Ramadan is coming to a close and we thought we’d share a wonderful dessert recipe that is a favorite. It is a perfect way to end an iftar or evening meal that breaks the fast that the faithful observe each day during the Islamic holy month. The recipe below for Halawet El-Riz conjures up a rice, cheese and cream dish that is interesting not only in its delectable fusion of ingredients, but as is so with many recipes, because it is the culinary result of human endeavor through the centuries. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Egypt
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Halawet El-Riz: A Ramadan Dessert for the Ages
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient architecture, ancient recipes, AntiquitNOW, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Breaking fast, Egypt, India, Middle East, Ramadan, rice pudding
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Ancient Okra Soup
Small, green and oddly shaped, it is often called “slimy” by those who don’t appreciate its hidden virtues. But this is a vegetable that has staying power. Indeed, the okra has persevered for centuries, adapting to new recipes and new cultures, crossing oceans, filling the bellies of the hungry and even hydrating the skin. Today we bring you a hearty recipe for okra soup developed over the years by borrowing from the cultures that know and love this die-hard bit of nourishment. First, let’s take a look back to see how the okra began its journey. Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Green Borscht With Matzah for a Multi-Cultural Passover
Monday night, April 14th, was the first night of Passover, the eight-day festival celebrated by Jews around the world to commemorate the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. The start of the holiday always corresponds to the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture, Public Life, Religion
Tagged ancient history, ancient recipes, AntiquityNOW, Bon Appetit Wednesday, borscht, Egypt, Israelites, matzah, Nissan, Passover, Seder
Tattoos and the Body as Canvas
UPDATE! This post was originally published on March 14, 2013. One year later and ancient tattoos are back in the news due to a fascinating find and an exciting exhibit at the British Museum. Eight mummies from Egypt and Sudan have been subjected to CAT scanning, infra-red “reflectography” and carbon dating in an effort to develop a more complete picture of their ancient lives for the new exhibit called Ancient Lives: New Discoveries. The scanning has revealed previously unseen features from beneath their wrappings. One of the most interesting discoveries is a tattoo on the inner thigh of a 1,300 year old female mummy. The tattoo represents the symbol of the Archangel Michael and spells out in ancient Greek M-I-X-A-H-A (Michael). According to an article by Robert Mendick in The Telegraph, the woman was 20-35 years of age, died in about 700 CE and “lived in a Christian community on the banks of the Nile.”[1] Continue reading
KIDS’ BLOG! Archimedes’ Ancient Screw Saves 21st Century Britain From Flooding
What do you do when the rains keep coming and floods sweep across your country? As the waters rise and cover your fields and towns, what do you use to save your home? Do you write a fancy new computer program, download the newest anti-flooding app on your phone or design complicated modern robots to deal with it? Well, people in the United Kingdom are facing this very problem and you might be surprised to learn they aren’t turning to modern technology. Instead, they’re looking back to one of antiquity’s greatest scientists and inventors, Archimedes, and to his giant water screws.
