Don’t miss Part 1 of this fascinating series! And now, on to Part 2…
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
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
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
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
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!
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
Through the ages humans have sought to communicate with each other. On a primal level, language developed out of necessity: “Sabre-toothed tiger…run!” or “Fire…ow!” served obvious purposes and were intended to preserve the species. Memorializing their lives was a common force driving early cultures, and communication took many forms. Lacking any type of writing, people relied on memory, oral histories, art, monuments and other elements to document who they were. The ability to communicate and record contemporary times became more important as societies evolved and grew. The passing centuries brought the realization that in communicating with others, there were limitations to perfecting a memory, drawing pictures and shouting to the next village (hoarseness being a little known driver of human innovation). As a result, the 3rd – 4th centuries BCE found the Phoenicians creating an alphabet and the Sumerians devising cuneiform writing (pictographs on clay tablets). The Egyptians were also hard at work recording their life and times through hieroglyphics. Here’s a look at some other advances we take for granted today that are courtesy of our ever-chattering ancestors[1]: Continue reading
Episode 5 of the new documentary series Strata: Portraits of Humanity, produced by AntiquityNOW’s partner, Archaeological Legacy Institute, is a two-part episode 1) illustrating the history of archaeology and 2) demonstrating one of the technologies used today to recover the amazing artistry of our ancestors. Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Art, Blog, Computer Technology, Culture, Education, Public Life, Science and Technology, Strata Curricula
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Archaeological Legacy Institute, archaeology and photography, archaeology curricula, free lesson plan, Strata Portraits of Humanity, The Archaeology Channel
Maeshowe chambered cairn.
Update! This post was originally published on December 12, 2012. The post below explores humanity’s fascinating obsession with leaving our mark. Graffiti has been with us since before recorded history. It provides an incredible wealth of information about who we are as historical beings and where we’ve been. These ancient markings also cause us to reflect on the sweep of human endeavor and wonder what will remain of the 21st century that may intrigue, appall or inspire, much as ancient graffiti does today. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Blog, Communications, Culture, Public Life
Tagged ancient graffiti, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, communication, graffiti, history, Maeshowe, Pompeii, social media, Viking graffiti
Our recipe this week is straight out of the pages of Roman literature. Moretum is a delicious spread similar to our pesto—and the Roman poet Virgil was apparently a big fan!
The word “moretum” is Latin and is usually translated as “salad,” but that’s not really an accurate translation.[1] It’s not a salad at all, at least not what we think of as salad in modern times. It’s a sort of spread or dip. Virgil is most often credited with the recipe. In his poem entitled “Moretum” he tells the story of Symilus, a peasant farmer, who is making his morning meal. He first makes the bread, but quickly realizes he has no meat to go along with the crusty creation. Concerned that man cannot survive on bread alone, he decides to make an accompaniment for his baked good. Virgil then describes the process by which Symilus makes his moretum. Both the bread and moretum-making are described in detail in the poem, but here is a little summary of the important moretum highlights, courtesy of Pass the Garum blog: Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient cuisine, ancient history, ancient pesto, ancient recipes, AntiquityNOW, moretum, Roman food, Roman pesto
AntiquityNOW 