my recording space a few weeks ago! After saying I didn’t want to do this because of local construction (ha), I decided to just go for it: This week, I transformed part of my home into a recording space! You probably saw my new interview drop on Tuesday, and I will have regular episodes back up and running this week! Very excited to get back to recording and chatting about incredible rebels with you all.
Without further ado, history acting unruly…
You probably saw the Harvard news this week (and Columbia last month). It’s worth remembering that 20th century universities also thought they would be preserved if they bowed to the Nazis and the Soviets. They were wrong.
I’m obsessed with this: A rare 14th-century page from the King Arthur tales was adapted to be used as a binding for a 16th-century book. At Cambridge, scholars found a way to digitally unwrap it, giving us the text and a new way to handle delicate Medieval documents.
“The inner front cover of the manuscript as it was discovered. Some of the folds, including flaps and turn-ins, make reading and accessing the text hidden beneath particularly difficult without damaging the material.” Photo credit: University of Cambridge. Similarly, millennium-old manuscripts are returning to Ireland for exhibition. These beautiful texts reveal the daily lives of Irish monks during the early Medieval Era.
Centuries of history and culture were just destroyed by the 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar. Can it be recovered, and will they be able to rebuild?
Forks once nearly tore apart the fabric of polite society. Yes, you read that right—forks.
If you’re celebrating Easter today: If it was a Roman Emperor who ordered Jesus’s crucifixion, why did Christians spend centuries blaming the Jews for it?
Identity has always transcended politics, medicine, law. How did Medieval trans people affirm their gender identities?
Who started the Illuminati, and why?
Am I watching Angels and Demons as I cull these? Absolutely, yes. I love an alt-history thriller. It’s a fun read if you like Illuminati stories.
A lot of artists, myself included, are nervous about federal defunding of arts organizations. The answer to what to do and how to handle this challenge might lie in our past.
How have attitudes to crime changed over time? And when did we become obsessed with true crime?
Two hundred years ago, France extorted Haiti for a shocking sum—today, Haitians are asking for it back.
Interested in more Haitian history? My book, Unruly Figures, includes a chapter on the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L’Ouverture.
A Maya altar was just uncovered, and—disturbingly—it is surrounded by children’s bones. Evidence suggests that children were sacrificed and foreign invaders were the reason.
Speaking of the Maya, archaeologists are dealing with another mystery, this time left by their neighbors: Who created these ancient puppets just unearthed in El Salvador?
Speaking of sacrifices, this massive bone pit suggests that sacrifice was part of a fertility ritual when the Romans ruled Britain.
And speaking of altars, a 1,700-year-old Roman altar was just unearthed Vuçak Castle in Kosovo.
In Rio de Janeiro, 3,000-year-old cave paintings were just discovered.
The cave paintings in question. Source: Concessionária Parquetur/PNI The Nimrud boards, dating back to the 7th century BCE, give insight into ancient writing in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the lost capital of the kingdom of Lycentis has been found. It was conquered by Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, and a coin with Alexander’s likeness has helped date the city.
Interested in Alexander the Great before he was, well, “the great”? Check out my interview with Alex Lyras, who wrote the play on him.
In Spain, archaeologists have uncovered 4,000 mural fragments that date to the 2nd century. They once decorated a Roman villa.
These rare and wonderful wall paintings from the 16th century show how well-to-do Tudors liked to decorate their homes.
And speaking of England, in the 19th century, people were obsessed with pedestrianism: the sport of competitive walking.
Speaking of walking, how did walking shape Simone de Beauvoir’s work?
What can a single photograph reveal about power, privilege, and violence in the American West? A lot, apparently.
An elite Nubian woman’s burial 4,000 years ago gives us the oldest known evidence of tumplines—head straps designed to carry heavy loads.
Interested in ancient Nubian woman? Check out my book, Unruly Figures, which includes a chapter on an ancient warrior queen of Kush (now Nubia).
Dragons used to be the enemies of humans in myth—so how did they transform into our allies?
The Hittites were a powerful empire, so how were they forgotten over time?
When does graffiti become history? And how do we preserve it?
Think this is silly? Salisbury Cathedral has just launched a graffiti tour.
Apparently the Nazis had secret bases in the Arctic? And we sort of just forgot about them over the last fifty or so years?
What made Cyrus “the Great”? And was he really great, or was it just propaganda?
Debunking the myths of Harry Houdini’s life, illusions, and death. (Don’t worry, no spoilers for his magic.)
Among his many incredible illusions, Houdini was famous for being able to escape from this strait jacket. Source: National Geographic. Who were the Black Angels? And why were they the only ones willing to care for tuburculosis patients in NYC?
Speaking of illness—we’ve had five years of COVID. What can COVID modelling reveal to us about ancient social distancing?
Where is the historic Wanamaker Organ and why is its future under threat?
It might be your favorite Jane Austen book, but do you know the larger history of the phrase ‘Pride and Prejudice’?
Who was the African king who attended Edward VII’s coronation?
If you’re a fan of Bones, you know that strontium isotopes in human bone can be used to identify where a person was raised. Someone finally figured out that if Africa’s minerality was mapped, then the strontium isotopes in the bones of former enslaved people could be used to determine where they were kidnapped from before being trafficked into slavery.
Speaking of: The ongoing search for history’s lost slave ships.
Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered an ancient town, possibly built by King Tut’s father.
Speaking of Egypt, what can these mummified crocodiles tell us about alternative forms of preserving the dead?
It’s 9,000 years old: The first human figurine of the Mesolithic Era has been found in Azerbaijan.
How do Oscar-nominated screenwriters get dialogue right, especially in period pieces?
You’ve probably heard of manifesting, but it’s not a new age hippy dippy thing—it’s actually a quite ancient practice.
What on Earth is Hillsdale College 1776 curriculum?
Several beautiful Iron Age artifacts have been discovered in a Celtic necropolis in France.
A decorated short sword was discovered in burial 782. Image credit: National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) How did the Cherokee Nation use diplomacy to resist subordination by colonists?
And finally, mark your calendars: It’s almost Hocktide.
