Why it’s not a problem that dinosaurs are sold for millions of dollars – art historian: Sotheby's publicity photograph for the _Ceratosaurus_ fossil. Sotheby's, CC BY-SA A juvenile dinosaur fossil, Ceratosaurus nasicornis, has sold at Sotheby’s New York for US$ 30.5 million (£22.7 million). It is part of a recent resurgence of art-market interest in …
Gladiator II: a historian on the real north African kingdom of Numidia – and the men who ruled it: The Battle of Zama by Cornelis Cort (circa 1600). Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts Gladiator II opens with a Roman fleet brutally laying siege to a city in the north African kingdom of Numidia. On the …
OCD is so much more than handwashing or tidying. As a historian with the disorder, here’s what I’ve learned: Elena Abrazhevich/Shutterstock Readers are advised that this article contains explicit discussion of suicide and suicidal and obsessional thoughts. If you are in need of support, contact details are included at the end of the article. At …
Blue Eye Samurai: historian explains what the Netflix series gets right and wrong about real Edo-period Japan: Warning: this article includes spoilers for Blue Eye Samurai. Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai is an anime series set during the opening decades of Japan’s Edo period (1603–1867), also known as the Tokugawa period. Among other subjects, the series …
Did Napoleon really fire at the pyramids? A historian explains the truth behind the legends of Ridley Scott’s biopic: Directors of historical feature films face a difficult task. How can they make the characters familiar to an audience without reducing them to caricature? How can they make sure that knowledge of the outcome – battles …
Earthrise: historian uncovers the true origins of the ‘image of the century’: The restored image of Earthrise. A high quality black and white image was coloured using hues from the original colour photos. Image Credit: NASA, Apollo 8 Crew, Bill Anders; Processing and License: Jim Weigang, CC BY-SA The recent death of Frank Borman, commander …
Henry Bredekamp and the Khoisan: the living legacy of a renowned South African historian: When Professor Henry Charles “Jatti” Bredekamp began his career as a historian of early Cape Town in South Africa, there was still a commonly held myth that the region’s native people, the Khoisan, had “all but disappeared”. This was in the …
What the new Assassin’s Creed game tells us about ninth-century Baghdad – from the art historian who worked on the game: Detail from a 15th century manuscript recounting the siege of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258. Wikimedia Gamers the world over will be familiar with the incredibly detailed historic cityscapes the Assassin’s Creed franchise …
Your mullet is more than a haircut, it’s a political statement – a hair historian explains: From Paul Mescal at the Baftas to Emma Corrin’s Governors Awards “mixie” haircut, the 1970s-inspired shaggy mullet is everywhere. But the now-popular “business up front and party in the back” style has a political history stretching far beyond the …
Pit bull attacks in South Africa – a historian sheds light on the issues: Pit Bull terrier FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images Pit bulls have been in the news in South Africa after a series of deadly attacks on humans by the dogs. There have been revenge attacks on the dogs and politicians have called …
Ukraine Recap: Putin plays historian while the west closes its ranks: On day one of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, February 24, Russian troops seized Snake Island, a tiny rocky outcrop south-west of Odesa which – before the war – played host to a marine research station and a lighthouse. Resistance to the Russian assault …
Nigerian historian and thinker Toyin Falola on decolonising the academy in Africa: Toyin Falola Photo courtesy Boydell & Brewer Nigerian intellectual and historian Toyin Falola’s latest book is called Decolonizing African Studies: Knowledge Production, Agency, and Voice. It sets out to respond to the urgent need to eliminate the vestiges of colonialism (the domination of …
Scotland has apologised for witchcraft executions – as a historian, I worry this was a mistake: A group of Scottish witches meet the Devil in a churchyard in a pen and ink drawing from the 17th century. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA On International Women’s Day this year, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon apologised at Holyrood to …
Historian offers comprehensive and up-to-date take on South Africa’s Communist Party: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses a meeting of the SACP in 2015. GCIS: Flickr The Communist Party of South Africa was formed in July 1921. To mark its centenary last year, renowned South African historian Tom Lodge published Red Road to Freedom: A …
A nice Paternoster image: Image from page 7 of “Life of Sir John T. Gilbert, LL.D., F.S.A., Irish historian and archivist, vice-president of the Royal Irish academy, secretary of the Public record office of Ireland” (1905) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: lifeofsirjohntgi00gilb Title: Life of Sir John T. Gilbert, LL.D., F.S.A., Irish historian …
South Africa in the news: Historian Publishes Co-Edited Book on Sports in Africa: A new collection of groundbreaking essays, with U of A professor Todd Cleveland as lead editor, explores how Africans past and present have used sports to forge complex identities and a dynamic place.: “South Africa” – BingNews Cricket-Players may withdraw from tours due …
‘Detox products’ may have gone digital, but a historian explains this centuries-old trend: shutterstock/G-Stock Studio If you use social media platforms such as Instagram, there’s a good chance you’ve seen accounts promoting diet pills and teas. These products often claim to be “detoxifying”, as well as promising weight loss and increased energy. The promotion of …
The historian who can help us all make sense of the mess the world’s in: Inheritors of an order we did not build, we are now witnesses to a decline we did not see. Shutterstock The world’s a sorry mess. How do thoughtful people make sense of it all? David Everatt, Head of the Wits …