Trees have always been awe-inspiring, even to our earliest ancestors. Trees can hold a poetic beauty as they sway in the breeze, musical tones fluttering from their leaves, colors riotously changing with the season. They are hallmarks of our holidays. They are the chroniclers of time, capturing in a ringed litany the ebb and wane of the world in which they are rooted. Trees protect, offer food, preserve the soil and provide resources. Indeed, one of their earliest representations illustrates the importance of trees to cultures through the ages: Continue reading
Happy Arbor Day! Trees Glorious Trees
Posted in Art, Biology, Blog, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology
Tagged ancient history, ancient trees, AntiquityNOW, Arbor Day, Don Ramon Vacas Roxo, J. Sterling Norton
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Xtabentún: Earth Day and the Spirit of the Ancient Mayas
Today is Earth Day. For the Maya, living harmoniously with nature and being good stewards of the land rendered every day a celebration of the Earth and its bounty. So let’s get in the spirit of our modern Earth Day with a Maya concoction sure to please.
It’s such a lovely time of year for a dinner party, but how do you set your gathering apart? How do you make your fiesta better than the rest? Serve an ancient cocktail with a haunting and seductive history. We are coming to your rescue with a recipe for Jaltun Ha, a refreshing sweet and sour cocktail using the ancient Mexican spirit called xtabentún. But before you begin preparations for the dinner party of the season, you’ll want to make sure you can dazzle your guests with the ancient history behind their drink. Continue reading
Strata: Portraits of Humanity, Episode 6, “The Somerset Levels and Moors” and “Euskal Jaiak”
Episode 6 of the documentary series Strata: Portraits of Humanity, produced by AntiquityNOW’s partner, Archaeological Legacy Institute, comprises two films that explore the forces that bind us as a people in a particular society. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Blog, Culture, Dance, Education, Holidays, Kids Blog, Music, Public Life, Recreation, Strata Curricula
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Archaeological Legacy Institute, Euskal Jaiak, Native American history, Somerset Levels and Moors, Southwest England history, Strata Portraits of Humanity, The Archaeology Channel
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
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Dulcia Domestica, Ancient Date Candies
We’ve talked about the date before. It was such an important food in ancient times, it’s hard not to be impressed by its ubiquity and its longevity. In fact, the history of the date was featured in one of our most popular posts, Ancient Mesopotamian Palace Cakes from Ur! Today we thought we’d revisit the date with another fabulous, sticky sweet indulgence, the Roman treat called Dulcia Domestica. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
How Advertising Helped Write History, Part 1
Imagine standing in the dead center of Times Square. Aggressive flashing lights, pulses, and neon words play tug-o-war for your attention. Inviting music oozes from the glare of what seems like a thousand restaurants as errant street vendors grapple to be heard above the din. Everywhere you turn, someone or something begs you to do this, eat that or buy a product. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Blog, Communications, Culture, Public Life
Tagged ancient advertising, ancient history, ancient marketing, AntiquityNOW, Common Sense, New World, Thomas Paine
It’s Almost That Time Again: May Is AntiquityNOW Month!
During May we celebrate all things ancient, with a modern twist. From 2,000 year old nanotechnology to today’s supercomputers, from earliest chanted rituals to electronic bloviations, the arc of human history has been, shall we say, complicated. As sentient beings, we have constructed marvels in word and deed. We have also destroyed and obliterated that which we don’t understand and those we choose not to recognize. We strut, preen, cogitate, ruminate—we make an altogether spectacular tragicomedy as we shuffle along this mortal coil. Humans are a confounding lot who often are doomed to repeat the very histories we disregard. Here lies the fascination with looking to the past as it reflects our very modern sense of self. (See below quotes for variations on the themes above.) Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Cherry Clafoutis for Cherry Blossom Season!
It’s the season for one of nature’s most beautiful blooms, the cherry blossom. In Washington D.C. from March 20th-April 12th, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing, and in Japan in March and April, festivals take place throughout the country. So this week we’ve decided to feature a delicious recipe for Cherry Clafoutis along with the cherry’s long and juicy history. Here are some of the highlights: Continue reading
Get Ready for Easter with AntiquityNOW
Whether you’re celebrating a religious holiday or vying to win the egg hunt, it’s important to know where our holidays come from and how ancient are the roots that bind us all together. Below you’ll find our previous posts about the history of Easter, its origins and its traditions.
Also, we’ve included two delicious recipes for Passover, which begins tomorrow and ends next Saturday, April 11th.
And, for a bit of fun, check out this beautiful slideshow of Easter eggs around the world, courtesy of the The Huffington Post.
Have a wonderful weekend!
History of Easter
- Cracking the History of Easter Eggs
- Easter, Resurrection and Chocolate Bunnies: Social Marketing Through the Ages
Passover Recipes:
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Ful Mudammas for Passover
Passover begins this Friday evening, April 3rd, and if you haven’t finished planning your Seder, do not fear. We have a delicious recipe that is vegan, kosher and ancient. Ful Mudammas has a fascinating history. It also boasts a wealth of nutrients that have sustained the ancient Israelites for thousands of years.
For a brief explanation of Passover and another savory Seder dish, see our blog post from last year, Bon Appetit Wednesday! Green Borscht With Matzah for a Multi-Cultural Passover. Continue reading
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