As I was curled up watching T.V. with my daughter this week, I was struck by all the memes and political advertising that were occurring ahead of the November vote, and I couldn’t help but reflect on how political cartoons and modern memes are similar. We all know the infamous meme of Senator Bernie Sanders sitting cross-legged at a presidential inauguration, bundled in a parka and oversized mittens, escaped the internet's leash which occurred in January 2021. Within hours he

On the largest island in the Orkney Islands, in January 1850, a storm tore the turf off a grassy mound and exposed a site that had been hidden for over 4500 years. Dating to 2500 BCE, it included a cluster of stone houses, complete with beds, dressers, and hearths connected by covered passageways. Skara Brae, originally occupied from 3180 BCE, is Europe's most complete Neolithic village. It remains one of the best windows we have into how Neolithic people organized their

Photo Credits: © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com BTS helped heal historic rifts in the East with their newest album, Arirang, but another musician has diligently been working to heal rifts in the Americas. Few contemporary artists occupy the surreal civic position that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny, now holds. He is, at once, a reggaetonero from a small town in Puerto Rico, a Grammy-winning global pop star, a lightning rod in U.S. political discourse, and

Let me begin by saying that this blog post will not be like my others. In my professional mode, I am usually focused on specific areas of history: Biblical, Ancient, European, or Modern history. Rarely though, do I engage with the history of the Far East, unless it is in the context of European colonization or Imperial Japan’s invasion during the first half of the 20th century. However, an encounter and discussion with my daughter, her best friend, and my students left me qu

Every year, I enjoy doing a special presentation on the history and archaeology of Christmas for my students. This year, however, after witnessing a Christmas performance/concert with significantly faulty theology, history, and archaeology, I decided to share my presentation with all of you. This presentation is a combination of lectures my colleagues and I have given over the years. I am going to attach the presentation via PowerPoint slides. Merry Christmas and a Blessed Ne

Welcome to the relaunch of the History in Context blog and to the spookiest night of the year. A night when the spirits of the ancestors, ghosts, goblins, witches, and horrors abound. The history of Halloween, or All Hallows Eve as it was once called, has enchanted, and frightened us for more than 2,000 years. The history of Halloween has its roots in Celtic culture and dates to over 2000 years ago. The Celts were a warrior tribal group which inhabited the areas of Irelan

Can you really Cancel Culture? I am constantly amazed as a parent at how much I learn from my children. In the beginning it is up to us...

It is election time and the debate over the building of a wall on our southern border is again a main point of contention when it comes...

As often happens when my family sits down for a dinnertime meal, my 12-year-old, highly intelligent daughter, asks deep and profound...

Ancestors of the elusive Sea Traders, Creators of an Alphabet and mysterious Elite Warriors: Who were the Canaanites? Many of those who...

This post is a response to several inquiries I received about my post Slavery, Racism and the Lessons to Be Learned. 1. I wish to commend...

Image: Mike Knell Slave Market Let me start by saying that I have rewritten and edited this post a dozen times in my attempt to provide...

As I have watched in sadness and frustration at the events unfolding over the past couple of weeks, and have heard the dialogue and...