November 2016 – History From Below

Roma Aeterna: Open-Access Resources for Mapping the City of Rome

I travel a lot in order to do Pleiades workshops and discuss the role of mapping in both research and pedagogy. The #1 question I am asked is: How can I map the city of Rome? This morning, I thought I would give a bit of a run-down on how you can begin to interact withContinue reading “Roma Aeterna: Open-Access Resources for Mapping the City of Rome”

The Midas Touch: Alchemy in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras

It has been a splendid week doing talks and research in southern California (you can see all my slides for the talks here). One of the highlights of this trip was a special visit to the Getty in L.A. to see two adjacent exhibits (one at the Getty Museum and the other at the GettyContinue reading “The Midas Touch: Alchemy in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras”

Fictive Heroism: Westworld, the Colosseum, and the History of Elite Amusement Parks

Over on the Forbes Blog this week, I explore how the HBO show Westworld sheds light on the history of elite amusement parks. Although we should probably also reflect on the colonial penchant for “fish in a barrel” elephant safaris or perhaps analyze Marie Antoinette’s creation of a “peasant” village for her to visit at Versailles, IContinue reading “Fictive Heroism: Westworld, the Colosseum, and the History of Elite Amusement Parks”