Project History

Romulus and Remus - The Mythical Founding of Rome

2009-03-01T18:30:00.001-08:00

The stories behind the beginning of a civilization or culture play a big part in shaping the way the culture views itself, whether they are true or not. For example, the George Washington cherry tree story teaches Americans that our first president (and therefore, theoretically all those that followed) was an honest man that could not tell a lie.The same thing is true in the legends surrounding

Great PBS series on Churchill : 'Chasing Churchill'

2008-08-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

The past two weekends, I managed to catch the first two episodes of the 3-part PBS series CHASING CHURCHILL: IN SEARCH OF MY GRANDFATHER. It is excellent.In the series, Churchill's granddaughter Celia Sandys travels about visiting many of the places that Churchill visited. The series spans from Churchill's formative years to WW2 and beyond. What is really great is that Ms Sandys encounters

Government of the Roman Republic - Consuls

2008-03-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

The consuls were the two highest elected officials in the Roman Republic. They were elected by the comitia centuriata, and almost all other magistrates within the Republic had to follow orders and submit to the will of the consuls.Consuls’ terms of office lasted one year. If one of the consuls died while in office or had to resign, the remaining consul might be allowed to rule alone, depending

Roman Assembly in the Republic - the Comitia Tributa

2008-03-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

The comitia tributa was an assembly just for plebeians or the “tribes” of Rome. This plebeian assembly started with minimal power, but its power grew as the republic evolved and the balance of power shifted from one group to another.Like the centuries, the pleb assembly had the power to make laws. At first, the comitia tributa only had the power to pass non-binding resolutions. This is similar

The Roman Assembly During the Republic - Comitia Centuriata

2008-03-03T05:32:00.000-08:00

In time, the comitia centuriata became the true legislative body of the Roman Republic. When we talk about SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus – the Senate and People of Rome), “people” refers to the citizens; the citizens were the comitia centuriata.This body was made up of groups of citizens called centuraie or centuries. Centuries each had one vote to cast, and the vote was cast based on how a

The Roman Assembly During the Republic - Comitia Curiata

2008-02-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

The comitia curiata was one of the earliest popular assemblies of Rome. There is some debate as to when it began, but likely the comitia curiata began meeting just prior to the creation of the Republic (prior to 509 BC), when Rome was still ruled by kings.The comitia curiata was possibly the first popular legislative body of Rome. That is, it was the first body with the power to approve or

Government of the Roman Republic - The Senate

2008-02-28T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Roman senate had much of the real power during the time of the republic. The senate was made up of 300 powerful Roman men (although it was increased to as many as 900 in the later years of the republic). Many Roman senators had held another high office before being appointed to the senate. In fact, once a Roman had served in a high office in the republic (consul, praetor, etc…), he was

Presidential Birthdays

2008-02-18T07:25:00.001-08:00

When we think of presidential birthdays, we automatically go to Washington and Lincoln being born in February. I took a list of the presidents and sorted them by month so we can easily put their birthdays on our calendars. Now if we could just get the furniture stores and car dealerships to have big sales on all of these days...By the way, the most common birth month for presidents so far is

In Flanders Fields

2007-11-11T06:13:00.000-08:00

In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved, and were loved, and now we lieIn Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to

King Tut on Display in Tomb

2007-11-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

King Tut was moved today from his sarcophagus to a glass, climate controlled box. Apparently, the mummy is deteriorating much faster than it should inside the sarcophagus.Here is a video from CNN of King Tut being examined and moved.

Brigadier General Paul Tibbets Dead at 92

2007-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Brigadier General Paul Tibbets, the pilot of Enola Gay, the B-29 that carried the first atomic weapon to its target in 1945, died today at his Columbus, Ohio home.Here are a few links and obituaries I found particularly interesting.Some republished interviews with Gen. Tibbets from 1999NPR ObituaryAn Editorial/Obit from Editor & PublisherNewspaper requesting comment on TibbetsI think Tibbets

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here's my Halloween post from last year....It's a timeless classic...Mummification in Ancient Egypt

Pacific Islanders Were Well Traveled

2007-10-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

New discoveries and research by the University of Queensland show that the ancients of Tahiti may have traveled by canoe from their home to the Hawaiian Islands, 2500 miles away.Read more from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Nut - the Egyptian Sky Goddess

