When I visited the site in Turkey that archaeologists generally agree is Homer’s Troy, I felt a sizzle of excitement to be surrounded by the remains of a place so dear to my heart. But, I’ll confess, imaging Troy in its grandeur isn’t easy when you visit. It’s a complicated joy that can benefit from knowing the history of the site, which makes me welcome this enjoyable introduction in the Smithsonian’s recent article “In Search of Troy.”
I bring you a delightful change of pace: a guest interview with Simon Rose, author of The Stone of the Seer, a YA historical fantasy adventure set in the English Civil War.
For a writer, assembling the precise details regarding the magical medicines of a Hittite healing priestess can be a challenge. There’s an abundance of mentions in ancient texts, but too often we don’t know what the words actually refer to. Here’s a clever detective story of how scholars identified one of these “lost” plants used in medico-magical rites.
My current fiction project, the 4th book in the Tesha series, has taken me to Hattusa, the Hittite Empire’s capital. The archaeology presents a complicated picture. This city, lost to human memory, began its gradual rediscovery in 1906. A lecture by Andreas Schachner, director of the German Archaeological Institute’s excavations at Hattusa since 2006, gives enjoyable insight into this vast archaeological dig.
One of the most unexpected details of life among the Hittites and Sumerians that I learned early on was that people drank beer through straws. Recently, I was able to fill out how communal beer drinking with straws really worked in the ancient Middle East. Learn to party like a Sumerian or Hittite.
Archaeological news about ancient games always catches my eye. Games of strategy and puzzles play a significant role in my historical fantasy novels where I created one named Sphinx and Griffin. In Oman, archaeologists found a stone game board dating roughly to 2500-2000 BCE.
Griffins are my favorite mythical beast. So, a 4th century BCE Scythian archaeological find of silver griffins perched around divinities caught my attention.
When I read Oedipus Rex in high school, my teacher stated that exposure of infants was standard Greek practice. Turns out, she and generations of historians were misinformed. There’s a clear and convincing case for the ancient Greek nurture of disabled infants. Which doesn’t surprise me at all.
Who’s up for a Coptic magical papyrus to banish a fever? Here’s my pandemic-appropriate exploration into a later magical tradition with surprising similarities to the Bronze Age Hittites I usually write about.
I wish you good health, peace, and happiness this winter season in the company of those you love. With the birth of a grandbaby, my husband and I have so much to celebrate and lots to look forward to in the new year. I hope you’re also finding joys, small or large. Here’s a bit of entertaining history appropriate for holiday parties, evidence of some very early celebrations with beer.
