The Library Ghost

    The Dynastic Period in Egypt is usually dated from the unification of Egypt around 3000 BCE to the Greek conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE.  During this time, the region was ruled chiefly by native families, as well as neighboring groups such as the Hyksos, Kushites, and Persians.  Located at the crossroads of Asia Minor and Africa, Egypt was part of a vast network of material and cultural exchange that would last for thousands of years.      NB : Uniquely Madison's video should be watched at 1.25 times normal speed.  Just click the gear icon at the bottom of the video and select "Playback speed" to change it. General information      Allen, James, and Marsha Hill. " Egypt in the Late Period (ca. 664–332 B.C.) ." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2018.      Oppenheim, Adela. " Egypt in the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1650 B.C.) ." In Heilbrunn Timeline of A...

    The Regency and Romantic periods in Britain, as well as the early Victorian era, saw a great deal of rapid change in fashion and technology.  The period is dominated by the Napoleonic Wars, the abolition of slavery across the British Empire, and the Great Famine, along with major upheavals in religion and the electoral system. General information     Dashwood, Ellie. " How to Meet Mr Darcy // Regency Era & Victorian Guide to Introduction Etiquette ." YouTube . November 17, 2023.      Draper, Jenny. " Answering White People's Questions About Slavery: The London History Show ." YouTube . March 3, 2021.     Fummey, Bruce. " Sir Walter Scott Made us Wear Kilts in Scotland ." YouTube . May 11, 2021. Arts and architecture      Draper, Jenny. " Railings: Suprisingly Interesting ." YouTube . April 29, 2024.     Knowles, Rachel. " The history of the British Museum ." Regency History . January 7...

    This post mainly covers the period from 800–1100, during the so-called Viking Age in Europe.  This period is also called the Early Middle Ages or the Dark Ages in western Europe.  I can find surprisingly few museum-quality videos about Viking-era medicine and toys, but I will persevere! General information      Banijay History. " Norman Conquest: The Real Impact - Britain's Most Historic Towns ." YouTube . Posted October 2, 2024.     Cambrian Chronicles . " The Prince of Wales: What Everybody Gets Wrong ." YouTube . Posted October 17, 2022.     National Museum of Ireland. " Viking Ireland 4 What was Daily Life like in Viking Ireland? " YouTube . Posted November 16, 2020.     SCC Archaeology. " Anglo-Saxon Daily Life ." YouTube . Posted August 16, 2021.     Smarthistory. " Charlemagne and the Carolingian revival ." YouTube . Posted June 14, 2013. Arts and architecture    ...

    This post mainly covers the period from 1100 CE to 1400 CE, when the Italian Renaissance escapes containment.  Strangely, there is not a lot of material out there from historians or living history organizations...  A lot of these links are from the Met and other art history sources. General information     Cambrian Chronicles . " The Prince of Wales: What Everybody Gets Wrong ." YouTube . Posted October 17, 2022.      HistoryExtra. " Why medieval peasants were REVOLTING | What really caused the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 ." YouTube . Posted March 10, 2025.      History Hit. " What Was Everyday Life Like In Medieval Britain? " YouTube . Posted July 6, 2022.     Norris, Michael. " Feudalism and Knights in Medieval Europe ." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001. Architecture and engineering     CBS Sunday Morning. " Building a medieval castl...

    Here begins the second part of my notes regarding Marjorie Rowling's Everyday Life in Medieval Times ; part one is here . CH. 5 PILGRIMS & CRUSADERS pilgrimages made by Xians to Rome & Jerusalem as early as 4th c. Santiago de Compostela becomes famous in 11th c. hostels established along pilgrimage routes Germany called "Duchelond" by 15th-cent. writer firearms were discharged while crossing the Alps to trigger small avalanches before entering a narrow pass pilgrims docked in the port of Jaffa had to get "safe conduct" from the Governor of Jerusalem before they could disembark (it required some tribute) by beginning of 15th c. French was more commonly known than Latin outside of Europe guardians of the Holy Sepulchre locked in all year except Easter weekend & 13–14 Sept. (Vigil of the Holy Cross) in 1395 Venice claimed to have St. George's arm, St. Nicholas' staff, St. Paul's ear, & one of the jars from the wedding in Cana whose ...

    Since everyone and his uncle has an opinion on Dungeons and Dragons , I thought, "Why not me?"  ( This may or may not be a new series; we'll see how much energy it takes.)  Today, we'll be looking at hit dice.     Hit dice are something that have bothered me since I started looking at 3.5's simulationist tendencies.  Hit points , since first edition, have been a combination of toughness, luck, skill, and divine intervention; hit points, as they say, represent hit points.  But hit dice have always scaled with creature size—yet never in a consistent way.     What if (racial/monster) hit dice really were an abstraction of physical mass?  If a human is a 1d8 creature, let's say 1d8 is equivalent to about 200 lbs (sorry, metric friends).  That would make 1d4 equivalent to 100 lbs, 1d2 equivalent to 50 lbs, and 1d1 equivalent to 25 lbs.  More massive creatures get additional d8s added—2d8, 3d8,...