Happy Holidays & Mesopotamia Mystery
Happy holidays to you with cookies, of course. And in case you need something to escape the festivities, here’s a murder mystery at an archaeological dig in Mesopotamia.
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Weekly Posts
The Roman Trojan War Mosaic
You might remember my post about the Trojan War mosaic found in a Roman villa in England not so long ago. If you are a fan of mosaics, Roman Britain, the Iliad, or history and archaeology in general, you’ll love this update and its excellent video display of each of the mosaic’s panels.
Review of The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
With The Hidden Palace, follow-up to her historical fantasy The Golem and the Jinni, Wecker returned with a layered novel of many complex characters, including even richer developments of the golem and jinni, completely intriguing magical beings. Here’s my review of this enticing book.
Cleopatra’s Tomb: Archaeological Wishful Thinking?
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?
The World’s First Recipes: Babylonian Cooking
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.
The Burial Treasures of King Tutankhamun
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.
Egyptian Sacred Portal
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.
Medusa Told Right
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.
Roman-Era Mosaic Of Trojan War, Hercules, Neptune
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.
Review of Three Great Lies by Vanessa MacLellan
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.