Tonight’s sundown marks the start of one of the most confusing holidays to spell – Hanukkah! Or Chanukah. Or Chanukkah. But that’s not all. For the first time since 1888, and not to be repeated for 79,043 years, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday each November in the United States, occur on the same day. Some verbal wits on social media have dubbed this very rare occurrence as …drum roll…”Hanu-giving.” Others are calling it “Thanksgivukkah.” Whatever the favorite, at least it has 79,043 years to catch on. Continue reading
Category Archives: Public Life
When Holidays Collide and Facebook Rules: Hanukkah + Thanksgiving = Thanksgivukkah
Posted in Blog, Culinary, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Religion
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Hanukkah, holidays, Judaism, latkes, Maccabees, Seleucids, Thanksgiving, Thanksgivukkah
Calling All Teachers! Showcase Your Best Ideas With AntiquityNOW!
Author: Shirley K. Gazsi, President of AntiquityNOW
As we all know, teachers are some of the hardest working, most dedicated
professionals around. In the last few days I saw firsthand the caliber and quality of this field at the National Council for the Social Studies conference.
St. Louis Gateway Arch
AntiquityNOW was selected from more than 90 proposals to give a poster session on our organization and our prototype Yesterday’s Child, which is a comprehensive, culturally immersive curricular series about ancient cultures and their legacies today. I also attended the conference to understand the prevailing issues in teaching social studies today and to gain an appreciation of how AntiquityNOW can serve as a resource to the educational community. At our poster session and the many gatherings I attended, I discussed collaborative opportunities with teachers as well as other folks from nonprofit organizations representing a broad array of interests. Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Ancient Greek Baklava
The holiday season is upon us and sweets are everywhere. Whether it’s cookies, cupcakes or candy, everyone enjoys indulging his or her sweet tooth. This season, celebrate the past and stand out from the crowd with a delicious ancient recipe.
Baklava is a popular dish originally made in the former Ottoman Empire that can also be found in Central and Southwest Asia. While you may have enjoyed a slice of this sweet, rich pastry in a local Greek or Turkish restaurant, you probably haven’t tasted baklava made the ancient Greek way. This recipe is a version of baklava called gastrin, or γάστριν in Greek. It contains the mix of ingredients that distinguishes its layered flavor. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Religion
Tagged ancient history, ancient recipes, AntiquityNOW, baklava, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Gastrin, Greek, Ottoman Empire, petimezi
Terrorism in the Ancient World: Part 2
In the modern age, terrorism dominates the news headlines more frequently than we would like, and yet the term and its use are often relatively employed and dependent upon the parties involved. This is, in part, due to the fact that the term terrorism is politically and emotionally charged, “a word with intrinsically negative connotations that is generally applied to one’s enemies and opponents.”[1] For this article, terrorism will be defined as the “political violence in an asymmetrical conflict that is designed to induce terror and psychic fear (sometimes indiscriminate) through the violent victimisation and destruction of non-combatant targets (sometimes iconic symbols).”[2] Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Culture, Human Rights, Politics, Public Life, Religion, War and Violence
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Great Fire of Rome, Hashashin, Iceni, Jewish-Roman Wars, Nero, Queen Boudica, Sicarii, terrorism
Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World
*This post was originally published on October 1, 2013. Don’t miss a new article about ancient warfare coming next Tuesday, November 19th. The new post will focus on terrorism throughout antiquity.
Soldiers drill in their gas masks during WWI.
Chemical warfare has been a hot topic recently due to the ongoing crisis in Syria. This is just the latest of numerous modern-day examples when nations have implemented chemical weapons to further their own agendas. The most memorable examples are World War I, World War II and the Iran-Iraq War. Unfortunately, the use of chemical weapons dates back a lot earlier than the beginning of the 20th century–namely 10,000 BCE. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Culture, Human Rights, Science and Technology, War and Violence
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, chemical warfare, gas, Greeks, poison, San, Syria, toxikon
Cultural Racketeering and Why it Matters: Robbing the World of History
*Below is a Huffington Post article by Deborah Lehr, Chair of the Capitol Archaeological Institute. AntiquityNOW is an affiliate of the Institute. The article raises critical points elucidating the nexus of cultural heritage, economic viability and criminal racketeering—issues reflecting a sad and ancient saga of looted treasures and lost inheritance.
Many of us are familiar with crimes committed by organized gangs, from drug running, the weapons trade, to the sex trade. However, there is one kind of crime, the looting and trade of antiquities that is on par with these abhorrent black market businesses, yet seldom discussed. The illegal trade in art and antiquities or cultural racketeering is one of the top five most profitable illegal global businesses. It ravages cultural icons and deprives local communities of their heritage. If we don’t take a stand, we are not just allowing these criminals to steal our common history, but also the future economic potential of these communities. Continue reading
KIDS’ BLOG! Diwali, the Festival of Lights
For five days this week, starting on Sunday, November 3, Hindus around the world will celebrate Diwali, or Deepavali, the Festival of Lights. Diwali marks the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. Lamps are lit, colored lights dance against dark skies and fireworks explode in fiery celebration. People exchange gifts, often of gold, dress up in new clothes, prepare special dishes and sweets, and with this celebration acknowledge the gods for giving humans health, wealth, peace and prosperity. Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Holidays, Kids Blog, Kids: Culture, Kids: Holidays, Kids: Public Life, Kids: Religion, Religion
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, black hole, Diwali, good and evil, Hinduism, holidays, light and dark, religion
Guardians of the “Gate to Hell” Discovered Just in Time for Halloween
Image courtesy of Jim Pennucci
During the coming weeks, people around the world will celebrate the supernatural and pay respects to the spirit world on holidays such as Halloween, El Dia de los Muertos, the Obon Festival and the Teng Chieh festival. While holidays arose for different reasons, they each have a connection to the “other side” where the spirits of those who have gone before still dwell. And now, almost as if on cue, a group of Italian archaeologists has announced an exciting discovery at the ancient “Gate to Hell,” reminding us that our fascination with the afterlife is nothing new. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Holidays, Public Life, Religion
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Cerberus, Gate to Hell, Greek, Halloween, Hierapolis, Phrygia, Pluto's Gate, Roman, Turkey
Immersion in Ancient Times: Yesterday’s Child Series Brings the Past to Life
It was a wonderful time with social studies teachers and administrators at the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies annual conference last Wednesday, October 23. AntiquityNOW had an exhibit and welcomed much interest in our programs. Next month AntiquityNOW will be a poster at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference on November 22 in St. Louis, Missouri. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Education, Public Life
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, china, education, Qin Shi Huang
AntiquityNOW 