Try wrapping your head around this: excavators in Egypt have found four million cat mummies, seven million dog mummies, four million ibis mummies and tens of thousands of other mummified animals, big and small--including bulls, mice, snakes, baboons, lions, and even bugs! Apparently, the ancient Egyptian philosophy of "Go Big or Go Home!" didn't just apply to the … [Read more...] about Ancient Egypt’s Strange Practice of Animal Mummification
Modern Echoes
The Inspiration Behind the Pompeii Necklace
In celebration of the upcoming release of a novel in six parts--A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii--we are giving away a necklace and earring set inspired by ancient Roman jewelry (enter the giveaway here). The novel was the brainchild of Stephanie Dray and Kate Quinn ad I feel very fortunate to be among such stellar historical fiction writers, including Ben Kane, Sophie … [Read more...] about The Inspiration Behind the Pompeii Necklace
Real Pyroclastic Surges
At the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, I gave a presentation with fellow historical fiction author (and new friend!) Kim Teter. During my talk, a video of a real pyroclastic surge I wanted to play for the audience wouldn't cooperate, so I told everyone that I would put it on my blog. So here it is! This, my friends, is what killed everyone in Pompeii. However, our … [Read more...] about Real Pyroclastic Surges
Hilarious! Uma Thurman as Hera
I absolutely love this short film of "mundane" Hera. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujqoQ6V_kl0#t=558 … [Read more...] about Hilarious! Uma Thurman as Hera
Ancient Echoes of the Isla Vista Killer
After the tragedy of the misogynist-driven killings in Isla Vista, I felt a little guilty about the lighthearted approach I took in a recent guest post about ancient curses. That’s because, when I reread one of the ancient spells, it suddenly sounded very much like the kind of “curse” the young mass-murdering misogynist might have made. First, some background. The ancient … [Read more...] about Ancient Echoes of the Isla Vista Killer
