This is a history lesson disguised as a novel, telling two stories: that of Classical Athens, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and all that, juxtaposed against a biography of Rembrandt. Somehow it works. Here’s Heller on the Athenian demogogue Cleon, who led the Athenian war effort after the death of Pericles. Patriots like Aristophanes who favored peace […]| If 42 is the answer, what is the question?
by Moudhy Al-Rashid cover: Detail from a clay tablet letter in Akkadian that references a military officer named Addaya’s house in Gaza (EA 289, c. 1,400-1,100 BCE; found in Amarna (ancient Akhetaten), Egypt, now in Berlin). Image from the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative In the 1,300s BCE, the ancient Middle East entered an international age. … Continue reading Melting Pot Middle East: Ancient Palestine and Lebanon in the Amarna Letters – #EOPalestine 19→| Everyday Orientalism
by Matthew Sears cover picture: Modern monument of Leonidas in front of the municipal race track in Sparta (Matthew Sears) Tennessee recently boasted about members of its National Guard deploying to the “Middle East” as part of “Operation Spartan Shield.” These soldiers will join Task Force Spartan, a US military organization based in Saudi Arabia … Continue reading Spartans in Palestine: When “Free” Societies Are Based on Oppression – #EOPalestine 16→| Everyday Orientalism