In Zombie Apocalypse, Part 1: The Lamentable History of Zombies we examined the backstory of zombies and how Haitian voodoo and African mythology contributed to their embedding in religious and cultural beliefs. Today we are exploring how the zombie became a pop culture phenomenon. Continue reading
Category Archives: Celebrities
Zombie Apocalypse, Part 2: Zombies and Pop Culture
Posted in Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Blog, Celebrities, Culture, Literature, Public Life, Science and Technology, Science Fiction
Tagged ancient history, ancient zombies, AntiquityNOW, George A. Romero, jiang shi, kyonshi, Martin Luther King, Night of the Living Dead, ro-langs, The Walking Dead, vetala, zombie, zombie apocalypse
A Modern Makeover for an Ancient Religion: The Norse Gods Find a New Earthly Home
We see them on the big screen, bashing about aliens and each other, ruling over fantastical worlds and wielding extraordinary weapons. Their hair is perfect, muscles rippled and jaw chiseled. While Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston do a remarkable job of portraying the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Loki, it is likely few moviegoers are aware these are not just superheroes, sprung from the mind of a talented writer. These are important figures in an ancient religion. And now, after thousands of years, the Norse gods are getting a brand new temple, the first since the Viking age. Before we explore this new phase of the Norse religion, let’s venture into its past and find out how it all began. Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Blog, Celebrities, Culture, Public Life, Religion
Tagged ancient history, ancient religion, AntiquityNOW, Loki, Norse gods, Norse mythology, Odin, Thor, Vikings
How Advertising Helped Write History, Part 2
Don’t miss Part 1 of this fascinating series! And now, on to Part 2…
Winning wars
During the World Wars in the twentieth century, often a simple poster with a powerful message was enough to persuade people to do their patriotic and moral duty. Here are a few key advertisements that made history and could have tipped the scales towards victory. Continue reading
King Tut Controversy: The Controversial Portrait of a Boy King
Recently Zahi Hawass, prominent Egyptian archaeologist, spoke out against a high profile television program called Tutankamun: The Truth Uncovered produced for the BBC and Smithsonian Channel, saying it “reveals lies, not the truth.”[1] He points out that the reconstruction of the boy king’s face is completely distorted and not based on scientific evidence and that the characterization of his hips as “feminine” is also incorrect and not based in fact. Continue reading
Halloween, “The War of the Worlds” and Why We Love Flying Machines
“War-of-the-worlds-tripod” by Henrique Alvim Correa,1906
Happy Halloween! AntiquityNOW has been celebrating Halloween this year with blog posts about doppelgangers, the origins of tricks and treats, modern and 2,000 year old ghost stories, and now, an original short story by author Victoria Weisfeld.
For inspiration Weisfeld draws from the legend of the events of October 31, 1938 when American producer, playwright and actor Orson Welles presented the CBS radio play, The War of the Worlds, adapted from the 1898 novel of the same name penned by British author H.G. Wells. The play centers around what happens when a Martian craft lands in the small, rural community of Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, which is the setting of Weisfeld’s short story. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Celebrities, Culture, Holidays, Literature, Meteorology, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology, Science Fiction
Tagged ancient aliens, ancient science fiction, ancient space ships, AntiquityNOW, H.G. Wells, Halloween, Mahabharata, Orson Welles, Ramayana, The War of the Worlds
Roman Gladiators: How They Compare to Modern Sporting Heroes
UPDATE! This post was originally published on April 4th, 2013. American football season is in full swing and the players are back in the news for their behavior on and off the field. As the NFL grapples with scandal, the game goes on and fans all over the country are gathering each week, suiting up in their best team apparel, breaking out the tailgate, switching on the big screen or even traveling to the stadium to cheer on their favorite players and teams. We thought this would be a perfect time to republish this post about the similarities between our modern sporting celebrities and the ancient heroes of the gladiatorial games. You’ll be amazed to learn how much our modern athletes have in common with their ancient counterparts. And don’t miss Part 1 of this 2-part series, Super Bowl XLVII and the Superstars of Ancient Rome, which illuminates even more fascinating comparisons. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Celebrities, Public Life, Sports
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, art history, football, gladiators, Pompeii, sports, Super Bowl
Mulan: The Journey From Ancient Tale to Disney Blockbuster
In our blog series on the historic origins of Disney films, we’ve found that being literary archaeologists pays off. Digging into these films reveals layer upon layer of historic events and tales from all over the globe, each serving as inspiration for the next generation of storytellers, and culminating in the present-day retellings that we now experience at the movies. Continue reading
The Ancient Roots of Disney’s Blockbuster Film “Frozen”
In our previous post, The Disneyfication of Pocahontas and the True Story of Uleleh, we explored the origins of the Disney film Pocahontas and discovered that it has a deeper, more complex history than we thought. In today’s post, we delve into another Disney film, Frozen, which is said to be based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. Interestingly, there are speculations that Andersen’s fairy tales were actually inspired by Norse mythology, so we decided to examine The Snow Queen for these literary remnants. Join us as we peel back the layers of history to see how an ancient culture eventually gave rise to a 21st-century Oscar-winning animated film. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Celebrities, Culture, Literature, Public Life, Recreation
Tagged ancient history, Anna, AntiquityNOW, Disney, Elsa, Frozen, Hans Christian Anderson, Norse mythology, Odin, Skaði, The Snow Queen
The Disneyfication of Pocahontas and the True Story of Uleleh
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
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
The Egyptian Uprising and the Future of Antiquity: An Interview with Zahi Hawass
For years Zahi Hawass was a superstar among Egyptologists and one would say, archaeologists in general. Even those who weren’t archaeologists or in related fields were familiar with him. Not only did he have his own program on the History Channel, he appeared frequently on shows on the Discovery and National Geographic channels. He was an author and a passionate advocate for cultural preservation. Held in favor by the Egyptian government—even appointed as the Minister of Antiquities in 2011 by President Hosni Mubarak—he was lauded for raising Egypt’s profile in the world. However, fortune and politics can be lethal twins. After the toppling of the Mubarak government, Hawass became a persona non grata in his own country. He lost his TV show, was arrested by the Egyptian government (and later released) and was heaved unceremoniously out of his office and the spotlight. And with the ongoing unrest in Egypt, he has much to ponder as to the future of his country and the fate of Egyptian heritage. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Celebrities, Crime, Culture, Education, Human Rights, Politics, Public Life, War and Violence
Tagged ancient history, antiquities, AntiquityNOW, archaeology, cultural preservation, Egypt, Egyptology, Hosni Mubarak, interview, looting, Zahi Hawass
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