Wherein the ancient Egyptians knew King Tut could only get funky by spending eternity being squeaky clean. My first article for this blog was about the sudsy ins-and-outs of medieval baths, so it’s only fitting that I mark the first anniversary of the site with another article about bathing (okay, it’s less a case of … Read More
Take My Breath Away
Wherein the ancient Chinese know nothing is as breathtaking as elephant bile oral care products. Bad breath—comics and cartoons feature a multitude of ways to demonstrate the painful effect halitosis can have on others: flowers shriveling and dying as a person breathes on them; faces puckering as people inhale the stench; even stink fumes gushing … Read More
Please Mr. Postman
Wherein medieval mail carriers let nothing stay their appointed rounds—except for the possibility of a quick buck. Several months ago our neighborhood’s mail carrier retired, forcing the postal service to find a replacement. In the interim between the previous carrier and our new carrier, this meant a series of fill-ins who were required to navigate … Read More
I Overshare Because I Overcare
Wherein the Romans used pre-digital social media to tell friends and family all about themselves and others—which could be a fatal mistake. The social media universe is all atwitter (yes, a terrible pun—we’re into more than just song lyrics around here) regarding a recent study which concluded people are terrible about remembering what personal information … Read More
