During a trip down a research rabbit hole, I first found an article about Mesopotamian magic stones and then a translation of Sumerian poetry that feels tragically appropriate for this contemporary moment when so many must abandon their homes and flee for their lives.
For a writer, assembling the precise details regarding the magical medicines of a Hittite healing priestess can be a challenge. There’s an abundance of mentions in ancient texts, but too often we don’t know what the words actually refer to. Here’s a clever detective story of how scholars identified one of these “lost” plants used in medico-magical rites.
Have you ever wondered where the pharaohs got the idea of representing power and identity with an Egyptian cartouche? The answer involves both magical rituals and propaganda, according to David Lightbody.
