Philemon and Baucis – Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Just a loaf of bread This is a story we only know because Ovid wrote it down in his poem, the Metamorphoses. It might be a traditional Greek story, but we don't know [...]
3
09, 2017
1
09, 2017
Eid al-Adha – Islamic holidays
Eid al-Adha: an Islamic image of Abraham and Ishmael What is Eid al-Adha? Eid al-Adha is an Islamic holiday. It falls a few months after the end of Ramadan, Eid [...]
26
08, 2017
Roman Colosseum – ancient Rome – Roman architecture
Roman Colosseum - the Flavian Amphitheater - in Rome, Italy. Built about 70 AD Vespasian built the Roman Colosseum so people would like him When Vespasian became the new Roman Emperor [...]
25
08, 2017
Cerveteri – Etruscan tomb architecture
A street in the Etruscan cemetery at Cerveteri An Etruscan cemetery The Etruscans (ee-TRUSS-cans) of Northern Italy believed that it was important to keep cemeteries well separated from where people lived. You [...]
25
08, 2017
What is a theologian? History of religion
Pope Gregory the Great writing, from the 900s AD. Ivory, probably from Kenya. (Now in Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum) A theologian (thee-oh-LOW-gin) is a person who studies religion. The word comes from [...]
25
08, 2017
Religious schisms – History of religion
The murder of Thomas a Becket in the 1100s AD The new, big, monotheistic religions of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam developed between 500 BC and 600 AD. They brought with them some new ideas, and [...]
25
08, 2017
Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah – Jewish holidays
Apples For thousands of years, the Jews celebrated their New Year around the beginning of spring, just like everybody else in West Asia. Passover was probably port of this old New Year celebration. Sometime before 100 [...]
25
08, 2017
What is the Talmud? History of Judaism
The Mishnah is at the top center, the Gemara is in the center of the page, Rashi is on the right, and other later commentators are on the left and bottom. [...]
25
08, 2017
What’s a synagogue? History of Judaism
The remains of the Second Temple in Jerusalem What does the name mean? Synagogue in Greek means a place for coming together, a meeting place, and that is what a synagogue (SIN-ah-gog) [...]
25
08, 2017
History of Sukkot – Jewish holidays
History of Sukkot- a Sukkah - a temporary house just for the holiday When did Sukkot get started? People along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea first began celebrating [...]
