Giza and the Birth of Ancient Egyptian Literature
March 26, 2024
The pyramid in the photo below looks even less impressive than King Menkaure’s. After he built the third pyramid at Giza, pyramids became even smaller. But
Perfection Fully Realized at Giza; Menkaure’s Pyramid
March 24, 2024
Menkaure’s pyramid at Giza may not look as impressive at first glance. It’s 204-foot height is less than half of Khufu’s (the Great Pyramid), and Khafre’s.
Perfection Spreads in Ancient Egypt; King Khafre’s Pyramid and Temples
March 24, 2024
King Khufu’s Great Pyramid at Giza first stood alone. Imagine its glory as it rose about 480 feet from a cliff that presided over the
Perfection Reached in Ancient Egypt; The Great Pyramid at Giza
March 22, 2024
Ancient Egypt’s King Khufu had a tough act to follow. His father, Sneferu, founded the Fourth Dynasty (2575-2465 BCE) and assembled more stone mass in
Continuity of Chinese Aesthetics from the Shang Dynasty
March 19, 2024
The Shang Dynasty’s royals used bronze ritual vessels to commune with their ancestors and help keep the state in order.: Their designs became increasingly dramatic
How Dragons Are Born; China’s Shang Dynasty
March 17, 2024
One of the best history buzzes I got in China was walking on the ancient walls of the great ancient city Zhengzhou. The wall in
Getting Foundational in China’s Xia and Early Shang Dynasties
March 15, 2024
Chinese have traditionally seen themselves as rooted in the Shang Dynasty. So you can’t get more foundational than the Shang and its roots. We’ll get
Having a Buffalo Moment in a Laotian Creation Myth
March 15, 2024
The relationship between people and buffaloes is hallowed in much of rural Southeast Asia, and a man in a village near Yangshuo, China wanted to
A Perspective Is More than You Probably Think It Is; Thai Ways of Perceiving
March 13, 2024
I’ve invoked Thai, Indian, Chinese, Laotian, African, Middle Eastern and Western perspectives on this site, but perspective is a controversial term. What is a perspective?