A Serious Business
Perhaps to you the word “alchemy” conjures up images of sinister laboratories, black-robed sorcerers, or even quackery. Still, for...
Execution of the Condemned
The Romans were especially clever at establishing severe methods of execution. Crucifixion was a long-drawn out penalty, not exactly...
Which Single Event Most Shaped Your Future?
In THE DEADLIEST LIE, Miriam explains why her palms dampen whenever she passes the grove of marble columns that fronts the Great...
Have you paid your taxes yet?
Collecting taxes has always been a serious business. Note the soldier standing behind the tax collector. Ostensibly, he is there to...
Collecting Opium today and in Miriam's time
Since earliest times, opium has been used to relieve pain, stop diarrhea, and induce sleep. In The Deadliest Lie, Miriam takes some to...
Hair of the Dog
If you’ve read my blogs on mining and beauty (February 28, March 7, and March 14, 2017), you’re entitled to know more about Pliny the...
HOW LONG CAN YOU EXPECT TO LIVE?
Depends. If you live past ten years old, you could expect to live to about 47. Still, some in the upper classes lived past 70 years of...
What else did Pliny the Elder have to say about beauty?
The Romans were familiar with the crocodiles inhabiting the Nile. But where could they get crocodile intestine? Oh, that was easy, well,...
What would Pliny the Elder have said?
Depends. If Pliny the Elder, the Roman philosopher who lived contemporaneously with Miriam, thought the eyelashes were natural—and who...