Tell the truth. Have you played this trick with your jewelry?
Roman women wore a profusion of custom-made, hand-crafted jewelry including earrings, bracelets, amulets, necklaces, pendants, rings—and...
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE
If you gagged last week when you heard that bulls’ urine was used to treat thinning hair, then stop right here because today’s blog is...
WHEN IS MORE MORE? When you’re dressing the hair of an upper-class Roman beauty
An upper-class Roman woman's hairstyle was an indication of her wealth and status. Only she could afford the time and servants necessary...
Why did ordinary Egyptian women have so much power?
Egyptian queens during the reign of the Ptolemies had more power and honor than the kings. Likewise, ordinary wives ruled their husbands....
The Spoliarium
Luna’s painting depicts the bloody carcasses of gladiators as they’re about to be dragged through the Porta Libitinaria (The Gate of...
How gross is a vomitorium?
Contrary to the way the word sounds, a vomitorium is not gross at all. It’s a passageway for entering and leaving a stadium or theater....
Collecting Taxes in Roman Egypt
In both The Deadliest Lie and The Deadliest Sport, the reader hears of the complex array of taxes imposed on all males (slaves included)...
MUMMIFICATION IN ANCIENT EGYPT
In Chapter 7 of The Deadliest Lie, Miriam explains why the Jewish quarter of Alexandria is the finest residential district in the city:...
THE CHINESE SEARCH FOR LONGEVITY
Transforming base metals like copper into gold was a major focus for Alexandrian alchemists such as Maria Hebrea (a. k. a. Miriam bat...