Within ancient theater, the phrase ‘deus ex machina‘ actually referred to a crane called a μηχανή (the Greek term from … More
Tag: medieval
Teaching Ancient, Early Christian, And Medieval History in the Era of #MeToo: A Short Bibliography
I think we can all agree that sexual harassment and assault are not inventions of the 20th or 21st centuries. … More
Eating Nocturnal Fruits: A Round-Up Of My Favorite Ancient and Medieval Posts of 2017
One of my favorite reflections on the act of writing was written by a late Roman historian, poet, and rhetorician … More
A Short Bibliography For The Study Of Eunuchs, Marginality & Gender in The Pre-Modern World
A number of people asked me to expand on my Forbes column from last week, which addressed the long history … More
‘Pie Zeses’: Toasting To A New Year
Another year of blogging is almost in the proverbial books and I must say that while 2016 was a wretched … More
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 … More
A Short History of Demons, Exorcism, And Possessed Women
Since last’s week accusation by Alex Jones that Hillary Clinton and President Obama were demons that smelled of sulfur, I … More
History From Below 