Happy Hanukkah from AntiquityNOW: Children’s Crafts for the Festival of Lights

IMG_0862For Jews around the world Hanukkah is a season of family and remembrance, and what better way to celebrate the joy and miracle of this ancient holiday than seeing the ingenuity of students from the Hollis Hills Jewish Center Nursery School in Queens, New York.

Students at the school range from ages 18 months through five years old. The slideshow below illustrates the work of children from three classes. The Lego menorah was created by a student and her father.  The children were learning about the story of the Maccabees and the miracle of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, where a small vessel of olive oil burned in the menorah for eight days at the Holy Temple. The pictures of the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin are translated “Great Miracle Happened There” (in Israel “Here” is substituted). Continue reading

Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery

13th amendment with text copy

The text is as follows:

Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

****************

Also, COMING SOON!! The launch of The Slavery Project by AntiquityNOW. Stay tuned to our blog for more information about this important new educational project.

Chronicling Antiquity in the Digital Age: An Interview With the Founders of Ancient History Encyclopedia

AHE logoAncient History Encyclopedia (AHE) describes itself as a “small non-profit organization dedicated to giving highest-quality history content to the world’s history enthusiasts, teachers, and students for free.”[1] Lofty ideals indeed. But in this world of constant distraction and mind-numbing overload, how many people really care about lives long past? Turns out quite a few. Since its founding in 2009, Ancient History Encyclopedia has become the global leader in ancient history content online, attracting more monthly traffic than the British Museum or the Louvre. It’s secret? Find out below in our exclusive interview with AHE Founder and CEO Jan van der Crabben and Co-founder and Communications Director James Blake Wiener. Continue reading

Throwback Thursday! Ancient Games and Toys

Roman_dice_IMG_4367It is the season of toys! Parents are scouring store shelves for the most popular gadgets and games to wrap up for the holiday season. Today’s most prized playthings may take more batteries than those of the ancients, but our ancestors still knew how to have a good time. Consider the recent findings at a 1,900 year old Roman settlement in Germany. Archaeologists uncovered a board game piece and a die, proving the soldiers who lived there weren’t all work, no play. Read the complete article here.

Further evidence of ancient playtime was discovered in a  2,300-year-old tomb near Qingzhou City in China. The heavily looted site still holds valuable treasures, including pieces from a mysterious board game. “Archaeologists found a 14-face die made of animal tooth, 21 rectangular game pieces with numbers painted on them and a broken tile which was once part of a game board.”[1] They believe these pieces were used to play a game called “Bo” that hasn’t been played in 1,500 years. Click here to read more about this fascinating find.

To learn more about how our ancient ancestors amused themselves, check out our Kids’ Blog, Ancient Toys, Wii and You!

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Ancient Cacao Wine

Cacao pod. Image courtesy of Genet at German Wikipedia.

Cacao pod. Image courtesy of Genet at German Wikipedia.

We love chocolate at AntiquityNOW. One of the first blog posts we published was about the history of chocolate (Hot Chocolate: Gift of the Gods Since 1900 BCE), so it shouldn’t be surprising that given the chance to bring you another chocolate recipe we jumped for joy! This holiday season, look no further for the drink that will delight your guests and make you the talk of the party scene: Cacao Wine from ancient Honduras. You can either buy some from Dogfish Head breweries (it is in limited release and may be difficult to find) or tackle the adventure of making your own batch with the recipe below. Continue reading

Strata: Portraits of Humanity, Episode 13, “Syracuse 3D Reborn”

StrataImage-webThe latest entry in the video news-magazine series Strata:  Portraits of Humanity, produced by AntiquityNOW’s partner, Archaeological Legacy Institute, offers a feast for the eyes. It captures in astonishing dimension and detail the glorious city of Syracuse, in its time the epitome of Greek enterprise, art and culture. Continue reading

Happy Thanksgiving From AntiquityNOW!

stock-graphics-vintage-thanksgiving-postcard-01175

You may think that Canadians and Americans are the only ones celebrating this Thanksgiving, but there are many harvest festivals taking place all over the world this time of year. Click here to learn all about these different holidays!

Bon Appetit Wednesday! Happy Thanksgiving

image

It’s Turkey Day! If you’re looking for those last minute recipes to round out your meal, look no further. AntiquityNOW has dishes to delight all of your guests and each one comes with a fascinating past.

Turkey Sobaheg– Learn why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
Ham ‘n Hay with Beer– A twist on your traditional holiday ham.
Carrots with Arame– Seaweed for Thanksgiving? It’s delicious and nutritious!
Mayan Pumpkin Soup– A comfort food with a long history.
Pumpkin Pie– Go back 200 years for this tried and true recipe.

For the Sake of Us All: Rescuing Our Cultural Legacies

AN Forum

AntiquityNOW along with many cultural heritage organizations looks with dismay and horror at how some of the world’s most ancient and history-laden sites are being destroyed by ideology, corrupt politics, fragile economies and human deprivation. There is no one answer on how to stem the tide of destruction, but the Global Heritage Fund’s Executive Director Stefaan Poortman has some insightful and intriguing observations on the current state of affairs. Continue reading

Happy Two-Year Anniversary Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate Our Most Popular Ancient Recipe

celebrate-311709_640Two years ago we published our first official Bon Appetit Wednesday post. Since then we’ve brought you 125 recipes with a past: 125 dishes with ancient stories to tell, and 125 ancient treats for your taste buds. And we’ve loved all that we’ve learned along the way. Isn’t uncovering the culinary secrets of ancient history deliciously amazing? Continue reading