Author Archives
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December 5 – The Festival of Faunus
In the ancient Roman calendar, each month had three special days assigned to it: the Kalends, the Nones, and the Ides. The “Kalends” was the first day in each month, and it’s from this Latin word that we get our… Read More ›
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December 15 – A Day of Prayers, Sacrifices, and…Mule Racing? The Ancient Roman Consualia Festival
In the ancient Roman calendar, December 15 was (at least according to some ancient authors) one of the main feast days for the sea god Neptune. December 15 could also be called “Equine Appreciation Day”, because it was essentially a… Read More ›
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December 1 – The Kalends of December
Today is the first day of December. In the minds of some, this day marks the unofficial beginning of Winter, as the Autumn harvests have been gathered in, most of the leaves have fallen off of the trees by this… Read More ›
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Please sign this petition: Declare the Sand Tiger Shark to be a protected species within New York waters
Hello everyone. I just set up a petition on Care2, addressed to the New York State legislature, urging that the Sand Tiger Shark be classified as a protected species under New York state law. The Sand Tiger was once common,… Read More ›
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The First Battle of the Hundred Years’ War: The Battle of Cadzand – November 9, 1337
The Hundred Years’ War is perhaps the second-most well-known military conflict of the Middle Ages, second only to the Crusades. This epic clash between the kingdoms of England and France, which was actually a series of separate conflicts spread out… Read More ›
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The Setantians, Volantians, and Carvetians: The Ancient Celtic Tribes of Northwestern England
Introduction I subscribe to several ancient Roman history groups on Facebook, and on one of these, a conversation arose regarding the Celtic tribes of Britain. Specifically, there was a lot of focus on one tribe in particular – that of… Read More ›
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September 5-19 – The Ludi Magni Romani, “The Great Roman Games”
The Chariot Race in the Circus Maximus, painted by Alfredo Tominz (1890).Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. Let the games begin! September was an exciting time in ancient Rome, because it was in early to middle September that one of the… Read More ›
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Gargoyleosaurus
When people think of “armored dinosaurs”, they generally think of two kinds of creature: the stegosaurs and the ankylosaurs. Both of these groups belong to the dinosaur sub-order Thyreophora, which means “armor-bearing” in ancient Greek. The dinosaur group Ankylosauria or… Read More ›
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August 15 – The Summer Compitalia: Ancient Rome’s Summer Street Fair
Summer Flowers, painted by John William Godward (1903). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Godward_Summer_Flowers_1903.jpg Do you remember the days before the coronavirus pandemic when we could all gather together in public spaces for special events: block parties, concerts, street fairs, etc?… Read More ›
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 
