Search
Search Results

Article
Sydney Harbour Bridge Construction
The Sydney Harbour Bridge – affectionately known as The Coathanger by Australians – was opened to great fanfare and a touch of scandal on 19 March 1932 and was the longest steel arch bridge in the world at the time, with a span of 503 metres...

Article
Hei Tiki
The hei tiki is a small personal adornment, fashioned by hand from tough pounamu (New Zealand greenstone or nephrite jade), and is worn around the neck. Hei means something looped around the neck, and tiki is a generic word used throughout...

Article
Traditional Maori Tattoo of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongawera (or simply Te Papa) is New Zealand's innovative national museum situated near the foreshore of beautiful Wellington harbour. Te Papa Tongawera means “container of treasures” in Te Reo Maori, which is the indigenous language...

Image
Mosaic of a Gypsy Girl
Roman mosaic of a gypsy girl, 2nd century CE?, Gaziantep Zeugma, Turkey.

Image
Saint Bacchus Fresco
An 11-12th century fresco of Saint Bacchus (d. 4th century). Monastery of Saint Moses the Abyssinian, Mar Musa or Deir Mar Musa al-Habashi, Nabk, Syria.

Book Review
The Romans and their World: A Short Introduction
The Romans and Their World: A Short Introduction captures the scope and importance of Roman history accurately and briefly. While 250 pages may not be brief to most readers, the scope of the book is to summarize over 1,000 years of history...

Video
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Crash Course World Mythology #26
This week, we're continuing our discussion of heroes by talking about Gilgamesh, star of one of the earliest written hero stories, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was a terrible ancient king who left his kingdom seeking adventure, and eventually...

Video
Rama and the Ramayana: Crash Course World Mythology #27
The next entry in our parade of heroes is Rama, the protagonist of the Ramayana, one of India’s oldest stories. We’re going to be talking about Rama’s importance to Hindu culture, and how Rama fits into Campbell’s idea of the Hero’s Journey...

Book Review
The Food of Oman: Recipes and Stories from the Gateway to Arabia
While most people think of Middle Eastern cuisine, images of “Persian,” “Turkish,” or “Lebanese” food immediately come to thought. Set between the crossroads of East Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and the Spice Islands, the Sultanate...

Video
A Day in the Life of an Ancient Babylonian Business Mogul
Follow Beltani, a Babylonian priestess and businesswoman, as she investigates who is undermining her barley fields and tavern. — It's 1762 BCE. As dawn breaks in the Babylonian city of Sippar, Beltani— a priestess and businesswoman—...