“Useful Charts” tries to answer the big question: the Roman Empire

The Roman Empire dates back to this day in 27BC, when Augustus assumed the title Princeps, to end (in the West) with Romulus Augustulus’ deposition in 476 and (in the East or Byzantine) with the defeat and death of Constantine XI by the Ottomans at Constintinople in 1453. So, who is the hypothetical Roman Emperor…

A LITTLE KNOWN IMAGE OF RICHARD

Quite accidentally I stumbled over a reference to a genealogical manuscript of English kings, made in around 1500, which interestingly finishes with a drawing of Richard rather than the current king of the time, Henry Tudor.  The depiction of Richard is not one that normally is seen with any frequency. Here is what is written…

Blacksmiths for Gods and Heroes: Tracing the Magical Blacksmith through Myth

Originally posted on Giaconda's Blog:
? ? Hephaestus from an Attic red Kylix vase decoration. Who Were the Legendary Smiths?: The figure of the often deformed or maimed blacksmith who forges remarkable weaponry and armour for gods or heroes is a re-occurring archetype in myth across many cultures. We have Hephaestus in Greek myth…