In a world where even last names are a fairly recent phenomenon, many regions have only created systems to identify and track their own citizens in the last few centuries. Medieval Korea, on the other hand, was leading the charge…
Robert Smalls: Escaped Slave, Boat Hijacker, US Congressman
Reconstruction, an often forgotten and overlooked period of American history, was a time of radical changes, when black Americans were finally freed from bondage and assumed the rights of full citizenship. It was also the entrance of the first people…
Quilombos: Brazil’s Fugitive Slave Kingdoms
Not many situations in history compare to the despair and finality of being an African slave in the Americas. Taken far from home and surrounded by hostile and violent entities, prospects for a better life were bleak. However, deep in…
Bacon’s Rebellion and Jimsonweed: Hallucinogenic Class Struggle
In 1660s Virginia, poor whites and poor blacks, women and men rose up against their colonial overlords to fight for the PEOPLE…and apparently the “people’s” main objective was to exterminate Native Americans. A thousand British soldiers were sent to quell…
Vikings: Europe’s Well-Groomed and Progressive Pagans?
The fearsome barbarians of the North — hairy, stinky pyromaniacs itching to torch your thatched roof — scourge of any medieval village located near to the coast. The Vikings that we all know, right?! Or maybe opportunistic explorers, not discriminating…
Mayan Bloodletting: Putting a Sliced Wiener Into Writing
Mesoamerican civilizations are infamous for their religion that required large amounts of blood from human sacrifice, primarily prisoners of war. However the shedding of blood was more egalitarian than most people today may think — Mayan elites were expected to…
Silphium: History’s Tastiest Contraceptive
Great lengths have been taken in human history to acquire spices in order to give flavoring to our food. Entire economies and empires have been established to trade in these sought-after seasonings. Come learn about silphium, an ancient spice in…
Qin Hui: The Statues That Get Peed On
Yue Fei, one of China’s national heroes famous for defending the country from an invading army, has been made legendary by historians writing his story. Now, he enjoys a status similar to a medieval Marvel superhero. Qin Hui, his arch-nemesis…
Great Zimbabwe: The Thorn in Europe’s Colonial Side
In the heart of Southern Africa lies a complex of ruins, constructed from stone without the use of mortar. This site is known as Great Zimbabwe, a medieval city which grew rich and prosperous. The existence of such a site…
Mutiny and Ned Young: The Sleepiest Man in History?
On the search for a staple food to cheaply feed the slaves that fueled their empire, England sent an expedition to Tahiti to transplant breadfruit trees to the Caribbean. But after spending five months in an idyllic, tropical paradise with…