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Ancient Navigation
The fish blinked her long lashes and helped you climb into a kuphar that the babbler birds wove just for you. You climbed in, and the wind blew you here. Who would have guessed that navigating the Euphrates and the Tigris would look essentially the same for 27 centuries? In Nebuchadnezzar’s day, willow roundboats covered with leather were the primary mode of transportation down the river. Herodotus says they paddled with the current, and tradesmen would sell their wares as they moved downstream. When they were ready to go north again, they sold the leather and willow and went north overland. By American Colony (Jerusalem). Photo Department – Library…
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Who Thought Dressing as a Barrel was a Good Idea?
My novel is set in 1917, and my heroine has a certain love-hate relationship with fashion. She loves looking feminine, but she loves digging in the dirt more. Tonneau sounded more fashionable than barrel, but a barrel by any other name. . . Who determined making your figure look like a barrel was attractive? At least wearing a cloth barrel would make mounting a camel easier than if she had to wear a slim skirt. One of the trends in 1917 was the tonneau skirt. It’s not as outrageous as a Louis XV, to be sure. I mean, you couldn’t hide a piano under a tonneau. But who thought this style was…
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Off to Babylon
As I’ve researched my Babylon Unearthed series, I’ve come across some fun cultural tidbits, great recipes, and astounding archeological finds. For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of it on my website. To join my journey, scroll down to the bottom to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest and sign up for newsletter and blog updates. I won’t bombard you with spam – promise. Here’s my schedule: Monday: Food Wednesday: Culture insights Friday: Archeology October’s newsletter will have a link to a short story prequel to my Prophet Chronicles series.
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The Tower of the Flock – Feroze’s Story
Shaking my head in disbelief, I stared at this ragtag cluster of lean-tos, huts, and shanties. Was it truly home to the King of the Jews? But as we hesitated, the light of the star grew in intensity, and it pulsed as if impatient for us to get moving. I looked at my companions, and we were of one mind. We didn’t understand, but we were in the right place. No doubt in our minds. Ihsan had fallen to his knees in worship. “Ihsan,” I said. “Let’s go. You can worship at the feet of the King of Kings.” My son Jamshid wrapped me in a tight embrace and breathed,…
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An Often Overlooked Prophecy
As we move into the Christmas season, I am reminded of a question I’ve had about Jesus’s birth since I was a little girl. It always bothered me that Jesus was born among a bunch of smelly animals and laid in a feed trough. The standard answer I received when I asked why Jesus wasn’t better provided for was that God chose a humble place to be born, showing he could empathize with the poor and downtrodden. Maybe that made some sense, but it just wasn’t a very satisfying answer. I had this nagging irritation that I kept shoved down, unwilling to openly criticize God’s plan. It just wasn’t nice. …
