Tag Archives: ancient world

Book of January 25, 2010

I, Claudius, by Robert Graves

cover of I, Claudius, by Robert Graves
Graves never had any scruples about making things up, but he didn’t need to do all that much, here: the last years of the Roman Republic and first of the Empire were some of the least boring in history.
Posted in Reviews | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

Puzzle of January 10, 2010

Two millennia

cover of Two millennia
Easy
Medium
Hard
The Alcántara Bridge was built in 104-106 CE by Trajan's legions.
Posted in Puzzles | Also tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Puzzle of January 9, 2010

Warriors of ice

cover of Warriors of ice
Easy
Medium
Hard
Ice version of the terra cotta army, carved for the Harbin Ice Festival, 2009. Credit: ulrichsson.
Posted in Puzzles | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book of December 30, 2009

Good Nonfiction Book of the Decade: 1491, by Charles Mann

cover of Good Nonfiction Book of the Decade: 1491, by Charles Mann
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by Charles Mann.
Posted in Reviews | Also tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book of December 27, 2009

The Kindness of Strangers: The Abandonment of Children in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance, by John Boswell

cover of The Kindness of Strangers: The Abandonment of Children in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance, by John Boswell
Before there was tvtropes.org (though not, of course, before tropes), Boswell wondered if Doorstop Babies were common in myth and legend because they are like quicksand or like divorce.
Posted in Reviews | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book of October 25, 2009

Ulysses Found, by Ernle Bradford

cover of Ulysses Found, by Ernle Bradford
Bradford matched places in the Odyssey with Mediterranean geography, by using his knowledge of sailing and by correcting Homer’s directions for astronomical precession.
Posted in Reviews | Also tagged , , , , | Leave a comment