What is a dowry? History of marriage
Dowry: Peleus, future father of Achilles, greets the guests at his wedding; the bride Thetis waits inside the house (Sophilos; British Museum, ca. 580 BC) When did people start to [...]
Challenges and disabilities in the ancient world
(Bosch, the Ship of Fools) - medieval disabilities Were a lot of people disabled in the past? In the ancient and medieval worlds, many more people were physically and mentally [...]
Averages and demographics
Ara Pacis Augustae - the Altar of Peace, in Rome You can see why ancient life expectancies were low for yourself: figure out the average age at death of the following group [...]
Visit Paris with kids!
Conciergerie: the king's castle in Paris (parts of it from the 1300 AD) Kids love visiting castles and cathedrals - especially if you tell them about the monument the night before. But they're not [...]
Northern France with kids!
Amiens labyrinth: Northern France with Kids Day One: Bayeux Tapestry In northern France, drive first from Paris to Bayeux to see the Bayeux Tapestry. There are good audioguides for both adults and kids. [...]
Oil – American science
A homemade oil lamp Oil is a kind of liquid made out of hydrocarbon molecules. It is mostly fat. Lots of plants and animals make oil. In North America, people got most of their oil from salmon, bison, and sunflowers. [...]
History of Valentine’s Day – American holidays
A Valentine from Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife in 1415 AD The Roman Lupercalia The earliest holiday that might conceivably have something to do with Valentine's Day is [...]
Thanksgiving becomes a national holiday
Sarah Hale, who made Thanksgiving a national holiday Thanksgiving in the 1700s In the 1700s, most of the thirteen colonies had public Thanksgiving feasts at least once a year. Sometimes people held them more than [...]
Thanksgiving – American holidays
History of Thanksgiving: A map of Wampanoag village at Plymouth Bay in 1613 AD, just *before* the Puritans arrived. See the growing corn around each house? Green Corn Ceremony Beginning [...]
Quakers – Society of Friends – Religion
A Quaker wedding (1800s in England) In 1648 AD, some people in England felt unhappy with the way Puritan Christians were praying to God. So they started to do things their own way. [...]
