A section of the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus, ca. 1550 BCE.  It consists of reference tables, arithmetic, algebraic and geometric problems including volumes, and fractions (Courtesy of British Museum. London) By Susanne L. Houfek – The ancient Egyptians may not have taken trigonometry in school for entry level to a good university […]
Architectural History
Giovanni Battista Piranesi: Pioneer Archaeologist and Engraver
By P. F. Sommerfeldt – Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-78) is well known as a Neoclassical engraver of Roman monuments and shadowed architectural fantasies (such as invented or imaginary carcere or “prisons”). But his work as a pioneer in archaeology is not as familiar, although his work provides ample details about […]
The Throne of Charlemagne: Carolingian Symbolism
By Patrick Hunt – Aachen Cathedral (also known in German as the Kaiserdom) is one of the most important monuments in the Early Medieval World, begun circa. 796, and symbolically identified with the end of the Dark Ages when literacy was finally resurgent in the Carolingian Age. Charlemagne built Aachen’s […]
Schlosshotel Kronberg – Modern Classic Fairy Tale Castle
By P. F. Sommerfeldt – When you are first driven through the park gatehouse for the Schlosshotel Kronberg nestled in the lower forested slopes of the Taunus Mountains of Germany above Frankfurt and see its grandeur of towers and steep roofs, it is fairly obvious it was originally a royal […]
Villa Monastero, Lake Como
By Alessandra Scola- Villa Monastero is one of the several monumental villas mostly built or enlarged between the 17th and 19th centuries on one of the long coasts of Lake Como (also known in antiquity as Lago Lario) the deepest Italian lake. The villa is located in Varenna, an enchanting […]
Russia’s Most Beautiful Gem: St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow
St.  Basil’s Church, Red Square, Moscow   (photo P. Hunt, 2017) By P. F. Sommerfeldt - Moscow’s Red Square is one of the most recognizable places in the world, and dominating its southern end is the landmark St. Basil’s Cathedral, the 16th century monastic structure that millions can easily identify […]
Alsace’s Dual Crowns: Eguisheim and Riquewihr
        View up Riquewihr’s central street, Rue de General de Gaulle (Photo P. Hunt 2016) By Patrick Hunt - Those who love the best of Alsace know that although it is now part of France, it has been fought over though history, involuntarily […]
Imperium and Genius in the Pantheon of Rome
By Patrick Hunt -Â Almost any informed list of the most famous historic buildings of the world will include the Pantheon of Rome. Its longevity since the mid-second century is important but not the most important reason why; its grandeur and size are staggering, even more so when one one […]
Mandalay’s Royal Palace Reconstructed: Lessons in Historic Preservation
Mandalay’s Golden Palace  (Image courtesy of Oway Agency, Myanmar) By Catherine Clover - On a recent trip to Myanmar (Burma) I made a stop in the crossroads city of Mandalay. Linking the route from the south of the country in Yangon to the states of the north, in modern times […]
Gardens of Pompeii as Roman Legacy
By Cher Stone Beall – Gardens are a vital part of urban Pompeii as perhaps the best known Roman city. From a distance the location of some of the gardens in Pompeii must have revealed themselves with treetops rising above walls encircling them. The gardens of Pompeii were spread throughout […]