Rants, Raves, and Rhetoric v4

Category: History

  • Search for Ithaca

    A geological engineering company said Monday it has agreed to help in an archaeological project to find the island of Ithaca, homeland of Homer’s legendary hero Odysseus. It has long been thought that the island of Ithaki in the Ionian Sea was the island Homer used as a setting for the epic poem “The Odyssey,”…

  • Is America Repeating Roman History?

    This article about the novel Imperium (a fictional biography) suggests there are parallels between Rome’s transition from a Republic to an Empire and where we stand in America. If true, then we are right now on the cusp of a great turning point. Imperium is historical fiction. So how much of it is not real?…

  • Homer a Pseudonym for a Woman?

    I have always considered the Illiad or the Odyssey to be among the best of love stories. True, there is lots of violence. True, the characters are mostly men. Love is the motivation and driving force behind the heros and why each is able to overcome and win. If they were written by women, then…

  • On Siege

    Who wants to starve out the enemy? Break down his defenses! Mmmmm… a 300 pounder! Watching this show on siege engines reminds me of two favorite things from my life. The first, and best was the week my aunt and uncle let us come stay for a week in England. By far, that was my…

  • 7 Wonders Of the Modern World

    Kinda thinking about this post by Vixenz. I wonder why the 7 wonders of the modern world (the 1918 one) went away from landmarks? I agree that some inventions are much more significant than any ole landmark, but I think landmarks deserve their own list. Saw a show on plans to build an arcology-like structure in Hong Kong Bay. This…

  • Chinese beat Columbus and Magellan

    Even the Chinese beat Columbus and Magellan. Zhang He sailed around the world about 1421 according to historian Menzies. I will have to pick up his book when it is published. I’ve never been a fan of Columbus Day. I think the Norse beat him across the Atlantic centuries earlier.