Social History Archive
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Observation and Prediction in Ancient Astrology
Posted on January 26, 2012 | No CommentsIn the absence of a solar calendar, such observations of the annual risings and settings of the fixed stars allowed the ancient farmer or sailor to situate the current day in the context of the solar year and its seasons. -
On the Egyptian origin of the domestic cat
Posted on January 26, 2012 | No CommentsThe traditional opinion is that the cat was domesticated in place in Egypt from wild local stock. SCHAUENBERG (1972) contradicted this hypothesis by showing that the cranial index (ic = cranium length/volume of encephalic cavity) of the modern domestic cat was closer to that of the steppe cat (Felis ornata) of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan than that of the wild Libyan desert cat (Felis libyca). -
On the Explanation of the Wealthy Slave in Classical Athens
Posted on January 25, 2012 | No CommentsUsing Classical research on the institution of households and basic risk vs. return logic, I expand upon my previous points to show that the Athenian way of maintaining households was the optimal way to minimize risk. -
Animal spectacula of the Roman Empire
Posted on January 25, 2012 | No CommentsAlthough gladiatorial spectacles in ancient Rome have been the subject of a great deal of recent scholarly literature, comparatively little attention has been paid to the contemporary animal spectacles... -
Beer in Greco-Roman antiquity
Posted on January 25, 2012 | No CommentsAn article about Roman and Greek Beer making. -
Childbirth Votives and Rituals in Ancient Greece
Posted on January 25, 2012 | No CommentsIn my conclusions I summarize the patterns of ritual that accompanied reproduction and analyze the iconography of the childbirth votives within the broader context of artistic depictions of birth. -
The Archaeology of Food in Athens: The Development of an Athenian Urban Lifestyle
Posted on January 24, 2012 | No CommentsThe study of the archaeological evidence concerning food has always been a rather fertile approach towards understanding human culture. The modern phrase “you are what you eat” can be applied to the varied lifestyles and identities formed by all human cultures. -
Lupercalia: The True Origins of St Valentine’s Day
Posted on January 22, 2012 | No CommentsLupercalia is uniquely Roman, but even the Romans of the first century were at a loss to explain exactly which deity or deities were being exalted. It harkens back to the days when Rome was nothing more than a few shepherds living on a hill known as Palantine and was surrounded by wilderness teeming with wolves. -
Wet-nursing in the Roman Empire: Indifference, efficiency and affection
Posted on January 13, 2012 | No CommentsWet-nursing has been an important topic in discussions about childhood in history. The prevalence of the practice has led many scholars to conclude that attitudes towards children were predominantly negative in the past. -
Hygienic conditions in ancient Rome and modern London
Posted on January 12, 2012 | No CommentsThe Romans fully appreciated the importance of a plentiful and wholesome supply of water, for domestic purposes, to the health of the community.