2007-10-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

One of my personal favorites of the ancient Egyptian pantheon is Nut the sky goddess.There are various versions of Nut myths and manifestations, but my favorite is the one that depicts Nut as a giant blue cow standing over us (i.e. the sky).The image below (public domain) depicts Nut the cow. The gentleman supporting her underbelly is Shu the god of air.Nut was also the mother of Osiris, Seth,

Narmer - the First Pharaoh

2007-10-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Pharaoh Narmer, also referred to as Menes, is often called the first pharaoh of the first dynasty of a unified Egypt. There is debate as to whether or not Narmer actually existed, or if he was simply the pharaoh archetype designed to represent the ideal king.Real or not, Narmer is credited with unifying Upper and Lower Egypt somewhere around 3100BC. His feats are displayed on the palette below.

Role of the Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt

2007-10-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

The pharaohs of ancient were kings (and queens), yes, but they were really much more than that. The pharaoh was the symbolic father of all of the citizens of Egypt. It was believed that the pharaoh was a direct relative of the sun god Ra (basically the father of the other gods), so it makes sense that one of the pharaoh's main duties was to care for his people as a father cares for his

Large Bath Complex Found in Rome

2007-07-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Archaeologists are busy uncovering what appears to be a an extensive bath complex among the ruins of an ancient Roman estate.Check out the AP story from the San Jose Mercury News.

Spicy Peppers Apparently a Staple in Ancient Central America

2007-07-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Via press release from the Smithsonian...(photo credit: Linda Perry, Smithsonian Institution)One of the world’s tastiest and most popular cuisines, Mexican food, also may be one of the oldest. Plant remains from two caves in southern Mexico, analyzed by a Smithsonian ethnobotanist / archaeologist and a colleague, indicate that as early as 1,500 years ago, Pre-Columbian inhabitants of the region

General Groves' Memo to Secretary of War Stimson about 'The Test'

2007-07-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

On July 18, 1945, General Leslie Groves, the military commander in charge of the Manhattan Project, sent a memorandum to Secretary of War Henry Stimson about the test at Trinity Site. Here are some highlights...The test was successful beyond the most optimistic expectations of anyone. Based on the data which it has been possible to work up to date, I estimate the energy generated to be in

Potsdam Conference

2007-07-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

On July 17, 1945, leaders of the "Big Three" - the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain - met in Potsdam, Germany to confer about and clarify how war-torn Europe would be handled.President Harry S Truman also had an ace-in-the-hole concerning the war still raging in the Pacific versus Imperial Japan. He knew of the successful test of America's new wonder weapon the day before in

The Day the Sun Rose Twice - The First Atomic Explosion

2007-07-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

It was just before 5:30 am in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. Most were still in slumber. Even in New York City, where the sun was already up, the world's financial capital was just starting its day.At 5:29:45, the world was changed forever. The first atomic bomb was detonated atop a tower in the New Mexico desert, sending a mushroom cloud 5 miles into the predawn sky. The scientists that

Rosetta Stone Discovered in 1799

2007-07-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

It was during the French occupation (under Napoleon) of Egypt that the key to our current understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics was discovered near the town of Rosetta (el Rashid).The stone was a priestly decree written in three languages. First, it was written in ancient hieroglyphics, the sort of "official" script of religion even at this late date in Egyptian history (around 200 BC

Greek Temple In Italy Recovered

2007-06-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

Long before Rome was the most powerful city and civilization in the world, the Greeks had colonies in Italy.This AP story talks about the recent looting of a newly discovered Greek temple in southern Italy and the attempt by construction workers to cover their tracks.

'Stronger' Nations 'Win' 61% of Conflicts Since WW2

2007-06-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

From a University of Georgia press release...Despite overwhelming military superiority, the world’s most powerful nations failed to achieve their objectives in 39 percent of their military operations since World War II, according to a new University of Georgia study. The study, by assistant professor Patricia L. Sullivan in the UGA School of Public and International Affairs, explains the

Ancient Rome Lives on -- Digitally

2007-06-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing project from the University of Virginia. See part of the press release below...----June 11, 2007 -- ROME -- Rome's Mayor Walter Veltroni will officiate at the first public viewing of "Rome Reborn 1.0," a 10-year project based at the University of Virginia and begun at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to use advanced technology to digitally rebuild ancient Rome.