Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom August 9-16

I realized recently that in any given week, I discover and send out on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ all sorts of fascinating tales and cool facts from history, archaeology and daily life long ago (along with some writing topics), all compacted into brief form. It makes sense to capture my favorites as the week goes by and put them in one handy place for you to read. So, I’m hoping this will become a regular feature coming from my website/blog each week.

Here’s what I enjoyed this week:
A.
I’m going to lead with a hilarious video on the Prometheus myth. The young lady who makes these videos is incredibly talented. I have to admire the mix of contemporary savvy and mythological know-how.

B.
I’m researching ancient wine production. Did you know that archaeological and chemical evidence of wine-related artifacts shows extensive wine production in the Neolithic age (ca. 6000 BCE) in the Taurus Mts of Turkey? Neolithic peoples had wine?! I love when our knowledge moves back and back in time. Turns out the confluence of naturally growing wild Eurasian grapevines and grains such as wheat and barley (that make for a stable settlement) in these upland areas were just the ticket to create wine. What pictures does this bring to your imagination? [My research source is a book called The Origins and Ancient History of Wine, edited by Patrick McGovern, Stuart Fleming and Solomon Katz, newest edition published 2000, most of the research material dates to 1996]

C.
“The Lost World of the London Coffeehouse” Did you know that when the first coffee shack open up in London in 1652, it led almost immediately to a coffee craze? And even more interesting, the economic output of England jumped immediately because people stopped being semi-drunk all the time (water was not safe on its own, so people drank “small beer” instead) and were hyped on caffeine instead? This is a marvelous, though long article. ”The Lost World of the London Coffeehouse” from The Public Domain Review

D.
Too wonderful for words: I found this list of the 25 best literary websites compiled by Jason Diamond. I can’t wait to get reading. 25 Best Literary Websites by Jason Diamond

E.
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know about Sex in Babylon
A lecture from the Oriental Institute by Jerry Cooper, W. W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages Emeritus, The Johns Hopkins University
Warning: this is about an hour long and pretty explicit at times, while being very academic nonetheless. Interesting for what it reveals about the social and legal status of women, attitudes toward sexuality and inequalities therein. Also a good reminder that the ancient world was comfortable with sex in ways we even today might get a little antsy about: in decorations for their houses and as activity in their lives. No Victorian sensibilities here. For those of you interested in my research and writing, the texts and seals shown and discussed in this lecture are from a somewhat different geographical area than I focus on, but there is a good deal of borrowing and influence between these more eastern cultures and the Hittites and Western Anatolian peoples I write about.

F.
Mystery of coins, jewelry, Samaritan ring found in Byzantine garbage pit in Israel:
Archaeological excavations on behalf of the Tel Aviv University and the Israel Antiquities Authority have given rise to a mystery. Researchers are examining what 400 Byzantine coins, 200 Samaritan lamps, gold jewelry, and an ancient ring with an inscription were doing in a refuse pit from the Byzantine period. The excavations, funded by the Israel Land Authority prior to expanding the city of Herzliya, are being conducted in an area located between Kfar Shmaryahu and Rishpon.
Most interesting among the finds: an octagonal ring with parts of verses from the Samaritan Pentateuch engraved in Samaritan script on each of its sides (one side reads: Adonai is his name, another side: One God, and so on). Most of the oil lamps are unused. What all this was doing in the garbage no one has hazarded a guess.
Mystery of Israeli finds in a Byzantine garbage pit

G.
A novel, it’s been said, ‘is the memories we don’t have’. I enjoyed this thoughtful post by Emma Darwin on historical fiction and the ways in which we write in past settings in order to explore the issues of today. Embodying The Past And The Present In Historical Novels, by Emma Darwin