Ever been shopping in the produce section and seen a flashy display for “HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!” Wonder what’s so special about these tomatoes? The answer might surprise you. Heirloom fruits and vegetables are grown from seeds that reach all the way back to ancient times. Over the millennia, these seeds have taken on enormous value. Continue reading
Heirloom Seeds: Growing a Piece of Ancient History
Posted in Blog, Culinary, Culture, Public Life, Recreation
Tagged agriculture, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, domestication, gardening, heirloom seeds, Mesopotamia, Neolithic Revolution
Hot Fudge Sundae: A Dessert 5,000 Years in the Making
It’s July and the temperatures have been rising…and rising…and rising. How about forgetting the heat with a scrumptious hot fudge sundae? But before you dig in, let’s take a moment to appreciate the human ingenuity over five millenia that brought you the cooling cream and rich chocolate sauce of this very ancient confection. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Aztecs, chocolate, ice cream, Mayas, Mesoamerica, sundae, whipped cream
AntiquityNOW on Alltop!
We are very excited to announce that our web site has been accepted for inclusion in the archaeology section of Alltop.com! So, what is Alltop? According to their website, “The purpose of Alltop is to help you answer the question, ‘What’s happening?’ in ‘all the topics’ that interest you.” They gather the headlines of the latest and most relevant stories from what they believe to be the best sites and blogs that cover a particular topic. Each topic is given its own web page with the five most recent headlines listed under each source. The Science Channel explains that “rather than forcing the user to sort through a massive collection of keyword-based results like a normal search engine, Alltop recommends a number of links, which are vetted for quality and relevance on any given topic.” Continue reading
Ancient Graffiti: From Pompeii to Smyrna
Image courtesy of DHA
We’ve talked a lot about ancient graffiti in our blog posts and it has always been about the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. In “Wall Posts: Putting Pompeii’s Political Graffiti in a Modern Context” we discussed how politicians campaigned using graffiti on the walls of wealthy homeowners and in “Super Bowl XLVII and the Superstars of Ancient Rome” we explained how people could find a favorite gladiator advertising olive oil or his latest fight on the walls of the city. Recently, an archaeological dig unearthed a collection of graffiti that may be even richer than that of Pompeii. Archaeologists working in the agora (ancient marketplace) of Izmir -or Greek Smyrna- found the “richest Greek graffiti collection in the world” dating back to the 2nd and 4th centuries A.D. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Blog, Communications, Culture, Public Life
Tagged agora, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, graffiti, Greek, Izmir, Pompeii, Smyrna
KIDS’ BLOG! Ancient People Loved Chewing Gum!
What is your favorite flavor of chewing gum? Whether it is spearmint, wintergreen, cinnamon or fruit flavored, chewing gum is one of the world’s most popular habits with nearly 100,000 tons consumed per year. Gum seems like a very modern invention with its fun flavors, colors and special additives for energy, fresh breath, teeth whitening and more. In fact, the oldest known piece of chewing gum dates back at least 5,000 years and was found by an archaeology student in Finland.[1] It was a simple lump of birch bark tar that experts believe was chewed by Neolithic people to heal mouth infections. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Culinary, Culture, Kids Blog, Kids: Culinary, Kids: Culture, Kids: Public Life, Kids: Recreation, Public Life, Recreation
Tagged Ancient Greece, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Aztecs, chewing gum, chicle, Finland, mastic, mastiche, Mayas, Wrigley
Gum Chewing: A 5,000 Year Old Habit
Whether it is spearmint, wintergreen, cinnamon or fruit flavored, chewing gum is one of the world’s most ubiquitous habits with nearly 100,000 tons consumed per year. Gum seems like a very modern invention with its myriad of flavors, colors and special additives for energy, fresh breath, teeth whitening and more. In fact, the oldest known piece of chewing gum dates back at least 5,000 years and was found by an archaeology student in Finland.[1] It was a simple lump of birch bark tar that experts believe was chewed by Neolithic people to heal mouth infections. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Culinary, Culture, Public Life, Recreation
Tagged Ancient Greece, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Aztecs, chewing gum, mastic, mastiche, Mayas, Wrigley
KIDS’ BLOG! Boom! Pow! Whizzz!: The History of Fireworks
Displays of fireworks are widely used on festive occasions, as at the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games, 2008.
Fireworks are used by many cultures to celebrate holidays and important events. Their spectacle unites people and commemorates cultural milestones. Kaleidoscopic bursts against the night sky, spirals of colored fire, glimmering waterfalls—all the effects that give pounding delight to children and adults alike. Continue reading
Posted in Annotated, Art, Blog, Culture, Holidays, Kids Blog, Kids: Art, Kids: Culture, Kids: Holidays, Kids: Public Life, Kids: Recreation, Kids: Science and Tech, Public Life, Recreation, Science and Technology
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, celebrations, china, fireworks, Fourth of July, Independence Day, Italy
The History of Fireworks: Celebrating Life’s Moments in Color, Light and Sound
Displays of fireworks are widely used on festive occasion, as at the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games, 2008.
Fireworks are used by many cultures to celebrate holidays and important events. Their spectacle unites people and commemorates cultural milestones. Kaleidoscopic bursts against the night sky, spirals of colored fire, glimmering waterfalls—all the effects that give pounding delight to children and adults alike. Continue reading
Posted in Annotated, Art, Blog, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Recreation, Science and Technology
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, celebrations, china, fireworks, Fourth of July, Independence Day, Italy
Hurricane Season 2013 BCE: Ancient Storms, Modern Predictions
Hurricane Season 2013 has just begun and scientists are predicting an above-average season with as many as 17 named storms, 5-10 of which may be hurricanes.[1] A number of climate factors are taken into consideration and studied closely in order to come up with these predictions, including the fact that we continue to be in a high-activity era since 1995. Scientists track storm data from the past in order to predict the future weather and you may be surprised how far back they go for their data. Some scientists believe that ancient storms provide important clues about our present and future weather. Continue reading
Girl Be Heard Uses Theater to Empower Young Women
On Tuesday we told you about Girl Be Heard’s newest project, 9mm America. This theatrical production is written and performed by 10 young women who live in neighborhoods where they face gun violence daily. It is a powerful show that takes the viewer through the history of gun violence in America starting with the genocide of Native Americans. It asks the disturbing question, “When will it stop?” Continue reading
Posted in Art, Blog, Culture, Education, Human Rights, Public Life
Tagged activism, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Girl Be Heard, gun violence, theater
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