Mount Vesuvius by Carlo Raso (https://www.flickr.com/photos/70125105@N06/)
Mount Vesuvius didn't kill everyone, with refugees from Pompeii fleeing to nearby towns. This fascinating post by rory highlights how archaeologists are starting to understand how they rebuilt their lives.
detail of etching, Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, G.G. & J.Robinson of London, 1794.
"She was all but forgotten. Now the 18th-century author's republished novels reveal why she made such an extraordinary contribution to literature." Kliuless posted about author Anne Radcliffe, credited with inventing the psychological novel of suspense (plus two more women in publishing who have virtually been written out of the popular genres they helped create).
In spamandkimchi's post on the shady history of the profit-motivated "baby pipeline" of South Korean infants for adoption in the West, mefi member i used to be someone else offers a very enlightening rejection of the idea of new radical feminism as the catalyst for the country's current low birthrate crisis and a clear disentangling of the historical, social, and economic forces that have shaped the present situation.
Bust of Euripedes
Kattullus posted about Euripides Unbound, the story of a recent discovery by archeologist Heba Adly of a papyrus containing 97 lines from Polyidus and Ino, lost plays by Euripides.
The Flower Power photograph by Bernie Boston, taken during the March on the Pentagon, October 21, 1967
Over in Ask MetaFilter community member Number Used Once is requesting "historical photographs of events that are deeply moving and/or interesting". If you know of a particular one, please come in and share a link, or check out what others have posted!
The two Early Bronze Age axe heads, dating from around 2150-2000 BC, were sent anonymously to the National Museum of Ireland at the end of June. Photograph: National Museum of Ireland
Where did those 4,000 year old axe heads come from?! The National Museum of Ireland had so many questions about this thoughtfully wrapped “gift” and chariot pulled by cassowaries’ post has the answers!
Comparison of the Pentium weaving with a Pentium die photo from Intel.
Monday, stony Monday posted the excellent The Pentium as a Navajo weaving, about a unique rug design based on Intel's Pentium chip (the P54C, to be exact), painstakingly made using traditional Navajo materials and techniques ... and the fascinating and complex social, cultural, and technological history behind it. (hat tip to grumpybear69 for the title!)
via theconversation.com, Teetotums were used in an era when dice were associated with vice. Museum Rotterdam/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Wobbuffet has a lovely, expansive post on the early history of geographical board games, with a special look at America's first board game, 1822's "The Travellers' Tour Through the United States" in which "whoever gets to New Orleans first, wins." A timeless goal, indeed!
Close up of the Illustration by Hitomi Terasawa
1.3 human beings per square meter. That was the density of Kowloon Walled City, an enclave of China that existed for most of the 1900s. Before the site was demolished, a beautiful architectural drawing was made of the city and that’s the main point of the post signsofrain created. Seriously, y’all have to see this to believe it!
Via David J. Kent (https://davidjkent-writer.com/2024/06/19/what-does-the-juneteenth-flag-mean/)
We humans like to remember the past and set aside a day to remember important events. But it’s rare that history only occurs in a day. Inevitably there a deep and wide breadth of time that leads up to that specific event on that specific day. With that in mind, take a look at joannemerriam’s post about Juneteenth. Though the day has past, there’s a lot of history to dig into and enjoy, easily enough to last into next year!
Marvin Gaye
"In a two part podcast series, scholar Andrew Hickey traces the convoluted history of a song that the label never thought would be a hit, and the lives of the many performers that shaped it": a juicy post on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," from How the runs scored
Boom, asked and answered — within 2 minutes! randlesc asked about finding a remembered Youtube channel about various theatre traditions, and Iris Gambol was zippy AF with the answer: Crash Course Theatre, featuring a lot of interesting vids (with fun titles such as "Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell'Arte" and "Dances to Flute Music and Obscene Verse. It's Roman Theater, Everybody!")
Photo by Kübra Arslaner
"This was not only an aesthetic issue, cracks are where the light gets in, but also where moisture, dirt, cold air and pests get in ...": mumimor has a fantastic comment discussing the architectural history of ornamentation – practical, industrial, and societal – in the The beauty of concrete thread.
Ben Browne letter to his father via smithsonianmag.com
chariot pulled by cassowaries posted This Is What Being in Your Twenties Was Like in 18th-Century London, a collection of letters describing a 27-year-old’s office job, social life and financial concerns beginning in 1719.
pursued by a Hartz?
chavenet's post on I Understand Thee, and Can Speak Thy Tongue: California Unlocks Shakespeare’s Gibberish, is not only a cool theory about the mystery language in "All’s Well That Ends Well," it also sets the stage (the STAGE, get it?) for the official winner of this week's Best Dad Joke Pun Using Third Person Plural Present Tense Latin in 16th Century Stage Instruction. Congratulations, Ishbadiddle!
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