Today:
You know the drill: this is the thread for all your history-related outpourings that are not necessarily questions. Minor questions that you feel don't need or merit their own threads are welcome too. Discovered a great new book, documentary, article or blog? Has your Ph.D. application been successful? Have you made an archaeological discovery in your back yard? Did you find an anecdote about the Doge of Venice telling a joke to Michel Foucault? Tell us all about it.
As usual, moderation in this thread will be relatively non-existent -- jokes, anecdotes and light-hearted banter are welcome.
This week I submitted an article for a grad paper competition the British Society of M.E. Studies is running. If I win, I get published in the British Journal of M.E. Studies and a nice cash prize. Fingers crossed I get through. It's about administrative and social modernisation in Bahrain between 1869 and 1922 and was pretty exciting to write, but I was limited by time and a pretty small selection of primary documents. Why does 10,000 words seem so daunting until you hit 9,000 words, and then you feel you need another 10k to express what you want properly? Anyway, it is probably the best article I've written thus far, so I'm quite happy about it.
Happy 4th of July, Americani. I try to watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington every 4th of July, as nothing makes me feel more like sticking little toothpick American flags in my food, and I just noticed that it turned 75 this year. It’s hard for me to think of a more quintessentially American film. The movie simultaneously condemns and accolades the American system of government, and got a very mixed reception in America in 1939, and was considered by some anti-American, and yet got banned in some other countries for being too pro-American. Funny how the same film can engender completely different reactions. It remains a remarkably fresh indictment/redemption after 75 years. I highly recommend it.
I remember TCM used to show it every 4th but this year they went with sentimental tat like Yankee Doodle Dandy and Sergeant York. BOOOOO. You'll have to get it some other way. :(
What's the first instance of an independence day being celebrated? Did any kingdoms or states in the middle ages or even ancient times celebrate the day they became independent from a ruler? Or is this strictly a modern phenomenon?
My house is on the flight path for ceremonial flyovers on Parliament Hill (Ottawa), so if it's a historical military flying thing, odds are, I've seen it. Canada Day they flew the Snowbirds and a CF-18 Hornet over (and holy hell is that thing loud), but it reminded me of one really neat flyover early--I forget what for. Anyway, one afternoon I was standing outside and got to see two Mustangs and a Spitfire go by. I'm not much of a military history buff and have little interest in WWII aside from family connections, but seeing those planes and even more hearing them made the war suddenly seem so much more real.
As an added bonus and completely unrelated, a biplane few over about 20 minutes later, so I got the WWI acoustics, too.
Do we have any records of warriors or knights, etc. giving special names to their individual weapons like we see in games or tv shows like Final Fantasy, GoT, etc.?
Ok, a week or two ago, there was question "What is the oldest known artifact which was never buried or lost?". I am not a historian, so I couldn't answer this question with all sources, however I made a quick search on wikipedia.
Of course the question depends on the definition of an "artifact". Let's exclude buildings(apparently the oldest known buildings that were never buried are Pyramids of Giza) and other immovable objects.
We have Obelisk of Theodosius, Ancient Egyptian obelisk, transported to Constantinople, where it still stands. 3500 years old, but too big to be called an artifact.
Right next to Obelisk of Theodosius we have Serpent Column, memorial for Greeks who fought against Persia, almost 2500 years old. Still, too big for artifact.
Finally we have Late Roman ivory diptychs, which were later stored as relics in churches. They are 1500 years old and are not too big.
So, that what I've found. Do you have any other examples?
I have a question: how often did the Ancient Romans eat?
Here's one - What is the oldest thing we know about before which everything else is prehistory?
Why did British and American tv scheduling evolve so differently?
An ancient Greek joke I'm fond of (from Macrobius, Saturnalia, II, 4, 10):
Vettius cum monumentum patris exarasset, ait Augustus: ‘Hoc est vere monumentum patris colere.’
The history of marriage for an idiot(me)? Is that an appropriate question?