According to Christian legend, St. Valentine was a priest in the third century A.D. He lived under the reign of the Emperor Claudius Gothicus, so named because he had famously conquered the Goths in 268 B.C.E. Claudius Gothicus needed an army so sometime after he conquered the Goths he outlawed marriage. Well not all marriage, he just made it illegal for young men who were the right age to join the army to marry. Well St. Valentine reportedly ignored this new law and continued to marry these army-aged fellas' in secret. He was caught and imprisoned. While imprisoned Valentine wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter, whom he had fallen madly in love with, and signed it "From your Valentine". Thus Valentine's Day was born.
However, it is important to note that this legend might just be bunk. Early Christians often hijacked Pagan Festivals and gave them a Christian twist to legitimize them. Likely this was because early Christian converts weren't likely to give up celebrations they had been enjoying since birth. If giving up these celebrations was a prerequisite to conversion then most would have simply remained closet Pagans for the rest of their days, and the Church knew it. So they hijacked these popular festivals, gave them a Christian twist, and made them legitimate Christian holidays.
This is likely where the Valentine's Day myth comes from. You see every year in mid February, usually around February 14th, Mediterranean pagans celebrated a festival called Lupercalia. Lupercalia was an ancient fertility festival. It was celebrated in honor of Pan, God of Animals and Wilderness. Gifts were exchanged by couples and young unmarried couples were ritually paired off for the day.
Of course if you've noticed Cupid at all then you should have already suspected this. Cupid is nothing more than the Roman God of Lust, Eros, in disguise. He even has the bow and arrow to prove it.
So happy Lupercalia/St. Valentine's Day. Now you know where it came from.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
New Chamber of Mummies Found in Egypt
Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities for Egypt and Chief Archaeologist of the Giza Pyramid excavation, has done it again folks! This man has located more hidden tombs, unidentified mummies, and secret chambers than anyone else in his field.
Earlier this month 22 mummies were discovered in a burial chamber at the Saqqara necropolis just south of Cairo. Hawass informed the BBC that eight stone and wooden sarcophagi were also unearthed. He was, as always, very excited by his latest discovery.
The mummies and chamber were located inside a tomb dating to around 640 B.C.E. The mummies therefore date to Egypt's 26th dynasty, the last independent Egyptian dynasty before they were overthrown by the Persians.
The artifacts located within this burial chamber were remarkably in tact, undisturbed for nearly 2,600 years. Over the years looters have destroyed similar sites long before experts were able to locate them. Though it does show signs that an ancient grave-robber may have disturbed some of the material artifacts hundreds of years prior to Hawass finding the chamber again, the ancient robber appears to have left most of the chamber completely in tact, making this a very significant find.
The mummies themselves were located in niches along the wall of the same room and were reportedly poorly preserved. Archaeologist have thus far been unable to determine why so many mummies were placed in the same room, or for that matter to identify any of the remains.
Hawass also indicated that during the 26th dynasty Egyptians did not usually bury their dead in communal niches. He told the Associated Press, "Niches were known in the very early dynasties, so to find one for the 26th dynasty is something rare."
This find is sure to spawn a television special and some interesting articles. I will do my best to keep you updated.
Earlier this month 22 mummies were discovered in a burial chamber at the Saqqara necropolis just south of Cairo. Hawass informed the BBC that eight stone and wooden sarcophagi were also unearthed. He was, as always, very excited by his latest discovery.
The mummies and chamber were located inside a tomb dating to around 640 B.C.E. The mummies therefore date to Egypt's 26th dynasty, the last independent Egyptian dynasty before they were overthrown by the Persians.
The artifacts located within this burial chamber were remarkably in tact, undisturbed for nearly 2,600 years. Over the years looters have destroyed similar sites long before experts were able to locate them. Though it does show signs that an ancient grave-robber may have disturbed some of the material artifacts hundreds of years prior to Hawass finding the chamber again, the ancient robber appears to have left most of the chamber completely in tact, making this a very significant find.
The mummies themselves were located in niches along the wall of the same room and were reportedly poorly preserved. Archaeologist have thus far been unable to determine why so many mummies were placed in the same room, or for that matter to identify any of the remains.
Hawass also indicated that during the 26th dynasty Egyptians did not usually bury their dead in communal niches. He told the Associated Press, "Niches were known in the very early dynasties, so to find one for the 26th dynasty is something rare."
This find is sure to spawn a television special and some interesting articles. I will do my best to keep you updated.
