The Historical Mystery
In previous posts, this blog has featured various subgenres of the mystery genre, such as the psychological thriller, the noir, and the...
A Poison Needle Ring
Vessel rings like this probably originated in the ancient days of the Far East and India and have been used throughout history to carry...
A Lesson In Forensic Entomology
Forensic entomology is the study of the insects associated with a human corpse to determine the time elapsed since death. In the last 20...
The Jews of Alexandria
Julius Caesar (100--44 BCE) accorded privileges to the Roman Jews and allowed them to own property and administer their community...
Killer Cosmetics
In “The Dagger”, a story in The Deadliest Deceptions, Phoebe and Professor Jason go to The Pegasus, a sleazy waterfront inn, to...
How was Ursus Killed?
“The Dagger”, a story in The Deadliest Deceptions, features Phoebe, eager to solve the murder of a retired gladiator whose throat was...
The Evolving Meaning of Alchemy
In The Deadliest Lie, the first book in the Miriam bat Isaac Series, Miriam explains how she became interested in alchemy: When I first...
Once a Luxury
Pepper, which was imported from India along with ginger and cinnamon, was once a luxury product. But in Miriam’s time, with accumulating...
The Roman Sense of Humor
Cicero, who was considered a jokester, explained that humor is based on “ambiguity, the unexpected, wordplay, understatement, irony,...
Wealthy First-Century Romans Adored Perfume
We get the word perfume from the Romans. In Latin, per fumum means through smoke. Though it had been used in religious rituals, perfume...