Posted in Blog, Engineering, Kids Blog, Kids: Engineering, Kids: Meteorology, Kids: Natural Disasters, Kids: Public Life, Kids: Science and Tech, Meteorology, Natural Disasters, Public Life, Science and Technology
Tagged ancient engineering, ancient farming, ancient history, ancient irrigation, AntiquityNOW, Archimedes, Archimedes Screws, Egypt, flooding, Greece, United Kingdom
KIDS’ BLOG! Ancient Origins of the XXII Winter Olympics
When the Greeks gathered in Olympia for the first Olympic Games in 776 BBC, I’m sure they never imagined that one day, far in the future, the Games would be held high in snow covered mountains or on playing fields made of ice. How could they know that their foot races would turn into races on blades (speed skating) and chariot races would become daring flights around a track made of pure ice (bobsled)? In 1924, the first Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France featuring cold-weather sports. Today we celebrate these Winter Games every four years. Did you know that just like the Olympic Games themselves, many of the winter sports have ancient and historical origins? Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Holidays, Kids Blog, Kids: Holidays, Kids: Public Life, Kids: Recreation, Kids: Sports, Public Life, Recreation, Sports
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, curling, Egypt, Ethiopia, ganna, Greece, ice hockey, ice skating, luge, Mesoamerica, Norway, Olympia, Olympics, Russia, skiing, Sweden, winter sports
The Egyptian Uprising and the Future of Antiquity: An Interview with Zahi Hawass
For years Zahi Hawass was a superstar among Egyptologists and one would say, archaeologists in general. Even those who weren’t archaeologists or in related fields were familiar with him. Not only did he have his own program on the History Channel, he appeared frequently on shows on the Discovery and National Geographic channels. He was an author and a passionate advocate for cultural preservation. Held in favor by the Egyptian government—even appointed as the Minister of Antiquities in 2011 by President Hosni Mubarak—he was lauded for raising Egypt’s profile in the world. However, fortune and politics can be lethal twins. After the toppling of the Mubarak government, Hawass became a persona non grata in his own country. He lost his TV show, was arrested by the Egyptian government (and later released) and was heaved unceremoniously out of his office and the spotlight. And with the ongoing unrest in Egypt, he has much to ponder as to the future of his country and the fate of Egyptian heritage. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Celebrities, Crime, Culture, Education, Human Rights, Politics, Public Life, War and Violence
Tagged ancient history, antiquities, AntiquityNOW, archaeology, cultural preservation, Egypt, Egyptology, Hosni Mubarak, interview, looting, Zahi Hawass
Explore Our New Teacher-Submitted Curriculum: “The Use of Symbols in Egyptian Religion”
AntiquityNOW is pleased to announce a new curriculum available on our website. Submitted by Sharlyn Scott, social studies teacher at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, Arizona, the curriculum is titled “The Use of Symbols in Egyptian Religion: Ancient Egyptian, Coptic Christian, and Islamic Images.” Scott developed the curriculum after a Fulbright Hays study tour to Egypt in the summer of 2010. The curriculum leads students from the ancient to the modern, asking them to “analyze artwork, sculpture and architecture to determine different cultural world views and values”.[1] Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Communications, Education, Public Life
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Coptic Christian, education, Egypt, Fulbright Hayes, Islam, Sharlyn Scott
Ancient Foodie Tee, Tote and Apron Now Featured in The Bazaar
For those foodies out there, AntiquityNOW has some new ways to display your appreciation of the ancients. We are featuring in The Bazaar, our new store that we announced last week, wearables that proclaim your fondness for foods with a history.
Here are some delightful, delectable and intriguing facts that you will sport on our new wearable designs:
- Apple pieces have been found in Stone Age dwellings in Switzerland
- Cheesecake was given to athletes in the first Olympic games in 776 BCE in Greece
- The origins of ice cream began 5,000 years ago in China
- Ancient Maya used cacao beans as currency and to make chocolate
- Emperor Nero consumed leeks to improve his singing voice Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Culinary, Culture, Fashion
Tagged ancient food, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, cacao, china, Egypt, Nero, Olympics, The Bazaar, Tomb of Menna
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Imperial Roman Honey-Spiced Wine
In yesterday’s blog post we told you about the recent discovery of one of the oldest and largest wine cellars in the world belonging to Canaanites living in north Israel around 1700 BCE. So today we’ve decided to share an ancient wine recipe that you can make to keep in your own wine cellar.
Spiced wine dates back to ancient Egypt, circa 3150 BCE, when it was made mainly for medicinal purposes and as a necessary menu item in the afterlife. The recipe often included pine resin, figs, and herbs like balm, coriander, mint and sage.[1] Several jars of up to five different types of wine were placed in the tombs of pharaohs and other royals.[2] Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Bon Appetit Wednesday, Culinary, Culture
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, conditum, culinary, Egypt, Greek, honey, mulsum, Roman wine, Spiced wine
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