Here are some posts from around the web that I enjoyed this week:
The Superintendent of the Archaeological Site of Pompeii has decided on a new way for tourists to celebrate the Christmas holidays. But you might not want to bring the kids. For the holiday season he’s opening up the Thermae (Suburban baths) with their erotic frescoes. The frescoes were advertisements of a sort for the brothel on the floor above the baths. Those Romans certainly knew their relatively tasteful erotica. I’m still a wee bit confused why they aren’t open all the time to those who choose to see and even more confused about why Christmas is the time to encourage unlimited visits. Click here for Archaeology News Network “Pompeii ‘Suburban Baths’ restoration shows off Roman erotic frescoes”
WSJ interview with Bernard Cornwell about what he’s up to these days, bits of his past, why he writes what he does and what his view of that writing is. His answer to why he can be so prolific: “‘I’m not writing literature.’ Literature tackles life’s big questions, while ‘my books are about killing people.’” And other stuff, I’d add… Click here for The Wall Street Journal “Bernard Cornwell: Bringing History to Life”
Need to laugh and enjoy medieval Italian history? Then read this post by Tinney Heath, “Slut-Shaming in the Trecento (and, Poison) (or: How to Distinguish Fake News Six and a Half Centuries Before Snopes)” Click here for Tinney Heath’s Historical Fiction Research “Slut-Shaming in Trecento”
A beautiful fragment of 5th century Attic red figure vase found in southern Italy reminds us how fully Italy was colonized by Greeks well before the Romans became a significant presence in the world. This portrait of Hermes with his caduceus (2 snakes wrapped around a staff) and cap is quite lovely. The article says he’s wearing his winged sandals, but the photo doesn’t reveal that detail. Fun to imagine which story was being depicted, but unless the rest of this pot is still hiding in the dirt, we won’t know. Looks like there’s part of another figure with perhaps some clues. “Reading” Greek vases is a good puzzle. Sometimes they make it easy with little identifying tags written here and there in Greek. But most of the time, you have to know your myths and symbolic attire. Once, when my son was small and I had him on my hip telling him the stories on some vases in the British Museum, I turned to find a crowd gathered behind me listening in. It was pretty funny. Everyone’s a sucker for mythology. Click here for Archaeology News Network “Fragment of Attic red figure vase with image of Hermes found at Paestum”
Donald Maass posted on Writer Unboxed today about “Putting Your Purpose on the Page.” He means the kind of purpose that changes the world (not the whole world, one piece at a time is fine) and isn’t preachy or heavy-handed. He sees this dynamic as two opposing forces in your work. Excellent discussion and given the state of things, writers better get changing them. So I grabbed a scratch pad and made a list of my purpose(s) in the current manuscript. A range came up—I like layers in fiction and these are all related to each other in the context, although they might not sound like it to you. This is a completed manuscript I’m doing a major rework on, so I’ve thought about it a lot. It didn’t surprise me that the list came fast. I liked the list, and it makes me happy to be working. Good to be conscious of what you’re up to. Here’s what I jotted down:
Protecting personal power or position vs. protecting the well-being of the people you govern
Large empire claims territory vs. small nomadic tribes claim same territory
Fudging truth vs. facing truth however uncomfortable
Family ties vs. “global” ties
Patriarchal men in power because the system sustains them vs. intelligent women in power because they earn their way bit by bit
Sounds like current events, but I’m writing the 13th century BCE in the Hittite Empire and these emphases arose from that world not this one. Things don’t change much, do they? Go for the long game.
Click here for Donald Maass’s post “Putting Your Purpose on the Page” on Writer Unboxed