GRAFFITI IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
Both the term “graffiti” and its rarely used singular form “graffito” are from the Italian word graffiato meaning scratched. In ancient...
HOW MUCH DID THE GEMS WEIGH?
“Will you look at that!” Bion made a sound, equal parts gasp and squeal. “No wonder he slept with a cudgel.” As he lifted the sack out of...
IT'S OUT!
Miriam bat Isaac, a budding alchemist and amateur sleuth in first-century CE Alexandria, becomes frantic when her best friend, Phoebe, is...
DON’T TELL ME IT TASTES LIKE CHICKEN!
In THE DEADLIEST HATE, when Miriam is in Caesarea, she takes the side streets to avoid not only the traffic but the assassins who could...
Read One of the Nine Most Riveting Mysteries Set in the Distant Past
Catching criminals has always been difficult, but centuries ago, all sleuths had to go on were their wits and whatever clues the...
MIRIAM, PLEASE PASS THE OLIVES
Olives are served frequently in the Miriam bat Isaac novels. For example, in THE DEADLIEST HATE, Miriam’s second adventure, when she is...
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ALEXANDER’S CONQUESTS
Alexander’s spectacular campaigns not only won for him an empire stretching from his Greek homeland, Macedonia, to the western border of...
TREAT YOURSELF TO A CUP OF LAVENDER TEA
Miriam often refers to the comfort of Phoebe’s lavender-scented embrace. In THE DEADLIEST SPORT, Miriam tells of Phoebe’s Shabbat visits...
“DIONYSIA, YOU WORTHY WOMAN, FAREWELL!”
In THE DEADLIEST LIE, Miriam brags about living in the finest neighborhood of Alexandria: Of the three residential quarters in...