Monday, February 9, 2009
February is Black History Month: Underground Railroad
February is Black History Month and I have decided to write a brief article daily regarding Black History. I hope you all will enjoy these articles!
The Underground Railroad:
Many people seem to have a misconception that the underground railroad refers to an actual railway, train, or literal underground system of tunnels leading from American South to the safer American North during the nineteenth century. It doesn't.
The underground railroad was actually a network of brave people throughout the country that assisted escaped slaves in reaching the North and Canada. These people often offered their own homes to escaped slaves as a safe haven for a night or a few nights on their journey northward. The "conductors" of the underground railroad were both freed blacks and whites. Escaped slaves often traveled between 10 and 20 miles a night, usually on foot, to reach these safe houses. The slaves hid in barns, hidden rooms, and even closets during the day. They would be given a small provision of food and while they rested during daytime hours the next "station master" would be contacted, and that night the slaves would be sent to the next safe house on their route. Most homes on the route hung a quilt on the door with a particular color and design as a kind of flag that escaped slaves recognized as a symbol of the underground railroad and a safe house.
The journey was long and arduous. The slaves and those assisting their escape risked their lives by participating in the underground railroad. Once escaped slaves reached the North they were "free" in a sense. However, racism was prevalent in the North and escaped slaves often found it difficult to procure employment and a stable home in the Northern states. Yet this new sense of freedom was worth any hardship encountered to most of the escaped slaves.
PBS has an interesting article that goes more in depth located here. National Geographic offers an interactive online game based on Harriet Tubman's underground railway route. I highly recommend playing it!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Lovely Lavinia: America's Prettiest Serial Killer
Lavinia Fisher is perhaps the most notable female serial killer in Carolina history. Lavina was indeed lovely. According to all accounts she was a startlingly beautiful woman with milky white skin, big blue eyes, and curly raven hair. We don't know what her husband looked like, he is largely forgotten, but the Lovely Lavinia lives on in fantastical tales and local legend. Lavinia, however, was never convicted of murder. Neither was her husband. Perhaps the legend is more interesting than the truth, but I don't think so.
According to local legend John and Lavinia Fisher owned and operated an inn on the outskirts of Charleston, SC in the 1800s. There is, however, no evidence that the Fishers actually owned or operated an inn. They did, nonetheless, frequent an inn known as the Six Mile House just outside of town. This inn was a favorite stop for wagon traders carrying their goods to Charleston, SC to sale. It was also a favorite haunt of a local anonymous gang of highway robbers. This gang was responsible for the brutal robbery of multiple wagon traders, and their enterprise threatened the prosperous Charleston wagon trade. As a result "lynch's law" was put into affect, and a mob of angry citizens set out to put an end to highway robbery.
Five Mile House, you guessed it--a neighbor of Six Mile House, happened to be the inn the gang had hunkered down in that night in the early months 1819. The angry mob forced the gang and other occupants out of doors and gave them 15 minutes to depart the premises before burning the Five Mile House to the ground. The gang of highwaymen were outnumbered and they knew it. They left without much fuss.
The next day the angry highwaymen set out to get their vengeance. They had heard that some of the mob members were staying at Six Mile House and sure enough when they showed up at Six Mile House, David Ross, one of the men from the mob, was outside guarding the premises. The highwaymen rode on up to Six Mile House accompanied by a beautiful woman. The unsuspecting Ross greeting this woman and was stunned by her reaction. She smiled and leaning down from her horse she wrapped her lovely white fingers around Ross' neck and began choking him. She also apparently ran his head through a window. This woman was none other than our Lovely Lavinia.
Shortly after Ross was accosted another man, John Peoples, rode up to Six Mile House to water his horse. One of the highwaymen asked to borrow Peoples' bucket and when Peoples refused the man flew into a rage. Nine or ten men and a woman then flew out of Six Mile House and beat Peoples pretty severely. According to Peoples the "beautiful woman" took a "large stick" and beat him over the head with it. She also stole about $40 from him.
Peoples barely managed to escape, and when he did he went straight into town and alerted the local police force. Lavinia, her husband, and 2 other men were arrested for highway robbery. Upon the searching the grounds of Six Mile House 2 bodies were found. The body of a white man and the body of a black woman, both suspected to have been in the ground for at least 2 years. There wasn't enough to proof to convict either Lavinia or her companions of these murders. The authorities knew that Lavinia and John frequented both Five and Six Mile House and they were both suspected of the murders. However, after 2 years of decomp, the bodies offered little evidence with which to prove it.
