Hellenistic Athens
Hellenistic Athens: Veiled dancer (now in the Metropolitan Museum) The Peloponnesian War Athenian democracy was badly shaken by the Peloponnesian War, which started in 441 BC. As the Athenians began [...]
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07, 2017
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06, 2017
Where did the Visigoths come from?
Danube river The Visigoths, like other German peoples, were originally Indo-European. Their language, Gothic, was closely related to German. We first hear of them when they are living in Poland [...]
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06, 2017
Early European economy – northern Europe
Abrigo del Ciervo, Spain, ca. 6000 BC: Early European economy Hunting and gathering The first people in Europe lived by hunting and gathering; they probably had both dogs and bows [...]
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06, 2017
Where do almonds come from? West Asian food
History of almonds: Almonds drying after harvest (Southern Spain) Where do almonds come from? Wild almonds are related to peaches and apples. Almonds probably evolved about the same time, around five [...]
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05, 2017
Turks and Timur – Central Asian History
The Mongol court (1200s AD) Starting around 300 AD the Indo-Europeans in Central Asia began to lose ground to the Altaic people. The Altaic people divided into the Mongols and the [...]
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05, 2017
What is a mosaic? History of Art
A mosaic floor made up of tiny blocks You make the simplest kind of mosaic by taking a lot of black and white pebbles and arranging them on a bed [...]
25
05, 2017
What is fresco painting? History of Art
Fresco painting from Thera, Greece (about 1600 BC) Why are they called frescos? Fresco is the Italian word for "fresh", and that's because painters do fresco painting on fresh, wet plaster [...]
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05, 2017
What is cement? History of Architecture
History of cement: An underground mithraeum in the Roman port town of Ostia History of cement Cement is a very hard kind of rock that people make themselves. People all over [...]
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05, 2017
Barrel vault – History of Architecture
Roman baths of Cluny in Paris - barrel vault Making an arch into a roof Once you've built an arch, you know how to make a doorway or a window [...]
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05, 2017
What is tufa? History of Architecture
A block of tufa from Caere with an Etruscan inscription on it. Tufa (some people call it "tuff") is a kind of limestone that is very common in Italy. Tufa [...]
