The Column of Marcian, known locally as Kıztaşı, is one of the last remaining Roman honorific columns in Istanbul, although the statue that was originally mounted at the top has been lost to history. Nevertheless, the rest of this column erected between 450-452 CE and dedicated to the Roman Emperor Marcian, is remarkably well-preserved on this bustling street in modern Istanbul….
Not only is the Cathedral of St. Mungo, or Glasgow Cathedral as it is more commonly known, the oldest surviving building in the city, but it is also the longest-standing house of worship in the Scottish mainland. Founded towards the end of the 12th century, it has seen its fair share of visitors, with an average yearly footfall of around 500,000. Just opposite the Glasgow Necropolis, the city’s sprawling Victorian-era cemetery, an inquisitive investigator may stumble upon a collection of……
Mariacka Street in Gdańsk, Poland, boasts a one-of-a-kind bas-relief of Diana, the goddess of the hunt, which underwent repairs in 1957. In a nod to the era’s space excitement, local conservators added a lunar vehicle to the artwork, celebrating the Soviet Union’s launch of the satellite Sputnik. This whimsical fusion of mythology and space exploration makes the bas-relief a must-see for tourists, offering a charming and unexpected twist to Gdańsk’s historic streetscape….
In 1564, French Huguenots, attempting to avoid persecution from the Catholic Church, set sail for North America and landed in what is now Jacksonville, near the opening of the St. John’s River. They established trade with the native Timucuan Indians and built a fort, planning to maintain a permanent home in North America. But this colony only lasted until the following year, when Spanish forces coming up from the recently established town of St. Augustine attacked the French, forcing them……
In the world of ancient pyramids, it seems like there’s always a race to the past. Are the oldest ones in Egypt? Peru? It’s been up for debate since about 2001. But now, there’s a new contender in the historic who’s-who of pyramids: Indonesia. A team of archaeologists, geologists, and geophysicists recently published a paper in Archaeological Prospection suggesting that Gunung Padang in the Cianjur District of the West Java Province is not actually the naturally occurring hill that……
Built in 1872, this high Gothic building was constructed as the headquarters for the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers (NEIMME). It served as a learned society for the most influential mining engineers of the period and as a meeting place to share ideas and innovations as well as discuss policy. In true Victorian grandeur, the interior is clad with rare natural stonework adorned with exquisite carvings, beautifully decorated ceilings, and stained-glass windows. The NEIMME, which……
To find out the time in Tacoma, Washington, you have a few options. Sure, you can pull out a smartphone, or check your watch, but why bother with something so prosaic? Instead, head north to Commencement Bay on a sunny day, and you’ll be able to measure time using the City of Tacoma’s sundial. The sundial is a public sculpture, created and maintained by Metro Parks Tacoma. When the park was under construction in 1978, the project’s landscape architect,……
Many of the visitors that seek out the quaint seaside village of Culross, (pronounced Coo-riss) come to soak up the picturesque atmosphere seen on the television program Outlander. The town serves as the show’s fictional village of Cranesmuir. But they might be missing some details that are easy to overlook. For instance, the pattern of the cobbled road of Kirk Street that runs from the Mercat Cross up to the Abbey. Culross was founded in the 6th century, and due……
The Ladd Observatory was built in 1891 by Brown University, and features the original telescope over 130 years old. The telescope is one of only a handful of large refractor telescopes from that era. At the time of its construction, the observatory was located at the highest point in Providence (shifts in the city’s borders eventually caused this to be the city’s second-highest point.) The hilltop was a rural area with minimal light pollution. However, in the decades after……
Electrons move through a conducting material like commuters at the height of Manhattan rush hour. The charged particles may jostle and bump against each other, but for the most part they’re unconcerned with other electrons as they hurtle forward, each with their own energy. But when a material’s electrons are trapped together, they can settle into the exact same energy state and start to behave as one. This collective, zombie-like state is what’s known in physics as an electronic……
The Old Grammar School in Hawkshead boasts a rich history that dates back to its establishment in 1585. For over three centuries, the school served as an education hub for numerous generations until its closure in 1909. Among its distinguished alumni was the famous poet, William Wordsworth, who attended the school from 1779 to 1787. In adulthood, Wordsworth left an indelible mark on the history of poetry, as a child, however, Wordsworth’s writing left another kind of mark when……
In the 1980s, the local government of Åland bought the home of the late Sven Karlsson. Sven—a boatbuilder, inventor, fisherman, farmer, and carpenter—had lived his entire life on the farm, weathering all the changes the 20th century brought with it while still sticking to the lifestyle of his ancestors. Having lost one of his legs in a hunting accident in his youth, he got creative in his daily life, using a motorized bike, installing water chutes between the stables……
Excerpted with permission from Wounded Tigris: A River Journey Through the Cradle of Civilization, by Leon McCarron, published November 2023 by Pegasus Books. Our boat left Amara in semidarkness and the city slipped away with ease, taken by the reeds. As light flooded the day, ducks and geese joined us in the current. Occasionally we passed factories making bricks, their chimneys exhaling black smoke that diffused the sky. This was about the worst job in Iraq, said Salman. It……
Byrnesville, Pennsylvania was a village between the towns of Centralia and Ashland. In 1856 a handful of Irish Catholic families settled in Byrnesville, and were employed in the local coal mining industry. Many of these families remained in the village for generations. In 1962, the coal veins beneath the neighboring town of Centralia caught fire, likely due to a routine burning of the town’s local dump igniting the coal fire. Initially, the fire didn’t seem to have much impact……
What comes to mind when you imagine the Aztec Empire? It doesn’t quite generate the obsession that the Roman Empire might, but perhaps pyramids? Warriors? Or, more likely, its decimation at the hands of Spanish conquistadors. That’s probably because so much of what is widely known about the Aztecs is filtered through those European conquerors. But 16th century central Mexico, where the Aztec Empire had thrived, was lively with history, cuisine, medicine, and culture, and that world is now……