John and Lavinia Fisher were convicted of highway robbery, a hanging offense in 1819. John was convicted to hang. So was Lavinia. That is, until she said, "You can't hang me. I'm a woman." Well that caused quite a stir. A woman had never been hanged in South Carolina and there were quite a few people opposed to the idea. So Lavinia set smugly in her jail cell fully expecting to be pardoned for her crimes. On February 4th gallows were erected just past Meeting Street and the Fishers were marched to their deaths. Lavinia realized she would hang, regardless of her gender, and she was angry about it too. While John spent his last moments pleading for his life, Lavinia watched her husband hang with nary a tear in her eye. She cursed and screamed amazing profanities at the crowd and the governor. She pitched a royal fit and shocked the crowd into silence. Her last words, the most shocking of all, are perhaps the fuel behind the legend and are undoubtedly the reason that everyone remembers the Lovely Lavinia Fisher. She stared angrily down at the crowd and said, "If you have a message you want to send to hell, give it to me--I'll carry it!" And then she hanged. The crowd, a crowd that usually jeered and cheered while someone hanged, was silent and horrified. Lavinia died in seconds. Her legend, however, lives on.
9/1/2009 Update: I did all of the research on this article myself, simply because I am a history buff and I like spending time in dusty archives. One of my readers just emailed me. Apparently there is a book out that chronicles Lavinia's story, as well as a few others. The book is Wicked Charleston by Mark R. Jones. It can be purchased online or at the Preservation Society of Charleston.
According to local legend John and Lavinia Fisher owned and operated an inn on the outskirts of Charleston, SC in the 1800s. There is, however, no evidence that the Fishers actually owned or operated an inn. They did, nonetheless, frequent an inn known as the Six Mile House just outside of town. This inn was a favorite stop for wagon traders carrying their goods to Charleston, SC to sale. It was also a favorite haunt of a local anonymous gang of highway robbers. This gang was responsible for the brutal robbery of multiple wagon traders, and their enterprise threatened the prosperous Charleston wagon trade. As a result "lynch's law" was put into affect, and a mob of angry citizens set out to put an end to highway robbery.
Five Mile House, you guessed it--a neighbor of Six Mile House, happened to be the inn the gang had hunkered down in that night in the early months 1819. The angry mob forced the gang and other occupants out of doors and gave them 15 minutes to depart the premises before burning the Five Mile House to the ground. The gang of highwaymen were outnumbered and they knew it. They left without much fuss.
The next day the angry highwaymen set out to get their vengeance. They had heard that some of the mob members were staying at Six Mile House and sure enough when they showed up at Six Mile House, David Ross, one of the men from the mob, was outside guarding the premises. The highwaymen rode on up to Six Mile House accompanied by a beautiful woman. The unsuspecting Ross greeting this woman and was stunned by her reaction. She smiled and leaning down from her horse she wrapped her lovely white fingers around Ross' neck and began choking him. She also apparently ran his head through a window. This woman was none other than our Lovely Lavinia.
Shortly after Ross was accosted another man, John Peoples, rode up to Six Mile House to water his horse. One of the highwaymen asked to borrow Peoples' bucket and when Peoples refused the man flew into a rage. Nine or ten men and a woman then flew out of Six Mile House and beat Peoples pretty severely. According to Peoples the "beautiful woman" took a "large stick" and beat him over the head with it. She also stole about $40 from him.
Peoples barely managed to escape, and when he did he went straight into town and alerted the local police force. Lavinia, her husband, and 2 other men were arrested for highway robbery. Upon the searching the grounds of Six Mile House 2 bodies were found. The body of a white man and the body of a black woman, both suspected to have been in the ground for at least 2 years. There wasn't enough to proof to convict either Lavinia or her companions of these murders. The authorities knew that Lavinia and John frequented both Five and Six Mile House and they were both suspected of the murders. However, after 2 years of decomp, the bodies offered little evidence with which to prove it.
