Julkaisuseuranta
The evidence. A witch kissed the arse of the DevilWitch-hunting plagued Europe, as soon as the idea that witches worshipped the devil took hold. Read an excellent book, Scottish Witches and Witch-Hunters by Julian Goodare ed, 2013. In Scotland, this was common by the late 1500s. Locals talked about Satan’s ability to raise storms, kill livestock…
The Kingdom of Armenia adopted Christianity as its national religion in the C4th, loyal to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Armenian Christians were just one of many ethnic groups in the Ottoman Empire. But in the late 1880s, some political organisations seeking greater autonomy for Armenians, reinforcing Ottoman doubts about the loyalty of the wider Armenian…
The first London coffee house was opened in 1652 by Pasqua Roseé, a member the English Levant Co. that traded with Turkey. In Smyrna-Izmir, he found a taste for the dark stimulant drink. With time, each British coffee house developed its own particular clientele, literary, political, financial and shipping-related. From the coffee house came the Gentleman’s Clubs and City institutions…
StKilda once celebrated its reputation as a centre of privilege and taste, the wealthiest suburb in C19th Melbourne. Although spouse and I lived in StKilda from 1976 on, I knew nothing of this cool C19th history. So I was very pleased to connect old StKilda to a broader context, appreciating the way C19th StKilda reflected…
The discovery of gold in 1851 attracted Chinese immigration to Victoria. Ships sailed to Australia from Hong Kong with their cargo of men who had come in search of the new gold fields. From 1853-5, thousands of Chinese disembarked here. Very few Chinese women came to Australia during this period so by 1861, 38,000+ Chinese…
Ladderback chairs designed in 1903 by architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928) for Glasgow Willow Tea-rooms came on the London market in 2014, and put me in mind of Glasgow businesswoman Kate Cranston (1849–1934). Kate Cranston c1900 Dressed like young Queen Victoria National Portrait Gallery. I like the description of Kate Cranston in Famous Scots. Born in the Victorian age when women were expected…
aerial view of Angkor Wattotally surrounded by wallWhen the Khmer Empire came to power, Hinduism became the official religion. Angkor in Northern Cambodia was the capital of the Khmer Empire and thrived from the C9th on,…
Today’s German capital, Berlin, was the Capital of Spies in the Cold War. The situation of the divided city, which developed after WW2, was unique. The historical heritage provided for exciting tours through the city, but many places said that Berlin was still a real espionage hotspot today, due to the 150+ embassies from which…
Peter was the first child born to Helen & Joseph; first grandchild to Thelma & Les in Melbourne, and to Chaya & Yehuda in Sydney; and first great grandchild to Sarah and Peter. He was conceived in Israel, born in Britain in 1972, went to pre-school in Perth and arrived in Melbourne ready for school. He had…
In the Christian tradition, journeying was associated with conversion: all pilgrim roads potentially led to Damascus. All Christians were stained with sin in his life, but individuals’ motives for going on pilgrimage differed from person to person: to seek health care; fulfil pilgrimage vows made during crises; do penance for sins; give thanks for blessings…
4.12.2023
Please note that this blog post has major spoilers for the video game Pentiment, which I highly recommend you play before reading further as its a fantastic game! In one part of the game, Andreas (the Player Character) has a discussion with Sister Illuminata regarding various books – depicted here with both characters inserted into…
I am writing a long series on human evolution and the development of human culture. This text is translated from the closing speech of its first season. The title is from the song ”Juokse sinä humma” – ”Run my little horse” by the famous Finnish singer-songwriter Tapio Rautavaara. You can decide for yourself whether this…
On 13 July 2023 the British Library will host the 5th Annual Graham Nattrass Lecture, co-organised with the German Studies Library Group. The theme of this year’s lecture, to be given by Dr Alexandra Lloyd of Oxford University, is the anti-Nazi resistance group Die Weisse Rose (The White Rose); 2023...