The Plague of Cyprian was a terrible event, no question. How terrible is uncertain. But it seems to me that one cannot understand the middle years of the Roman Empire without discussing the Plague of Cyprian and its consequences. It probably killed two Roman Emperors. Yet, chances are good you’ve never heard of it. Lucky […]
Month: February 2023
The First Slaves in Virginia – 1619 as a Tragic Year in America
While it’s never fun to look at the unfortunate truths of a nation’s past, unfortunate events are often important ones. The first slaves in Virginia are a great example of this. When they arrived at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619, life in colonial Virginia changed. Some of the changes took time, as we’ll see, but […]
Circe Book Review – Is Madeline Miller’s Story Fantastic or a Flop?
This Circe book review describes the Madeline Miller book that appeared in 2020. It is Miller’s retelling of the story of Circe, a Titan witch who appears in a couple of the classics of Greek mythology. We remember Circe best, probably, for the enchantments she places on Odysseus’s men in the Odyssey. So, the first […]
The Library of Ashurbanipal, the Ancient World’s Greatest Library?
If ancient history is your interest at all, you know of the Great Library at Alexandria. It’s not one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but was a major intellectual achievement all the same. But it was not the only major library from ancient times. The Library of Ashurbanipal also ranks among the […]