A large Roman army commanded by Marcus Licinius Crassus was defeated by a numerically inferior Parthian force under Surenas near Carrhae in northern Syria. From Rogueclassicism.
On this day in 53 B.C…..
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Tag Archives: book notes
Life in Late Bronze Age Greece
Notes on Mycenaeans, by Rodney Castleden
I have been interested in the Greek Bronze Age ever since I read Joseph Alsop’s From the Silent Earth back in High School (1964-1968). Mycenaeans is a very readable and recent survey (2005) and I was quite interested in seeing what is new. Quick summary: Some more sites have been excavated, there have been more digs at known sites, and more Linear B tablets have been
found and translated. So there are Lots of new details, but no revolutionary changes in what archeologists think and the big questions remain unanswered.
Book Find
After being snowbound for 40 hours we were finally able to get out late Sunday morning. The first event: A family trip to a bookstore. There I found and bought a copy of The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man. I had read it decades ago, back in college or even high school. The author, David W. Maurer was a long time friend and colleague of my parents. When I saw The Sting a few years later I immediately noticed how closely it followed Maurer’s book and mentioned that to my father. Dad agreed, but that was done with without Maurer’s permission or any acknowledgement of his work. As noted here, a lawsuit followed.
After all these years, The Big Con still finds new fans, such as Cory Doctorow.
Recent reading
Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist. The author is brotherguy.
All are recommended to those interested in the respective subjects.
Where 14 Million People Died
A scientist at the Vatican
Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist
Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., is a Planetary Scientist, specializing in meteorites, and a Jesuit brother. He writes about the different types of meteorites and their significance in the first section. The second section is about the church, where he argues that the trial of Galileo was a tragic aberration, and discusses the theological justification for science in the works of St. Athanasius and of John Scotus Eriugena. Later chapters include some autobiography, a discussion of aliens and their possible theological implications (short answer: no problem), and a concluding section about exploring for meteorites in Antarctica.
He has a first rate education in both science and religion, and is obviously very comfortable with both and sees no problem reconciling them. Neither do his Jesuit superiors.
I have read quite a bit on science and religion, but mostly from a somewhat detached academic point of view. Brother Astronomer is a very refreshing view from the inside. Brother Guy is perfectly aware of all the historical, religious, and scientific background, but communicating that is not his purpose. He is a working scientist. His scientific work is his Christian vocation. That is what he trying to communicate, and he does it very well.
Brother Guy was recently interviewed by some of the British news media, resulting in stories such as:
- Pope Benedict XVI’s astronomer: the Catholic Church welcomes aliens
- Pope’s astronomer says he would baptise an alien if it asked him
His comments on all of this are at Anybody want my last three minutes of fame? .
Galley Slaves of the 17th Century
The Galeotti: rowing out of the Barbary Coast
Readers of The Baroque Cycle will recall that Jack Shaftoe was captured and forced into galley slavery by the Barbary Pirates.
Ben-Hur to the contrary, galley slaves were almost unknown in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Back then rowers were free men. Galley slavery was an innovation of the late middle ages. See, for example, The Ancient Engineers, p. 352-354.
From Eternity to Here: ….
A quick look at the end of Gaelic Ireland
Liam Swords, in The Flight of the Earls, includes a brief account of the Nine Years’ War, the last and greatest of Irish rebellions against Queen Elizabeth I of England, but is more concerned with the aftermath. On September 14, 1607, Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone and leader of the rebellion, Rory O’Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, and nearly 100 of their family and followers fled from Ireland on a ship. Continue reading
Joss Whedon teaches Physics
mia_mcdavid has been introducing our foster daughter, carpe_noctum_93, to the wonders of Joss Whedon’s creation, going through our complete DVD collections of both Buffy and Angel. Back in July I heard Jennifer Ouellette speak at Convergence, and decided it was time to read her book, The Physics of the Buffyverse.
Behind the fantastic properties of the vampires, demons, etc., there is actually a lot of good physics in the series. From electricity and the mechanics of martial arts to the Many World Interpretation of quantum mechanics, the writers of the series drew upon wide variety of concepts in physics. Ouellette neatly disentangles the real science from the fantastic elements, maintaining a witty style quite appropriate for the subject matter. It is absolutely non-technical—no math needed (Though that reminds me that I want to read her latest book).
From Hilbert Space to Dilbert Space, and beyond 