Medieval History
Today the landscape shifts again, with Mac leaving for India, to return in a little over three weeks time. It's good to think of his fine mind, his beautiful compassionate thinking, and a curiosity that so often leads him to that most telling detail. We can't even begin to imagine the experiences he will come home with, or how he will share them: stories? objects? images? The salient model for travels to India in medieval culture was Alexander, borne on ships buoyed by colonial fantasies of a land with two harvests, gems bubbling up from a willing earth, and animals glad to cure you of any ills. There will be frequent references to Gautier de Châtillon's Alexandreis and The Travels of sir John Mandeville in the following weeks, as the kids and I impose our own fantasies of Mac's travels on the northern parts of India where he'll be. That, and references to cricket which, thanks to the Hindustan Times app I've just downloaded for my iPhone (free!) - let the sticky wickets swing wild!
- Aga Khan Trust Helps Restore 16th Century Tomb
The Sunderwala Burj, a 16th century mausoleum adjacent to Mughal emperor Humayun's tomb, has been given a major facelift by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, with the US embassy funding and support of the Archaeological Survey of India. The mausoleum,...
- Wonder
Diamond power. Livre des Merveilles. BN ms. fr. 2810, f. 182I've been thinking about the multiplicity and double-edged sword of wonder. It is, like so many words that hold my fascination these days, not Latinate in origin, but rather from the...
- Environments
This will be just a short pause to revel in contrasts. I don't expect to hear from Mac as his itinerary is absolutely full (art historians are utterly brutal and heartless travel companions and want to see absolutely every stash of visual culture...
- Happy Birthday, Oliver
These ten days between Eleanor's birthday and Oliver's are always the craziest: turning grades in, saying good-bye to students, graduation, cleaning out the office, oh and there's a wedding anniversary in there somewhere. This summer,...
- Ingredients
Short blog, but I don't want to lose this one. The other day, we were eating out and Mister O and Miss I were sidetracking into puerile and gross conversation and I interjected: "Could you guys try talking about something interesting?" and Miss E...
Medieval History
India-bound
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| Romance of Alexander |
- Aga Khan Trust Helps Restore 16th Century Tomb
The Sunderwala Burj, a 16th century mausoleum adjacent to Mughal emperor Humayun's tomb, has been given a major facelift by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, with the US embassy funding and support of the Archaeological Survey of India. The mausoleum,...
- Wonder
Diamond power. Livre des Merveilles. BN ms. fr. 2810, f. 182I've been thinking about the multiplicity and double-edged sword of wonder. It is, like so many words that hold my fascination these days, not Latinate in origin, but rather from the...
- Environments
This will be just a short pause to revel in contrasts. I don't expect to hear from Mac as his itinerary is absolutely full (art historians are utterly brutal and heartless travel companions and want to see absolutely every stash of visual culture...
- Happy Birthday, Oliver
These ten days between Eleanor's birthday and Oliver's are always the craziest: turning grades in, saying good-bye to students, graduation, cleaning out the office, oh and there's a wedding anniversary in there somewhere. This summer,...
- Ingredients
Short blog, but I don't want to lose this one. The other day, we were eating out and Mister O and Miss I were sidetracking into puerile and gross conversation and I interjected: "Could you guys try talking about something interesting?" and Miss E...