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Tag overview for: 'history'

Entries on this site with 'history'

• vermeer & van meegeren
  Two small but interesting exhibitions related to Johannes Vermeer ... The Mauritshuis hosts ' The Young Vermeer ', bringing together three of his early works: ' Diana and
• florence skyline
  The skyline of Florence is dominated by a single building, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore , or simply the Duomo. Though the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio vies with i
• investigation of a citizen above suspicion
  Elio Petri 's 1970 ' Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion ' ('Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto') is both a scathingly sarcastic political pamphl
• the uncertainty principle
  A play based on quantum physics may sound like a recipe for heady abstraction, but Michael Frayn 's ' Copenhagen ' - ' Kopenhagen ' in the current rendition by Het Nationa
• inanna's journey to hell
  'Inanna's Journey to Hell', composed in Mesopotamia (what is now Iraq) in the third millennium BC, ranks among the oldest surviving stories of mankind. Inanna , the Lady o
• coptic egypt
  At more than 10% of the population, the Copts are a sizable minority in Egypt, and in most towns church towers can be seen side by side with the mosque minarets. The Copti
• ancient egypt
  Herodotos was definitely right about the staggering number of ancient monuments to be found in Egypt. What's even more mindboggling is how well they are preserved, survivi
• off to egypt
  About Egypt I shall have a great deal to relate because of the number of remarkable things which the country contains, and because of the fact that more monuments which be
• where it is warm and bright
  In the current Cabinet , themed The Underground, Michael Saler tells the story of how the London Underground became a leading patron for graphic design and art in the 1920
• morocco: gnawa
  Back to Morocco, where the traditional music of gnawa , or gnaoua, provides a fascinating representation of the different ethnic and religious groups that have shaped it.
• la convivencia
  The period known as La Convivencia refers to the peaceful coexistence of Muslems, Jews and Christians during the Moorish reign of al-Andalus (Spain), between 711 and 1492.
• tales of the alhambra
  The swan song of the Moors in Europe, the 14th century Alhambra palace remains suffused with exotic mystery. Located on a hilltop overlooking Granada , its fortified walls
• the game of war
  For those with enough time on their hands: check out Guy Debord 's 'The Game of War', now made into a computer game by RSG under the title ' Kriegspiel ' (beta version; re
• what can't be copied
  Kevin Kelly recently wrote a thoughtful essay called ' Better Than Free ' on the economics of a digital society. In what is essentially a modern inversion of Walter Benjam
• the good soldier švejk
  ' The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War ' is the full title of Jaroslav Hašek 's satirical masterpiece, left incomplete by his premature de
• the consolation of philosophy
  Since today is the memorial day of Saint Severinus , better known as Boethius , it seems fitting to take a look at his masterpiece ' The Consolation of Philosophy ' ('De C
• war and peace
  A "loose baggy monster" Henry James once called Leo Tolstoy 's ' War and Peace '. At over 1300 pages, with no clearly defined plot and featuring some 500 characters, it ce
• mancala
  Mancala is one of the oldest games in the world - or rather a vast family of hundreds of games with a common ancestor, played in Africa, the Middle East and large parts of
• zodiac
  Some minor spoilers ahead! If David Fincher 's latest film ' Zodiac ' would've been a purely fictional story it probably wouldn't have made it past script stage for lack o
• future shock
  Alvin Toffler 's ' Future Shock ' (1970), precursor to ' The Third Wave ', described the effects of accelerated technological and social change in late 20st century societ
• mexico: tenochtitlan
  Mexico City, formerly known as Tenochtitlan , the capital of the Aztecs , was built on an island in Lake Texcoco and one of the world's largest cities by the time it was d
• mexico: teotihuacán
  So, to finally delve into Mexico, with the awe-inspiring archeological site of Teotihuacán , just north-east of Mexico City. Built by unknown predecessors of the Aztecs (w
• a fairy-tale from the north
  An old man set out to go into the woods, although he didn't know what for. Then he came back and said: -- Hey, old woman, you! The old woman fell straight down. Since then
• the black book
  This post is not about Paul Verhoeven's film but about Orhan Pamuk 's novel ' The Black Book ' ('Kara Kitap'). As a caleidoscopic, metaphysical detective novel, 'The Black
• the heroic imagination
  Interesting interview in Edge with psychologist Philip Zimbardo , who wonders if there is "a counterpart to Hannah Arendt 's classical analysis of evil in terms of her phr
• the year of the death of ricardo reis
  José Saramago 's novel ' The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis ' ('O Ano da Morte de Ricardo Reis') is a classic example of intertextuality , blurring the line between fac
• iffr: the paper will be blue
  First of only a couple of films seen at the International Film Festival Rotterdam this week was ' The Paper Will Be Blue ' ('Hirtia va fi Albastra'), a darkly humorous doc
• ship of fools
  Jeroen Bosch ' famous ' Ship of Fools ', the medieval allegory of humans wasting their lives in idle pleasures. Less widely known is that the custom of putting the insane
• iffr: klimt
  The director's cut of ' Klimt ', the new film by Raúl Ruiz , starring John Malkovich , had its world premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival . As emphasized by Ruiz, the f
• dresdner frauenkirche
  Dresden , eastern Germany's 'Elbflorenz' (Florence on the Elbe) has a new Frauenkirche , complete with its famous ' Steinerne Glocke ' (Stone Bell). Once the skyline domin
• stern decorations
  On the last day of SAIL Amsterdam '05 , finally got to see some of the many tall ships. There is some confusion about the name of the Dutch East Indies Company replica shi
• the history of sampling
  Cool web project chronicling the history of sampling in music. Check: jessekriss.com/projects/samplinghistory (You need a Java plugin.)
• dachau
  Where one sculpture says more than the whole two hour tour...
• fear & loathing
  Just to prove it's all true in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas , here's a photo i found of the real Hunter S. Thompson and his attorney Oscar Acosta (portrayed in the film by
• are you now or were you ever...?
  Searching for a worthy quote in memoriam of Arthur Miller, the American playwright ("Death of a Salesman", "The Crucible", "After the Fall", etc.) who died last week, i st
• courtly manners
  The legends of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table are a highpoint of courtly literature. Chivalrous knights go on perilous quests in defense of their ladies' h
• big ideas in perspective
  Reading Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy puts some of human kind's biggest ideas in perspective for you: Big idea #1: Their [Leucippus and Democritus, 5th

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