Category Archives: Blog

AntiquityNOW Celebrates the Arts on National Arts Advocacy Day!

Posted on March 25, 2014 | Leave a comment

It’s the 27th annual National Arts Advocacy Day and there are plenty of ways to participate and support the arts wherever you are:

Ask your members of Congress to support the arts. Visit the E-Advocacy Center to send a message in less than two minutes directly to your Representative and Senators telling them why the arts are important to you and your community. Take two minutes and send your message to Congress today!
Become an official member of the Arts Action Fund. It’s free and easy to join.

AntiquityNOW also provides ways to support the arts. Subscribe to the AntiquityNOW newsletter and visit our home page to subscribe to the blog. Visit our Today’s Muse section to see how the ancient arts continue to inspire the arts today.

Modern Technology Brings the Dead Sea Scrolls to Life

Posted on March 25, 2014 | 1 comment

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is undisputedly one of the most important archaeological moments of the last several centuries. In 1947 hundreds of ancient scrolls, including the oldest copy of the Hebrew Bible were found in a remote Judean Desert cave giving us an unprecedented insight into the society, religion and language during the Second Temple Period. To gaze upon and study these scrolls is an incredible opportunity that few have had up to this point. However, thanks to a collaboration between Google and the Israeli Antiquity Authority, anyone with an internet connection is now able to view these stunning pieces of history in high definition. Using the most advanced and innovative imaging technology, the IAA has imaged and uploaded the scrolls to a public online digital library and they’ve recently revamped their website to make the experience even more user-friendly. Technology is once again giving us the ability to understand and appreciate our past. Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Communications, Computer Technology, Culture, Education, Literature, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Christianity, Dead Sea Scrolls, Essene, Google, Israeli Antiquity Authority, Judaism, Leon Levy Digital Library, multispectral imaging, Qumran

KIDS’ BLOG! Archimedes’ Ancient Screw Saves 21st Century Britain From Flooding

Posted on March 20, 2014 | Leave a comment

What do you do when the rains keep coming and floods sweep across your country? As the waters rise and cover your fields and towns, what do you use to save your home? Do you write a fancy new computer program, download the newest anti-flooding app on your phone or design complicated modern robots to deal with it? Well, people in the United Kingdom are facing this very problem and you might be surprised to learn they aren’t turning to modern technology. Instead, they’re looking back to one of antiquity’s greatest scientists and inventors, Archimedes, and to his giant water screws.

Continue reading →

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Salmon Kilawin (Filipino Ceviche)

Posted on March 19, 2014 | 1 comment

As winter makes its last stand and readies itself to give way to a much needed spring, you may be in the mood for a dish that reminds you of a warmer, tropical climate. This week we’re bringing you a recipe that will make you feel as if you’re sitting on a beach, sipping a cool drink and taking in the island breezes. Kilawin is a traditional Filipino seafood dish full of healthy, light and delicious flavors. It is prepared similarly to ceviche and so is often referred to as the Filipino Ceviche. Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture

Tagged ancient cuisine, ancient history, ancient recipes, AntiquityNOW, Bon Appetit Wednesday, ceviche, island cuisine, Kilawin, Philippines, vinegar

St. Patrick’s Day, Leprechauns and Human Folly

Posted on March 17, 2014 | 1 comment

Image courtesy of jpmpinmontreal on Flickr.

So it’s the wearin’ of the green time again. In the United States (which in the 18^th century took a religious holiday and turned it into a green phenomenon) it’s when everyone claims Irish ancestry for the day. Just look around and see all things Irish today: green bagels, green beer, green cupcakes and even a green Chicago River. Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Holidays, Literature, Public Life, Recreation, Religion

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, faeries, green, Ireland, leprechauns, St. Patrick, St. Patrick's Day

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With Ancient Irish Oatcakes

Posted on March 12, 2014 | 4 comments

Monday, March 17^th is St. Patrick’s Day and regardless of nationality many people will don their greenest outfit and celebrate with a pint of green beer. Some may even enjoy a meal of corned beef and cabbage with potatoes, a traditional Irish feast. However, if you want to celebrate in a truly authentic Irish way, throw out the green beer, ignore those potatoes and have some ancient Irish food. The fact is, although the potato is often associated with Ireland, it is actually Peruvian and only came to Ireland in the early 1600s. And green food coloring in your beer won’t bring you any closer to the heart of the Irish. Enjoy some oatcakes with butter and a tall glass of milk and you’ll be sitting down to a meal the Irish have eaten for thousands of years. Continue reading →

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Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture, Holidays, Public Life

Tagged ancient history, ancient recipes, AntiquityNOW, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Irish, Irish butter, irish food, Irish milk, oatcakes, potatoes, St. Patrick's Day

The Disneyfication of Pocahontas and the True Story of Uleleh

Posted on March 11, 2014 | 1 comment

The story of Pocahontas has all the elements of a good drama: danger, the threat of great cruelty, bravery, a hint of romance and prevailing mercy. Who doesn’t like to imagine a beautiful young Native American princess shielding a handsome English soldier just as a warrior’s club is raised to deliver a deadly blow? Continue reading →

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Posted in Art, Blog, Celebrities, Culture, Human Rights, Public Life, Recreation

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Disney, Hernando DeSoto, John Smith, Juan Ortiz, native american, Pocahontas, Uleleh

AntiquityNOW Celebrates International Women’s Day

Posted on March 8, 2014 | Leave a comment

*Click here to see a slideshow of remarkable women throughout history featuring music by the 12th century female composer Hildegard von Bingen.

Nanotechnology and the Ancient Romans: A Breakthrough 1,600 Years in the Making

Posted on March 6, 2014 | 3 comments

Lycurgus Cup

The jade-green chalice with its delicately etched image of King Lycurgus entangled in grapevines is a stunning example of Roman glassmaking. But only upon closer examination can the observer appreciate the true innovation of these Roman artists—their use of nanotechnology. Continue reading →

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Posted in Art, Blog, Culture, Engineering, Science and Technology, Science Fiction

Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, British Museum, dichroic glass, Dionysus, Lycurgus Cup, nanoparticles, nanotechnology, Roman

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Stay Warm With Fasolada, a Lenten Bean Soup Courtesy of Ancient Greek Farmers

Posted on March 5, 2014 | 1 comment

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, a time of preparation leading up to Easter observed by Christians around the world. It lasts for approximately six weeks and is marked by self-denial and abstaining from various foods. Meat is traditionally forbidden during this time. Fasolada, or Greek bean soup, is served during Lent because it is meatless but full of protein and nutrition. While this dish is perfect for the Lenten season, it is often enjoyed year-round and has a rich and ancient history. Continue reading →