Historians and anthropologists of Mastodon! I'm looking for some inspiration regarding city state politics and sociality for an upcoming TTRPG campaign. Any books or material on the subject (be it about Greek, Italian, SEA, anything really)? #worldbuilding#fantasy#scifi#history#anthropology#citystates
Edo — the ancient Japanese city now known as Tokyo — may have been one of the world's first large-scale ecological civilizations. From 1603 to 1868, as a result of the government's policy of not trading with outside nations, there was a scarcity of cotton and timber, which meant that everything was reused, repaired, repurposed or recycled. Traditional kimonos would become pyjamas, diapers, floor cloths and eventually fuel; candle wax drippings were remoulded, modular house design meant that floorboards could be reused; leftover straw from growing rice became sandals and rope. Here's Roman Krznaric's story for the BBC on what we should learn from this era.
Discovering the North: Francesco Negri’s and Giuseppe Acerbi’s journeys to Norway in the 17th and 18th centuries
“Their narratives provide valuable insights into the cultural and societal landscape of the North during their time, illuminating a region largely undiscovered by other European travellers. By documenting their experiences and observations, Negri and Acerbi contribute to a broader understanding of Northern Europe, challenging prevailing narratives.”
Miscali, M. (2024) ‘Discovering the North: Francesco Negri’s and Giuseppe Acerbi’s journeys to Norway in the 17th and 18th centuries’, Scandinavian Journal of History, pp. 1–25. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03468755.2024.2368554.
“Before the dawn of the Common Era two thousand years ago, Julius Caesar gave the land its name, Germania. But it was nineteen hundred years before the land became a country. That happened only in 1871 when the ruthless and brilliant Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck united twenty-five independent kingdoms, grand duchies, duchies, principalities, and free cities in a new German Empire.”
Anglo-Saxons may have fought in northern Syrian wars, say experts
“These finds put the Anglo-Saxon princes and their followers centre-stage in one of the last great wars of late antiquity. It takes them out of insular England into the plains of Syria and Iraq in a world of conflict and competition between the Byzantines and the Sasanians and gave those Anglo-Saxons literally a taste for something much more global than they probably could have imagined.”
“Our Independence Day Reading List highlights the important role of Indigenous Peoples in the evolution of modern America, forgotten stories from America’s past, and revelatory biographies of the country’s founders.”
The U.K.'s general election is today. In celebration, the Big Issue takes a look at the British tradition of novelty candidates, from William "Bill" Boaks, a campaigner for road safety, to @CountBinface, who won 3,741 more votes than a far-right competitor in the London mayoral election and was described as "another reason to love London" by the contest's winner, Labour's Sadiq Khan.
🇩🇴🇺🇸As a First-Generation Adult Child of Immigrants, I consider it my civic duty to spread awareness for Project ‘2025’.
📣‘Project 2025’ represents more than an ideological insurrection; it’s an assault on our multiracial, diverse democracy. It also poses a danger to our national security and international order. To learn more about their plans, look up “Project 2025”.
Indo-European Interfaces: Integrating Linguistics, Mythology and Archaeology
“With this book, we want to apply a multidisciplinary approach that combines historical linguistics, archaeology, and comparative religion in order to improve our understanding of the early speakers of Indo-European.”
Larsson, J., Olander, T. and Jørgensen, A.R., 2024. Indo-European Interfaces: Integrating Linguistics, Mythology and Archaeology. Stockholm: Stockholm University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/bcn
Indo-European Interfaces: Integrating Linguistics, Mythology and Archaeology
“With this book, we want to apply a multidisciplinary approach that combines historical linguistics, archaeology, and comparative religion in order to improve our understanding of the early speakers of Indo-European.”
Larsson, J., Olander, T. and Jørgensen, A.R., 2024. Indo-European Interfaces: Integrating Linguistics, Mythology and Archaeology. Stockholm: Stockholm University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/bcn