Judith Starkston has spent too much time exploring the remains of the ancient worlds of the Greeks and Hittites. Their myths and clashes inspire her fiction and open gates to magical realms. She has degrees in Classics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and Cornell. She loves myths and telling stories, and her novels imbue fantasy with the richness of ancient worlds. The first book in her Trojan Threads Series, Hand of Fire was a semi-finalist for the M.M. Bennett’s Award for Historical Fiction. Priestess of Ishana, the first in her historical fantasy Tesha series, won the San Diego State University Conference Choice Award. Judith is represented by Richard Curtis.
The location of Cleopatra’s tomb is a longstanding mystery. Is a determined archaeologist narrowing in on uncovering this famed secret or should she appreciate a newly uncovered engineering marvel for its own sake?
In honor of Thanksgiving in the U.S. I’m sharing some very old recipes kept on clay tablets. Have fun watching the recreation of these Babylonian dishes.
In this 100th year since the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, here’s a good answer to that burning question, “Why did Tut have so much more treasure than any of the other Pharaohs?” It’s way beyond escaping the usual plundering.
A museum’s limestone stela, which functioned as an Egyptian sacred portal or false door, hides a more complicated history than it appears, quite beyond its unusual dedication to a woman. Artifacts have both the history of their origins and the tale of their passage through the ages.
I’m sharing the Bookseller’s interview with Natalie Haynes about her new novel Stone Blind. If you enjoy feminist tellings of Greek myth and sharp-witted humor, this is for you, I suspect. Check it out.
In Syria, archaeologists uncovered a magnificently detailed mosaic depicting the Trojan War, Neptune and Hercules. I’m less thrilled than those quoted in the press because–well, the artist’s choice of subject does matter. But Hercules has some gorgeous muscles. Here’s my view.
Here’s my review of a quirky time-slip novel set in Egypt. A modern tourist tumbles into the ancient world and along with a cat-headed girl assists a mummy–and herself–to find happiness.
On my blog, an interview with Simon Rose about Revenge of the Witchfinder, 3rd bk in his Stone of the Seer series, historical fantasy for young adults.
With her Royal Spyness series, Rhys Bowen excels at giving readers lighthearted mysteries with a chewy under layer of thought-provoking elements. I particularly enjoyed Love and Death among the Cheetahs. Here’s my review.
Most ancient armor comes to us via burial goods, but we have virtually no grave gifts from the Hittites, so this bronze helmet from the Hittite royal city of Sapinuwa is a big deal and lots of fun. Even more so that it matches the famous King’s Gate at Hattusa.
