Why Gilgamesh Still Matters
December 26, 2025
Sumerians created a system of writing that was robust enough for literature more than 5,000 years ago. It was initially used to record inventories and
From Truth to Expansion; Updating Basic Ideas
November 29, 2025
A recent article here began to explore ways that ideas of truth can vary in different cultures. A common theme I’ve found has been constancy.
Many Worlds on Bangkok’s Streets
November 10, 2025
The first kings in Thailand’s new Chakri Dynasty grounded Bangkok in Thai traditions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by erecting monuments in
Many Worlds in a Place at Bangkok’s Wat Pho
November 2, 2025
Thais needed to rebuild their world after Burmese armies traumatized them by sacking Ayutthaya, the capital of their largest kingdom, in 1767. The first king
Stones and Abundance in Native American Cultures in California
October 12, 2025
The archaeologist Paul MacKendrick wrote a book about ancient Italy called The Mute Stones Speak. But for First Americans in California, stones aren’t mute; they
The Buddha’s Footprint at Bangkok’s Wat Pho; Prettier than Zeus and Indra Combined
September 30, 2025
Wat Pho is the second of the three monuments that the first Chakri kings established in Bangkok’s center to reaffirm traditional Thai ways of perceiving
Traditional Thai Ways of Perceiving in Modern Bangkok
September 25, 2025
The horrors of the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767 made old Thai traditions seem like a lost haven. The siege dragged on for more than
Wealthy Merchants, Pious Monks, and Royal Glitter; The Unique Cultural Wealth of Thailand’s Old Capital Ayutthaya
September 14, 2025
It was one of the world’s greatest cities before Bangkok became the capital in 1782. Ayutthaya was founded in 1351, and it became the most
Truth and Culture; Updating Ideas of Truth
September 1, 2025
What is truth? A common theme in different definitions of it has been constancy. For example the Middle English (spoken from about 1150 to around