John and Lavinia Fisher were convicted of highway robbery, a hanging offense in 1819. John was convicted to hang. So was Lavinia. That is, until she said, "You can't hang me. I'm a woman." Well that caused quite a stir. A woman had never been hanged in South Carolina and there were quite a few people opposed to the idea. So Lavinia set smugly in her jail cell fully expecting to be pardoned for her crimes. On February 4th gallows were erected just past Meeting Street and the Fishers were marched to their deaths. Lavinia realized she would hang, regardless of her gender, and she was angry about it too. While John spent his last moments pleading for his life, Lavinia watched her husband hang with nary a tear in her eye. She cursed and screamed amazing profanities at the crowd and the governor. She pitched a royal fit and shocked the crowd into silence. Her last words, the most shocking of all, are perhaps the fuel behind the legend and are undoubtedly the reason that everyone remembers the Lovely Lavinia Fisher. She stared angrily down at the crowd and said, "If you have a message you want to send to hell, give it to me--I'll carry it!" And then she hanged. The crowd, a crowd that usually jeered and cheered while someone hanged, was silent and horrified. Lavinia died in seconds. Her legend, however, lives on.
9/1/2009 Update: I did all of the research on this article myself, simply because I am a history buff and I like spending time in dusty archives. One of my readers just emailed me. Apparently there is a book out that chronicles Lavinia's story, as well as a few others. The book is Wicked Charleston by Mark R. Jones. It can be purchased online or at the Preservation Society of Charleston.
Monday, December 22, 2008
History of Christmas Traditions
Christmas Trees: Decorating trees for Christmas is a custom that dates all the way back to the mid 16th Century! A popular passion play performed annually on December 24 in medieval Germany retold the story of Adam and Eve. This production called for a tree decorated with apples. Locals found the tree so pretty that they began putting trees in their own homes every December.
Lights: Martin Luther is actually credited with the idea of Christmas tree lights. According to legend the Sainted Luther was taking a walk one night and looking at all the stars in the sky. The stars in the sky made him think of the Christmas Star and the night the three wise men saw that star and it led them to the Holy Child. He brought a small tree home from the forest and decorated it with candles, to symbolize the stars in the night sky, and told his family the story of the Christmas Star. Candles in the window at Christmas is also a medieval custom, not credited to Luther by the way. In the Middle Ages candles came to symbolize Christ as the "light of the world". Candles were left in the window at Christmas to guide the Christ Child to the home so that he could leave his blessings for those inside. The Christ Child also left gifts in some medieval towns, possibly leading to custom of gift giving
Gift Giving: The tradition of gift giving is traditionally attributed to the three wise men who offered the baby Jesus gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. However, gift giving was not really very popular until after the American Civil War. Queen Victoria, who expected gifts on all occasions, may have had something to do with the growth of the gift-giving tradition.
Stockings Hung By the Chimney With Care: According to Christian legend the tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney dates all the way back to 300 C.E. According to the legend a poor miller had three daughters, none of whom could afford to get married because their father was so poor he could not offer a dowry for the girls. The sisters were quite upset about this. St. Nicholas somehow heard of their situation and was touched by their plight. He traveled to their house in the middle of the night and tossed three bags filled with gold coins through their open window. The coins landed in the stockings the girls had hung by the fire to dry.
St. Nick to some, Santa Claus to others!: For those of you who are unaware, there actually was a real life St. Nicholas. He was born in 280 C.E. in a small town called Patara located in Asia Minor. Several miracles were attributed to St. Nicholas. According to legend his prayers often healed the sick, helped an old man conceive a child, brought a ship safely to harbor through a severe storm, and saved three separate individuals from execution. It is also said that St. Nicholas often gave gifts to needy children.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Robert May, a copywriter at Montgomery Ward Department Store in Chicago, was assigned the task of writing a Christmas story that could be given to children visiting Santa Clause in the store. It was a genius advertising ploy, but Ward struggled to complete his task. He was told the tale must be about an animal and he decided that there was no better animal for a Christmas story than a reindeer, and thus Rudolph was born. Over 2 million copies were given away at the Montgomery Ward department stores in 1939. 10 years later Johnny Marks, May's brother-in-law wrote the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was later recorded by Gene Autry.
I hope you have enjoyed learning where popular American Christmas traditions come from. Pass the information on to someone else and keep these valued traditions alive.
Lights: Martin Luther is actually credited with the idea of Christmas tree lights. According to legend the Sainted Luther was taking a walk one night and looking at all the stars in the sky. The stars in the sky made him think of the Christmas Star and the night the three wise men saw that star and it led them to the Holy Child. He brought a small tree home from the forest and decorated it with candles, to symbolize the stars in the night sky, and told his family the story of the Christmas Star. Candles in the window at Christmas is also a medieval custom, not credited to Luther by the way. In the Middle Ages candles came to symbolize Christ as the "light of the world". Candles were left in the window at Christmas to guide the Christ Child to the home so that he could leave his blessings for those inside. The Christ Child also left gifts in some medieval towns, possibly leading to custom of gift giving
Gift Giving: The tradition of gift giving is traditionally attributed to the three wise men who offered the baby Jesus gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. However, gift giving was not really very popular until after the American Civil War. Queen Victoria, who expected gifts on all occasions, may have had something to do with the growth of the gift-giving tradition.
