October 10, 732 It’s the date that one man changed EVERYTHING! As a historian I’ve long known that the Battle of Tours is a key moment in world history. Why doesn’t it receive more than a paragraph or two in world history textbooks? I can’t really answer that, but I […]
The British Museum was on my “bucket list” for a very long time. After I was finally able to check it off, I spent some time thinking back to my one favorite exhibit. Even though my visit lasted just a few hours, I was able to take in some pretty amazing […]
Few Places stand out among my travels as much as the inspiring historic mosaics of Ravenna, Italy. Although I spent only a single day in Ravenna, I managed to view almost every ancient church that boasted a set of Byzantine Mosaics. Ravenna’s history goes all the way back to the […]
The Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany boasts a number of spectacular artifacts from the Roman Empire, but the medallion of the Emperor Valens particularly stands out. Valens was Emperor of the eastern half of the Roman Empire from 28 March 364 until his death at the battle of Adrianople (in Turkey […]
Have you heard the tragic story of Heloise and Abelard? The remains interred at Père Lachaise Cemetery number in the millions, but there are some tombs, like those of Heloise and Abelard, that deserve more than a passing glance. The cemetery, located in the heart of Paris, France is famous for the grave of […]
I don’t often comment on politics or current events, but I feel compelled to write about the senseless and sickening destruction of one of Syria’s greatest treasures, the Temple of Bel in Palmyra, which was a UNESCO world heritage site. I am deeply saddened and troubled by this ATTEMPT to […]