Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom Jan 10-16

 Arizona Historical Novel Society Next Meeting: Saturday, January 24, 1-4 pm

Place: Judith Starkston’s house (email to rsvp and for directions)

Speaker: Ken Johnson

Topic: Book Marketing

Bring a snack or beverage to share or just bring yourself

Info about speaker: Ken Johnson of YourEBookBuilder.com is a professional eBook formatter. He has formatted many eBooks that are available on Amazon and other eBook distributors. Ken has a wealth of knowledge to share on the technical and marketing aspects of eBooks. Ken can help you turn your intellectual property, into income property.

 

And now, here are the posts I enjoyed around the web this week. Lots of them as it turns out.  

Upcoming Lecture: Monsters and Vision in the Preclassical Mediterranean, sponsored by The Archaeology Institute of America Central Arizona Society. Feb 5, 6:00 pm on the ASU Tempe campus. Description in the blog post and location details. Click here for The Archaeology Institute of America Central Arizona Chapter Society Blog about Upcoming Lecture 

A New York Times article about podcasts as the new literary genre by James Atlas. He ends with a reference to Lord’s Singer of Tales about the oral tradition and Homer and he makes the point that this isn’t such a new style of storytelling. But the digital form and the possibilities are quite different. What do you think about “novels” that never see a page but exist only aurally? Does it work as well as reading, better—or is this one more way that we consume storytelling along with the printed page? Click here for The New York Times Sunday Review Hearing is Believing  

Another historical film gone awry: Exodus. This post by an Egyptologist engaged me completely. I like her thinking about how the film mixes myth (which can be told faithfully) and history (which can be told accurately), although I think the mix is more doable than she feels (Ummm. I did write a whole book that mixes them, so I’m hoping I’m right). And I loved her discussion of how and why the inaccuracies make their way into films set in the ancient world. You’d think they’d manage not to put the queen’s crown on the king as a battle helmet, but what do I know? Here’s a quick quote as a sampler. I recommend the whole article even if, like me, you’re unlikely to watch the film itself.

“Yet filmmakers cannot resist the temptation to have people dashing about in chariots as they supervise the building of the Great Pyramids. …It looks good, but in modern terms it would be sort of like William the Conqueror checking his email to see how preparations for his invasion of Britain were going.”

Click here for Kristin Thompson’s post on David Bordwell’s website on cinema, “EXODUS GODS AND KINGS and the myth of authenticity”

In these days when we’re witnessing police response to terrorists and stand offs between mayors and their police forces, Alison Morton has a post on the law enforcers of Ancient Rome. Click here for Alison Morton’s post on “Roman Cops”  

Gold “Theseus” signet ring goes on display at last in Athens. First dug up in the 1950’s it was assumed a fake until proven real. Don’t ask. I don’t know. But I enjoy this gorgeous bull jumping scene from the 15^th Century BCE Mycenaean context all the more because the manuscript, Blessed by a Curse, I’m working on features a gold signet ring from the 13^th C BCE used in the villain’s devious conspiracy—I won’t let on who that villain is. It’s a mystery and you’ll have to read it to figure out. But first I have to finish it J So a good look at this beautiful reminder of the historical background to my imaginings is very enjoyable. This ring would have been pressed into clay to “sign” one’s name or mark an amphora of wine as yours and not to be opened by others, etc. Also doors to storerooms were sealed by a clay plug with such rings so the ruler or his steward knew no one was making off with his goods. Click here for post about the “Theseus” Signet ring on Archaeology News Network 

“This Rough Magic” Tudor-era Seers. Great post by Nancy Bilyeau on the surprising reliance on astrologers etc by Elizabethan rulers and others. Did you know Elizabeth I let her astrologer choose her coronation date? Also good stuff on Nostradamus (from a reliable source, for once!) Click here for English Historical Fiction Authors Blog  post by Nancy Bilyeau “The Rough Magic: Secrets of the Tudor Era” 

 

Interview on Iris Blobel’s blog with Alison McMahan author of The Saffron Crocus. I’ve been an admirer of Alison since we met at HNS in Florida. Here’s a little teaser into her book: “Venice, 1643. Isabella, fifteen, longs to sing in Monteverdi’s Choir, but only boys (and castrati) can do that. Her singing teacher, Margherita, introduces her to a new wonder: opera! Then Isabella finds Margherita murdered.” Click here for Interview with Alison McMahan about The Saffron Crocus on Iris Blobel’s blog. 

 

 

 

Overview of Crime Fiction by a guy in the know on Janet Rudolph’s inimitable blog Mystery Fanfare. I learned a lot. Thanks! Click here for “Charles Rzepka: Crime Fiction” on Janet Rudolph’s Mystery Readers 

A new series about writing historical fiction on Mary Tod’s blog A Writer of History. First up is an interview with Angela Hunt who has written manuals on writing HF as well as a huge number of novels. Click here for “Inside Historical Fiction with Angela Hunt” on Mary Tod’s A Writer of History

 

 

I added this to my bookmark bar. The historical thesaurus of English. Everything you want to know about a word and its relatives. It is organized into categories which opens lots of helpful avenues as one is thinking about a word or idea. Produced over many years by Glasgow University. A perfect tool to pair with the OED.   Click here (and then bookmark it!) for The Historical Thesaurus produced by Glasgow University