By Patrick Hunt – In the great scheme of things theoretical, one might suppose that Classical music composition could be perceived as applied mathematics. Can ordered melody and harmonics and other elements in chord progressions somehow approach something like emotional equations, however subtle or sublime as in the case of […]
Controversies
Plague and the Medieval Triumph of Death, Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo
By Patrick Hunt -Â Plague in the Middle Ages was a constant specter of death for much of the population for centuries, especially in the Mediterranean where ports were the point of entry for plagues in many kingdoms. Sicily was no exception, one of the first places where the […]
Africa’s Great Zimbabwe
By Patrick Hunt -Â The Great Zimbabwe ruins in Zimbabwe form what is probably the greatest African monument ever, impressive in the high granite walls of the Great Enclosure towering up to 36 feet high and length of walls extending over 820 feet. This site’s importance is such that the […]
Archaeology in the Petén: The Early Classic Maya Site of Holmul in Guatemala
by Brianna Rego Although I was born in Guatemala, I moved to Idaho when I was 5. My early-childhood memories are filled with larger than life books of Maya pyramids, dog-eared copies of Incidents of Travel in Yucatán, and parental controlled expeditions with my brothers through the vines and jungles surrounding […]
Thinking in planetary time scales: How modern technology helps us understand ancient episodes of climate change
by James Geary When did human beings start changing the environment? It’s a difficult question, since the further back in time you go the less reliable the evidence becomes. But thanks to new technologies and a new breed of innovative archeologist, the answers are becoming a little clearer. The emerging […]