Medieval Roots in Ancient Rome
October 1, 2024
She can be sweet or cruel depending on her mood. That’s a pretty capricious goddess to place in the center of the universe, but this
Ambiguities of Empire; Ancient Romans’ Mixed Feelings about Glory
September 23, 2024
Most ancient Greeks saw the world in ways that reflected their intimate city-states. Most of their views were human-scale and proportioned. Romans in their early
Cambodian Cultural Wealth Most People Don’t Know About
September 9, 2024
Cambodia has so many ancient Khmer temples and so much natural beauty that they will always give you new things to see. But it also has
Ordering the Universe in Dramatic Fashion at an Ancient Khmer Temple
September 5, 2024
The Khmers knew how to start with a big bang. The temple on Phnom Krom was built by an early Khmer king, Yasovarman I or
Multicultural Blends in a Muslim Village in Yunnan
September 3, 2024
Yunnan’s Erhai Lake has been multicultural for centuries. It was the center of the fabled Nan Chao kingdom, which presided over much of northern
The Message Meets the Way; Islamic Art in China
September 1, 2024
Islam and China have created vastly underappreciated cultural fusions. Islam was introduced to China in the Tang Dynasty through ports of the southeastern coastal
Thailand’s Endless Varieties of Beauty; Chiang Saen’s Wat Pa Sak
August 29, 2024
The old town of Chiang Saen presides at a historic place on the Mekong–many ancestors of the Thai people crossed into this area when they migrated from
Graceful Geometry in Thai Art
August 27, 2024
People in Thailand created a different way of ordering the world than Egyptian temples and pyramids. Previous articles here explored some of the enchantments
Amun’s Temple at Karnak; Setting Standards for Magnificence in Ancient Egypt
August 21, 2024
A recent article here explored Hatshepsut’s temple in the Thebes area. But the grandest New Kingdom temple was Amun’s at Thebes, which modern Luxor surrounds.