From My Fantasy Writing Desk
Between distancing requirements and ever thinning resources, helping each other out is a daily challenge. My Tesha would have all sorts of magical rites to dig us out, but unfortunately, she’s fictional. One small thing I can do is give you a free book. An immersive escape into a fantastical past. Download Priestess of Ishana from Amazon free through Saturday April 25. The critically acclaimed follow up, Sorcery in Alpara, is only $2.99. So if you need entertainment that will take you out of your world, here you go.
Archaeology I Enjoyed
Calling All Lovers of Myth
Do you love mythology, well-told tales and the thin line between myth and history? Here’s a brief article describing 4 podcasts focusing on various angles of those topics. They sound like highly professional productions.
I tend not to listen to a lot of podcasts. I prefer active daydreaming and mental plot fiddling while I’m walking, cleaning house and all those other times that a podcast would be good company. However, if you enjoy listening entertainment, here’s good grazing material. Click here for Morning Sun “Podcasts to Listen To: Myths and Legends and the best mythology podcasts to listen to”
Hunter-Gatherers Were Picky Eaters
Thinking about what to eat today? Our cultural preferences and traditions surrounding food apparently began longer ago than I would have imagined. You would think hunter-gatherers would eat based on availability primarily. Interestingly, that assumption doesn’t reflect the new evidence. I found it fascinating to reflect on how much meaning we attach to food preparation and selection among those available. This article has me imagining a hunter-gatherer gathering and the role of the meals in that dynamic of group identity.
Here are some clips from the article:
Hunter-gatherer groups living in the Baltic between seven and a half and six thousand years ago had culturally distinct cuisines, analysis of ancient pottery fragments has revealed. An international team of researchers analyzed over 500 hunter-gatherer vessels from 61 archaeological sites throughout the Baltic region.
They found striking contrasts in food preferences and culinary practices between different groups – even in areas where there was a similar availability of resources. Pots were used for storing and preparing foods ranging from marine fish, seal and beaver to wild boar, bear, deer, freshwater fish hazelnuts and plants.
The findings suggest that the culinary tastes of ancient people were not solely dictated by the foods available in a particular area, but also influenced by the traditions and habits of cultural groups, the authors of the study say.
“Our study suggests that culinary practices were not influenced by environmental constraints but rather were likely embedded in some long-standing culinary traditions and cultural habits.” Click here for Archaeology News Network “Study Sheds Light On Unique Culinary Traditions Of Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers”