The custom of wearing a wedding ring on the third finger stems from the ancient Greeks, who believed a “vein of love” ran from that finger to the heart.
Panati’s Extraordinary Origins (24)… Read More
Happy New Year everyone!
I’m back at my desk after lots of holiday revels, research trips, and long hours of book revisions. While in DC last weekend I went to the National Gallery in DC. It’s a pretty incredible place… Read More
When a baby was born in ancient Sparta, the family would hang an olive branch on their front door to announce a boy, or a piece of woolen cloth if it was a girl.
Williams, Jean Kinney: Empire of Ancient… Read More
Recently in his English class my son had to read the Odyssey (well, an abridged version), which I read along with him. I hadn’t read it since college. It’s quite the rip-roaring yarn. No wonder Homer is enjoying his 130,443rd… Read More
Natural antiseptics were widely recognized in the ancient world. Egyptians used honey and myrrh to promote healing. Greeks used urine, wine, or vinegar on open wounds.… Read More
In ancient Greece, both men and women wore a chiton, or tunic, of wool or linen, pinned together at the shoulders. Greeks considered it a mark of fine breeding to be able to drape your chiton artfully. Men wore it… Read More
The ancient Greeks and Romans knew how to refrigerate food. Snow was transported from mountain tops and packed into a “snow cellar,” which compressed it into ice blocks. It remained frozen for months.
source: Don Wulffson, The Kid Who Invented… Read More
The Etruscans often wrote using the boustropheon style, where the direction of the writing alternates with each line (right to left, then left to right).