Category Archives: Art

Medieval Heraldic Animals

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Ruth

The charge was often more than a geometric ordinary. A wide variety of animals were favored for coats of arms. The lion was the most favored, especially for royalty. It was not native to Europe, and it was only seen … Continue reading →

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The Map of Piri Reis, 1513 and 1929

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Ruth

In 1929, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and the new nation of Turkey was going through painful rapid social changes under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Most importantly, they were changing their writing system from Arabic script to Latin. … Continue reading →

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Building the Alhambra Palace, 1333

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Ruth

In 1333, Emir Yusuf began to build the splendid palace that came to be known as The Red Fort, Qalat al-Hamra: the Alhambra. His reign and his son’s spanned most of the 1300s and established the palace that we tour … Continue reading →

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Melisende and Fulk, 1129-43

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Ruth

Melisende was named after the Countess of Rethel, Baldwin II’s mother; it’s a variant of Millicent, an old Germanic compound name. Now it has become the name of a fairy-tale heroine of an opera, so it sounds fanciful, but when … Continue reading →

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Pilgrims and Maps

Posted on December 3, 2022 by Ruth

Geographical maps are extremely important in our world. Everyone owns some kind of map, even a redneck yahoo with a state map in his glove compartment. Maps have been part of our culture so long that we can’t conceive of … Continue reading →

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Andalusian Pottery

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Ruth

If you traveled in 10th or 11th century Spain, you’d see a sharp contrast in its regional pottery. During this high-water point in Muslim Andalusia’s power, the map had stabilized into a large southern Muslim nation and a strip of small kingdoms … Continue reading →

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10th Century Pottery

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Ruth

Having never been a potter myself, I could never understand why archeologists seemed to assume that some tribe or region made the same kind of pottery over and over. They name prehistoric cultures that way: the Grey Ware culture, the … Continue reading →

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Walid II and the Qusayr Amra Murals, 744

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Ruth

Walid II was the Caliph for only a year, but he had been a powerful prince for years before this, so he’s credited with some of the most sumptuous building in Syria. Walid was a party animal, though he also … Continue reading →

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Coda: The Map of Piri Reis, 1517 to 1929

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Ruth

In 1929, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and the new nation of Turkey was going through painful rapid social changes under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Most importantly, they were changing their writing system from Arabic script to Latin. … Continue reading →

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The Alhambra Palace, 1333

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Ruth

In 1333, Emir Yusuf began to build the splendid palace that came to be known as The Red Fort, Qalat al-Hamra: the Alhambra. His reign and his son’s spanned most of the 1300s and established the palace that we tour … Continue reading →

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