Category Archives: History

Culture/History: The Many Lives Of Abbeys In France

FRANCE 24 (March 21, 2023) – Once important seats of Christian worship, and now treasures of the country’s heritage, French abbeys often have surprising histories. That’s the case of Fontevraud abbey, in the former duchy of Anjou. Run by a woman during its heyday, the abbey was turned into a prison after the French Revolution.

In Alsace, the abbey of Mont Sainte-Odile is famous for its supposedly miraculous spring water. Finally, on the outskirts of Montpellier, Valmagne abbey used to be a wine cellar. Visitors can still observe the gigantic barrels that were once used to store thousands of litres of wine.

Previews: BBC History Magazine – April 2023

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BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE – APRIL 2023:

The kingdom is dead: what causes monarchies to fail?

King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Charles I of England, Puyi of China and Lydia Liliuokalani of Hawaii

From the Romans to the Russians, monarchies that at one time seemed all powerful have come crashing down as a result of violence, political manoeuvring or the will of the people. Danny Bird charts the downfall of 10 kingdoms and empires throughout history

How much do you know about the Crimean War?

Soldiers in the Crimean War

How much do you know about the Crimean War? Test your knowledge with this quiz on the Victorian conflict…

Tours: The Lighthouse Of Chania, Island Of Crete

Smithsonian Channel (March 16, 2023) – No one is allowed up the historic Chania lighthouse anymore which, for hundreds of years, had guided sailors along the coast. But historian Bettany Hughes has special permission–and she’s taking us with her.

The original Venetian lighthouse was built around the late 16th century to protect the harbour. A chain could be connected from the base of the lighthouse to the fortress of Firkas in oder to close the harbour.

During the Turkish occupation the lighthouse fell into disrepair and was eventually rebuilt between 1824 and 1832 in the form of a minaret. The modern lighthouse is often referred to as ‘ Egyptian’ because it was built during a time where Crete was occupied by Egyptian troops who were supporting the weakening Ottoman Empire against the rebelious Cretans.

Architectural History: A Tour Of SoHo In New York

Architectural Digest (March 16, 2023) – Architect Nicholas Potts returns for another history-revealing walking tour, this time exploring the ever-evolving look of SoHo in New York City. From stone-mimicking cast-iron details to repurposed mercantile buildings with soaring glass windows, Nick breaks down the surprising history and motivations that led to the distinctive style “South of Houston.”

Check out Nicholas Potts here: Website: https://nicholasgpotts.com/

Arts/History: Smithsonian Magazine – April/May 2023

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Smithsonian Magazine – April/May 2023 Issue

America’s Waterways: The Past, Present and Future

The sun sets over the Susquehanna River in northern Pennsylvania.

Scientists endlessly study lakes and rivers, historians document them, artists paint them, and travelers continue to explore them. In a series of articles, Smithsonian magazine highlights all that draws our eyes to our nation’s fresh and coastal waters.

TRAVEL

A Nostalgic Trip Awaits at the World’s Largest Lunchbox Museum

More than 3,000 lunchboxes are on display inside the "World's Largest Lunchbox Museum."

Take a journey back to your elementary school cafeteria with a visit to the Georgia outpost

The 70 Million-Year-Old History of the Mississippi River

The Mississippi Delta, seen from space in 2001.
The Mississippi Delta, seen from space in 2001. NASA / Jesse Allen

Dive into the secret past and uncertain future of the body of water that has defined a nation


Italy Travel: The ‘Via Di Linari’ Pilgrimage Route

Emilia Romagna Tourism (March 13, 2023) – Walking along the Via di Linari, an ancient pilgrimage route towards Rome (alternative to the Via Francigena) which connects Fidenza to the Linari Abbey, a religious settlement that once stood on the mountain ridge between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.

It was established as a safer route to Tuscany compared to the Via Francigena, and it soon became an important road both for pilgrims on their way to Rome and as a trade route for the city of Parma. Like the  St Vicinio Way, the Linari Way was dotted with parish churches and hospitalia, places where travellers could find shelter from the elements and bandits.

Views: The Archaeologists Uncovering Pompeii Ruins

CBS Sunday Morning (March 12, 2023) – Nearly 2,000 years ago, the erupting Mt. Vesuvius covered the bustling Roman metropolis of Pompeii in volcanic ash. Archaeologists are still uncovering buried portions of the city, piecing together a tantalizing puzzle about life before the disaster.

Pompeii is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region, near the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses that visitors can freely explore..

Architecture: The History Of Movie Theater Design

Architectural Digest (March 7, 2023): Richard Weiss has been a movie theater architect for over 25 years, designing Alamo Drafthouses across the United States. Today on AD he joins us to break down the evolution of theaters from the dawn of commercial motion pictures to the present day.

From the earliest projections featuring Thomas Edison’s Vitascope in converted vaudeville theaters to the contemporary multiplexes we visit now, learn the detailed history of where and how we’ve gone to the cinema for over a century.

Art/Interior Design: Tour Of Charleston House, UK

House & Garden (March 3, 2023) – Houses with History from Charleston House. Join Lucy Hammond Giles, Associate Director at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, as we tour Charleston House, once home to artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.

Vanessa and Duncan saw no particular distinction between art and interior design, and treated the house as a canvas, painting practically every wall and piece of furniture in their own distinctive styles. As a result, the house is not only a significant piece of art history, but a landmark in the history of interior decoration.

Charleston, in East Sussex, is a property associated with the Bloomsbury group, that is open to the public. It was the country home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and is an example of their decorative style within a domestic context, representing the fruition of more than sixty years of artistic creativity.

Fine Art: The Burlington Magazine – March 2023

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The Burlington Magazine – March 2023:

Delacroix in Africa and Spain: newly discovered sketchbooks

The sketchbooks Delacroix kept on his travels to Morocco and Andalusia in 1832.

Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color

If asked to name the most successful exhibition of contemporary German art, few people would intuitively think of an exhibition presenting vivid reconstructions of the polychromy of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 5th July 2022–26th March 2023