April T-shirt Winner!
George Santayana Quote T-shirt
Congratulations to Barbara in Texas! She is the April winner of our t-shirt giveaway! Barbara chose the George Santayana quote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." t-shirt design.
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Click here to take a look at "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
Review: “The Blood of Heroes” by James Donovan
If you have no interest in history, or have never read or learned about this time period James Donovan’s “” is 
a must read. If you were inspired by the American revolution, you will definitely feel a connection to these transplanted Americans and their cause. With its short chapters and everyday language “” reads easily. It reminded me of a Dan Brown novel which I couldn’t put down and but never wanted to end.
The story is one we all know, but probably do not know much about, and because of that it can be overwhelming to undertake the task of reading about it. Donovan introduces the reader to each character involved in the inspiring history of the Alamo, intimately and appropriately, so much so you never find yourself lost throughout the book. From the courageous rebel leader William Barret Travis, and his “brave little band” to “His Excellancy,” Mexican General Santa Anna and his Army of Operation, Donovan introduces the reader to all the important people and provides ample background history.
“” begins by introducing the main players, Travis, Bowie, Houston, and the successful siege of Bexar by the unassuming Texian army. That in itself was a huge victory overtaking a superior force to first take hold of the Alamo. My favorite part was the introduction of David Crockett and his group of “Tennessee Mounted Volunteers.” Crockett’s history is interesting and sparked my interest in further readings, and that is only a testament to Donovan’s thorough research and presentation.
After some history on Santa Anna, his Mexican counterparts, and a brief Mexican history lesson, the build up toward a show down at the Alamo begins. Santa Anna positioning his troops to maximize the advantage over the vastly outnumbered Texian volunteers holed up in the Alamo.
Despite numerous pleas for aid and reinforcements Travis’s rebel army would be forced to face a force that outnumbered them about 10 to 1. Santa Anna would only hold his siege for so long before he attacked.
Even for the casual reader of non-fiction “” is a must read. You will definitely come out not only knowing more, but wanting more. Donovan gives all of his sources in the back and I suggest you look through them if you are interested in reading more.
James Donovan’s “” goes on sale today and can be purchased at your local book store or online at .
News on the Ancient World – May 14th
Here is a rundown of ancient historical anniversaries of the coming two weeks(I normally do one, but a)there isn’t much going on in the next couple weeks and b)I’ll be out of town and thus unable to write one of these next weekend) and news on ancient history from the past week. As always, the news articles come from http://www.ablogabouthistory.com/, which is well worth looking at.
- May 20th marks the anniversary of the beginning of the First Council of Nicaea in 325CE, the first ecumenical council of the Christian church. It was called by the Roman Emperor Constantine who, having recognized the Christian religion, called the council to decide matters of doctrine and orthodoxy and hopefully end some of the schisms and infighting with the young religion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicea
- May 22nd is the date often given for the Battle of Granicus, in which the Macedonian armies of Alexander the Great defeated the army of the Satraps of Asia Minor. This was the first of Alexander’s three battles against the Persian Empire and gave him virtually free reign to seize control of Asia Minor, the first part of his conquest of the Persian Empire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Granicus
Rome and Han – A Fascinating Comparison
For the first two centuries of the common era it is estimated that a full 50% of the world’s population lived under either the Roman Empire or the Han Dynasty. The only time in which the human race was, perhaps, more united was during the height of the Achaemenid Empire under which lived about 45 percent of humans, by some estimates, but that height lasted for far less time. There are a number of fascinating similarities between both of these famous and influential empires. They had similar periods of success, similar advances in bureaucracy and city life, similar problems, and similar influences on later life in those regions.
Before delving into some of these fascinating similarities, still little studied or understood, a couple of things should be understood. The first is that despite the size and power of both Empires, they had very little contact with or knowledge of each other, and most of that was information passed through various traders and middle men along what would later be called the Silk Road. The second thing is that I know far less about China (ancient or modern) than I probably should. The third is that these similarities, while fascinating, come largely from the necessities of running a large and administratively complex empire, and one should be careful of reading cultural, or any other such important, significance behind the similarities.
Similarities
Though the details differ a great deal, one of the first similarities between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty are the general path of how they came to power. Both were the culmination of centuries of warfare between political units growing ever larger, cities, then kingdoms, etc., until they ruled the entire region, for the Han the heartland of what is now China and for the Romans the Mediterranean basin. Along with that both powers also made advances in the structure and organization of their military forces which were, for a time, unmatched in their respective regions.
The Importance of the Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb
Today the man who first discovered the young King Tutankhamun’s tomb would have been 138.
Unfortunately, Howard Carter died 17 years after he first unearthed the tomb from lymphoma.
The discovery of King Tut’s tomb was a huge archeological breakthrough for many reasons.
First, it was discovered during a time of very uncertain times in between two World Wars. It gave people who had only read grim news for years finally something to enjoy and talk about.
Second, over the course of many centuries all of the tombs had been raided by thieves and it was believed that none of the tombs really held much at all. That is why when Carter entered the tomb and found a immense collection of gold and ornate treasures he knew he had found something truly special. Not only were all the decorations and treasures still in the tomb, the sarcophagus and mummy were still present. This led to a world wide interest in ancient Egypt, which still exists today, and also provided people with hundreds, if not thousands, of artifacts to examine and study.
Who is Your Favorite Historical Woman?
In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought I would put out a poll on who your favorite historical woman is. I have used the
women 
found on the BFF (Best Friends Forever) t-shirts in my store for the poll. There are 24 women, including all of Henry VIII’s wives, so scroll all the way down. If you have a favorite historical woman not on the list be add them in the comments below.
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