History, writing

Remember the Alamo

Written by the inimitable Lawdog 2200 hours, D-1, one hundred and seventy-seven years ago General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna ordered that the artillery barrage which had fallen upon the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Bexar for twelve days be halted. As he suspected, the exhausted defenders soon fell into a deep sleep, for… Read More Remember the Alamo

History

Happy Constitution Day

  On this day, 233 years ago, a most important and revolutionary document was signed…  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,… Read More Happy Constitution Day

History, Philosophy

Paleophilia

I suppose this love affair with museums comes from somewhere. I’m not entirely sure what that wellspring is, though, as I don’t recall many museums in my childhood. We did a lot of vacations to very remote areas – which I also love! – but virtually none into cities where you could find such refinements… Read More Paleophilia

History

Birds, Bees, and Jaguars

I’ve written a while back about using archaeology as a platform for story building, and frankly part of it is that I’m constantly fascinated by anthropology and what secrets of the past we can unlock with new technology. Like this paper on how the Mayans kept jaguars and pumas in captivity for various purposes like… Read More Birds, Bees, and Jaguars

History, Living History

Valley Forge

Last month while I was travelling for work, I wound up with a few hours to kill before I needed to be at the Philadelphia airport, and I realized that Valley Forge was just off my route from Point A to Point B. It was an irresistible chance to walk on ground imbued with history.… Read More Valley Forge

History, writing

The Silk Road

The silk road stories fire my imagination. It was the first time in human history that markets were no longer constrained to how far a person could walk in a day or two. The sheer doggedness of the traders who opened the various routes, the stories that are long forgotten, the hidden traces archaeologists sometimes… Read More The Silk Road