Amphorae

Today is the anniversary of the great earthquake of Antioch in 526 A.D. It ranks as the 6th greatest natural disaster (in terms of death toll), and 250,000 people are said to have died. This was hardly the first earthquake to hit the great city, one in 37 A.D. had caused Emperor Caligula to send a special delegation of two senators to report on Antioch's condition. It would also not be the last; during the Siege of Antioch in the First Crusade an earthquake hit on December 30th of 1097, supposedly weakening the city's defenses and causing, along with subsequent bad weather, an army of their allies to depart. The city fell the following May, leading to a terrible massacre of the inhabitants that lives in historical infamy.

The royal wedding may be over, but my own wedding is only two short months away and everywhere I look I can see that it is high wedding season. In honor of all the brides (and grooms), let's take a look at wedding fashions throughout the ages. In a traditional Roman wedding the bride wore a white toga with a very long red veil, which hung from a headdress made up of six even strands of hair held together in a kind of conical shape. There was potentially a second veil, also red, which the bride used as she symbolically veiled herself  ("nupta", as in "nuptial") like a piece of property which was transferred from one owner to another. There was a also a wreath on her head and a knotted girdle around her waist which was meant to tie up evil spirits. Fast forward to medieval times and in some ways things had relaxed a little. There wasn't quite so much symbolism and clothing was more a matter of fashion than tradition, the brides gown being generally just her...

I loved the series Histeria! when I was younger, I mean, it was cartoons and history; what's not to like? Here's their primer on the Tudor dynesty. I was lucky enough to get mine courtesy of the British school system, but this is a fine recap.

Okay, so I'm a tiny bit late on this one... On April 23rd  of 1616 William Shakespeare, the poet and playwright whose name and works would reach the very pinnacle of fame in western culture, died. We don't know for sure the date of his birth, but it may have been his 52nd birthday. For fun can you name  all of the plays of Shakespeare in 10 mins? (I missed 8, one because I just couldn't remember the spelling.)

La Mode, 1880 My apologies for the lack of posting, but I am in the middle of moving apartments, and a show that I'm working on has just turned hectic. So much to do, so little time, not enough hands. In the meantime, what do you think of this lovely late-Victorian outfit? I think it's very smart-looking.

(Photo courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) I was driving past the Holocaust Museum in D.C. today and I noticed that they have an exhibit up called "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda". I keep meaning to visit the Holocaust Museum, but every time I consider it I seem to shy away on the basis that it just never feels like the right time to experience the sensation of being kicked in the gut, the irrational guilt, and likelihood that I'll cry in front of complete strangers. It's not a place that was built to inspire laughter or good feelings. It is however the kind of place to go if you've ever wondered, as I have, how on earth it was that one man, or one political party, could convince so many people to carry out a ghastly plan of annihilation towards so many of their neighbors, countrymen, and fellow human beings. How does a failed painter get seemingly normal citizens to put children into gas chambers? It just seems impossible...

I was watching AFI's list of greatest films the other night, and in the category of musicals they mentioned the classic Merrily We Roll Along. The most famous scene from the movie is the Singing in the Rain number, which has been parodied in various ways over the years, most particularly in advertisements like the following:-