Here are the topics from around the web that I found intriguing this week:
A.
Downton Abbey: find out how that muddy pig scene really came about and other insights with the handsome new star, Julian Ovenden, playing Charles Blake, the first man to stand up to Lady Mary. An interview w/ both substance and fun by Nancy Bilyeau on DuJour Magazine. Link here
B.
Lovers of ancient & medieval helmets & armor: a gorgeous overview on Adam Alexander Haviaras’s Writing the Past. Starring role to Mycenaean boar tusk helmet. Link here
C.
Are the Sixties “historical fiction” yet? Has anyone done justice to that decade’s complexities? Essay by Richard Sharp on Sarah Johnson’s Reading the Past. Link here
D.
When dental decay is a good thing: Scientists unlock microbial Pompeii fr ancient tooth crud. I find it amazing what can be drawn from the silent remains of the past these days. Sort of creepy, but also cool Link here
E.
Looking forward to the latest by a favorite author, Elizabeth Speller. HNS review is up of ‘At Break of Day’ set within WWI: “beautifully observed story of the experiences of four men who are enlisted to fight in this most terrible of conflicts.” Elizabeth’s language reflects her dual roles as poet and novelist and I can’t wait to read this one. The lingering effects of WWI have always been in her books, but this one sounds like it has gone into the mouth of the beast. Link here
F.
Global climate change appears likely culprit for fall of Bronze Age cities in Indus, Egyptian, Mycenaean and Cretan cultures. Latest evidence for Indus connects w/ previous views of Aegean. If such massive shifts in human life can be caused by naturally occurring climate change, I shudder to think what’s happening with us pushing it along. Link here
G.
Jason and the Argonauts sail again. Or at least the Argo does. A ship constructed of ancient materials and methods and conforming to the mythic description of the Argo is harboring in the Greek port city of Volos. Sounds like a fun way to travel, but I want good food more than a golden fleece on my trip. Can we have a great chef on board when we sail? Who’s joining me? Link here