Stockings Hung By the Chimney With Care: According to Christian legend the tradition of hanging stockings by the chimney dates all the way back to 300 C.E. According to the legend a poor miller had three daughters, none of whom could afford to get married because their father was so poor he could not offer a dowry for the girls. The sisters were quite upset about this. St. Nicholas somehow heard of their situation and was touched by their plight. He traveled to their house in the middle of the night and tossed three bags filled with gold coins through their open window. The coins landed in the stockings the girls had hung by the fire to dry.
St. Nick to some, Santa Claus to others!: For those of you who are unaware, there actually was a real life St. Nicholas. He was born in 280 C.E. in a small town called Patara located in Asia Minor. Several miracles were attributed to St. Nicholas. According to legend his prayers often healed the sick, helped an old man conceive a child, brought a ship safely to harbor through a severe storm, and saved three separate individuals from execution. It is also said that St. Nicholas often gave gifts to needy children.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Robert May, a copywriter at Montgomery Ward Department Store in Chicago, was assigned the task of writing a Christmas story that could be given to children visiting Santa Clause in the store. It was a genius advertising ploy, but Ward struggled to complete his task. He was told the tale must be about an animal and he decided that there was no better animal for a Christmas story than a reindeer, and thus Rudolph was born. Over 2 million copies were given away at the Montgomery Ward department stores in 1939. 10 years later Johnny Marks, May's brother-in-law wrote the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was later recorded by Gene Autry.
I hope you have enjoyed learning where popular American Christmas traditions come from. Pass the information on to someone else and keep these valued traditions alive.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Stone Age Burial Site Yields Social Clues
Researchers discovered a 4,600 year old burial site in Germany earlier this month, a find that is especially significant as it yields the earliest known evidence of people living together in family units.
Four nearly identical Stone Age burial sites were located in Eulau, Saxony-Anhalt. Through DNA analysis researchers were able to prove that the graves were actually family burials. The remains of a mother, father, and two children were found carefully buried together. Another grave contained two siblings and an unrelated female. Researchers believe this female was likely a paternal aunt. The individuals were buried facing each other and all remains dated to the same time period.
Wolfgang Haak of the University of Adelaide commented, "By establishing the genetic links between the two adults and two children buried together in one grave, we have established the presence of the classic nuclear family in a prehistoric context in Central Europe--to our knowledge the oldest authentic molecular genetic evidence so far."
While tools and artifacts dating to the Stone Age have been studied in depth, not much is currently known about the societal norms of Stone Age life. This find is particularly significant because it proves that early peoples recognized nuclear families, and perhaps even resided in nuclear family units.
Furthermore, the evidence suggests that the individuals located were victims of a raid. Researchers believe that the survivors of this raid returned once their attackers had left in order to bury their dead. Burial is significant because it often suggests a belief in the afterlife, or in the very least a reverence for the dead. Burying family units together suggests that such units were recognized and important to early peoples. The uniformity of the burials suggests that the ritual of burying the dead had already been established, something previously unknown.
This find is incredible. If you would like to read more please click here.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
History Trivia: Today in History...
On November 18th:
1863--President Lincoln began his journey to Gettysburg to deliver his famous Address on November 19, 1863.
1883-- Due to railroads, the United States adopted time zones for the first time in history.
1928--The very first successful animated cartoon with sound was released by Walt Disney. It was called "Steamboat Willy", starred Mickey Mouse, and premiered in NYC!
1966--Roman Catholic Bishops in the United States repealed the Catholic rule against eating meat on Fridays. Nowadays most Roman Catholics revert back to meatless Fridays during Lent.
1863--President Lincoln began his journey to Gettysburg to deliver his famous Address on November 19, 1863.
1883-- Due to railroads, the United States adopted time zones for the first time in history.
1928--The very first successful animated cartoon with sound was released by Walt Disney. It was called "Steamboat Willy", starred Mickey Mouse, and premiered in NYC!
1966--Roman Catholic Bishops in the United States repealed the Catholic rule against eating meat on Fridays. Nowadays most Roman Catholics revert back to meatless Fridays during Lent.
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