A.
Brighten your day. Hamlet’s Polonius gives advice to Aspiring Writer. You will laugh at Tinney Heath’s post. Link to Historical Fiction Research, Tinney’s excellent blog
B.
The efficacy of fiction in history: stories of working women in 19thC West. A quantitative historian turns to fiction as the best way to communicate “history from the bottom up.” I loved this thoughtful post by M. Louisa Locke. Link to Historical Fiction ebooks (which is a blog about so much more than it sounds like… One of my favorites)
C.
Historical Fiction goes MOOC (free online courses taught by renowned university professors). Check out this interesting development. This class is taught by Bruce Holsinger from the Department of English at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He’s got an amazing line-up of historical fiction authors as guests, including Geraldine Brooks, Yangsze Choo, Katherine Howe, and others. He even takes on the ethics and efficacy of MOOC’s in general. Link to Burnable Books Blog (now there’s an enticing title…)
D.
Early Halloween Adventure:
Excavation in Turkey reveals a 2,000 yr old skeleton with a mask on its face that may be part of a ceremony of Dionysos. Similar masks found in Rome. Okay, so way before Halloween was invented… Link to Archaeology News Network (not always the most articulate articles, but frequently full of fascination)
E.
Lost city of Ullis found in Turkey
Cuneiform documents fr 3,000 B.C. and seal stamps of Hittite kings obtained during three excavation seasons show that this area was an important city. Papyris documents mention Ullis as the home of the Biblical Abraham. I haven’t figured out the dualing written revelations on cuneiform tablets and papyris that this article mentions. They are from two very different worlds and times… Still interesting story. Link to Archaeology News Network
F.
Tintern Abbey—love your Wordsworth. Nancy Bilyeau describes the glory & history of a treasure lost when Henry VIII dissolved monasteries. Link to A Bloody Good Read Blog (Another goodie)
G.
In memoriam. Elmore Leonard’s 10 Tips for Writers via Janet Rudolph. Link to Mystery Fanfare (A must blog to follow for mystery readers)
H.
The Latin teacher in me (who was a closet Hellenist all those years) loves this one. Those self-righteous Romans turn out to have made up their “we’re such simple folk origins.” Okay, we knew that already, but now there’s archaeological proof!
Newly uncovered site at Gabii east of Rome in Italy shows Romans had grand architectural ambitions much earlier than previously thought. So much for the myth of early conservatism and simplicity. Link to Archaeological News Network
I.
This is a topic that gets a lot of debate among scholars of the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age, but it’s great to see it discussed in the Huffington Post.
Evidence that extended drought may have caused decline of Hittite Empire and Mycenaeans. New core sample evidence strengthens this view of why such disastrous population shifts and empire collapse occurred at the end of the Bronze Age. Link to the Huff Post
I think this roundup is a great idea
Love roundups like this. Good idea. Thank you Judith!
I love item H.
Can’t blame the Greeks for everything.
I’m with you, Bob! I enjoyed this piece showing the Romans had found their own “degeneracy” before they started messing with the Greeks. The whole notion of their simple past has always been so highly manufactured.
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