-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Hammurabi’s laws are generally believed to be the oldest written laws, though that is not the case. The (mostly)preserved laws of Ur-Nammu predate these by about three centuries, and there is mention of older codices that have not yet been found (oh, the possibilities!) Hammurabi’s code, though remains the better-known and better-preserved legal codex, dating … Continue reading
The premise is both interesting and valid. Hindu resistance to early Muslim invasions is not a subject that has received a lot of attention from our prominent historians. It is a fact that it took a few centuries for Islamic invaders to establish a permanent foothold, and eventually empire, in India and the subject deserves … Continue reading
Researchers used forensic techniques to bring us face to face with an ancestor of ours who lived 9500 years ago. Read the story here!
A lovely collection of engravings, printed on excellent, quality paper. It’s an art book and a must have collectible for connoisseurs with an interest in Indian history. These are beautiful snapshots of India at the end of the eighteenth century and offer an unparalleled glimpse into a long gone time. Each picture is to … Continue reading
It’s a small book, not a scholarly tome on the origins and development of India’s capital. That is not what Malvika’s book is about. What it does instead, is act as a time capsule. It brings to life a Delhi nestled between the powerless masses and the powerful classes. A genteel, upper middle class life … Continue reading
It is difficult, when writing history, to stay distant from one’s own prejudices, our pet ideas, our personal viewpoints. This, of course, makes history organic and imbues it with a life that the sciences do not have. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why history never can become a science (which is a little ironic, … Continue reading
It’s a tough act to pull off. To strike a perfect balance, especially when writing a biography. What do you keep and what do you discard? How far do you go and where do you stop? These are difficult questions to answer, so when an author manages to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the … Continue reading
Roman villas occasionally had shops up front selling meat or metalware or cloth (some even had prostitutes available, hidden away in a back room).
The living room. I particularly liked the baby-crib. The exact design has been found in Pompeii. 🙂
Views of the Caldarium, the hot bath. The Roman system for heating the room was ingenious, a great example of how ancient engineers solved problems that we struggle with even today. For details you can check out Wikipedia
hbhatnagar 