Style Through History

I'd like to take a break from the usual history-related blog to talk about...shoes.

I love shoes. I'm a shoe fiend. I have boots and heels, flats and tennis shoes, wedges and stilettos and sling-backs and slippers. I love, love shoes. And the best part is now shoes that reflect my love of history seem to be in style! Glatiators with four-inch heels, sandals with sparkling jewels, and pumps with an Egyptian motif...it's all here and it's all fabulous! Take a look.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

...have come to San Francisco's Legion of Honor, and today I got to see a fragment of one. It is in fact one of the larger pieces and is part of a psalm written in beautiful Hebrew letters. Written on parchment, the scrolls were found in clay jars in a desert cave. Also on display are some of the jars that contained the scrolls, as well as a linen cloth that was wrapped around one of the parchment. The cloth incidentally has blue thread on it that may be part of a plan to a temple. Truly amazing stuff.

The Legion of Honor was also able to obtain from Israel (in fact this is all from Israel) an amazing table found in a Roman villa that contains gold foil, colored stones and has a pattern of crosses and rosettes on it. It had never been shown to anyone before; San Francisco is the first to put it on display.

Other treasures include two ossury pieces, which act as vessels to store bones in. Scholars aren't sure what ancient religion they're associated with, but they do know that a year after a person died and their flesh had gone, the bones would be interned in these vessels. Each one is distinct; the woman's vessel (at least the one on display) is shaped like a vase and has breasts to indicate her sex. The other (male) has what looks like eyes, a nose and a mouth (somebody toyed with the idea of naming this vessel "The Scream" after the famous painting!) but the "nose" may be phallic in nature. They also have on display a lid of a separate Ossury that is crimped on the sides like a pie (very interesting).

The exhibit is quite small (they will rotate pieces every few months) but they do have other things on display like two clay sensors, cult stands (Egyptian) and exquisite glassware and jewelry from the Byzantine era, as well as some sort of circular tile motif that has the names of church donors on it (in Greek).

Of course after my mom and I gawked at all of these things I dragged her back to a small display of ancient Greek, Assyrian and Persian artifacts. I saw beautiful amphoras in AMAZING condition, gorgeous jewelry and pieces from ancient Egypt, and the best surprise of all, a small piece of a Persopolis motif from Persia.

I took furious notes, bought two books, and am excited that I got to see real history. Now more than ever I have to finish my novel(s). History is just too cool not to.

If you're in the Bay Area, I suggest going to see these rare treasures. They're around until August and do rotate, so see them while you can!

I'm a model if you know what I mean...

Last summer my best friend from Japan Kazue visited the US and stayed at my parent's house for two weeks. We had a blast just hanging out and teaching each other Japanese and English phrases (I took Japanese for about 5 years but still struggle with it). Kazue's English btw is...well, better than mine actually.

At any rate, My friend loves photography and has a real talent for it. Before she left we decided to take pictures and we had the idea to pretend we were models.




Now like all people of Celtic decent the camera loves me not. It's the Irish jaw. None the less my friend's talent with her camera managed to turn me into--if not a model--something like a novice one. And since this is my blog and I can afford to be vain, I thought I'd share these pics. Of course I can't take credit. It's all Kazue's doing.








When I'm not modeling I'm writing. And I may have struck on an important idea for The Owl & The Eagle. Expect another excerpt soon...

More cheese, please.

This blog is about cheese.

Spare me your pedestrian Kraft Singles. I only go for the finest artisan cheeses that are hand-crafted around the world and fit snugly between grapes, percuitto, figs, apple slices, and olives.

Bring me your Cyprus Grove Midnight Mooon and Truffle Tremor. Present me with your pure white Vermont Chedder. Let me savor the creamy Bries of France with a smooth Bordeaux, or better yet a spicy California Zinfandel. Bring me the tangy Fetas of the Greek islands. The fruity Fontina of Italy. Bring on the firm and biting Parmigiano Reggiano. The simple Swiss and the vevelty Jack. Spare me not your mild Mozzarella, robust Ossau-Iraty, and delicious Asiago.

Cow, goat, sheep...it doesn't matter. So long as the cheese is good. Let the symphony of flavors commence! With their briny rines and silky texture or firm crumbling walls of milk.

I love cheese.

This is actually cut/pasted from another blog that I do for work, but truth be told I think it will be more appreciated here with this audience than in my video game blog.

Not Again!

Noooooo! I have writer's block. AGAIN. And I'm also wondering *gasps* if maybe I'm being too ambitious. Dividing my story up into three BOOKS? Should I just let that go and have The Owl & The Eagle cover three years in one novel? I feel like it COULD be three books, but I also feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew.

*bangs head against keyboard* I don't know what to do....

(This rant is brought to you by the letter F for Frustrated.)

Themistocles The Persian?

If there's one thing that mystifies me about Themistocles of Athens, it's *SPOILER ALERT!* his eventual stay at the Persian court towards the end of his life.

This is the man who helped lead the Greeks to victory at the Battle of Salamis. This is the great statesman who convinced a skeptical populace that they should use their money to build a fleet of ships to protect their city-state. This is the man kept the Greeks together in the face of a massive Persian invasion. So when ancient sources report that he ended up in Persia with lands and titles, it's hard to except. How can that be?

Now, in my story I could run with the whole "bitter statesman decides to join the Persian ranks to snub his enemies at home," but after a bit of thought I realized there may be more to it than that. You see, twice in Herodotus the author hints at a bit of duplicity on Themis' part. The general sends his slave to make contact with the Persians twice, reporting the Greeks' plans and advising Xerxes on how to act. Could it be that Themistocles was hedging his bets? Or was he really just stringing the Persian king along? Or could it be that despite wanting freedom for the Greeks, he had an insatiable curiosity and even interest in Persian culture?

What say you, Gentle Readers? Would a push/pull relationship between Themistocles and Persia make for interesting reading? Or is it too far-fetched and even blasphamous to suggest that Themistocles was fascinated with the East in some capacity?

Cheers to History!

Currently I'm reading "A History of The World in 6 Glasses" by Tom Standage. So far it's fantastic! It follows the history of humanity through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and cola and is filled with lots of fun facts (like why we clink glasses and why we toast each other on special occasions).

I especially appreciate the chapters on wine and beer. There is a lot of historical detail in this book, and it's really helped me in writing my story. It's clear Standage really did his homework.

So if you are an author of historical fiction and want to know how drink affected the time you're writing about or just love to fill your head with trivia, I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Here are a few fun facts right from the source:

1) "Mesopotamian brewers could control the tast and color of beer by adding different amounts of bappir, or beer-bread. To make it, sprouted barley was shaped into lumps which were baked twice to produce a dark crunchy unleavened bread that could be stored for years before being crumbled into the brewer's vat."

2) "'To make a beer hall' and 'to sit in the beer hall' were popular Egyptian expressions that meant to have a good time or to carouse, while the Sumerian expression a 'pouring of beer' referred to a banquet or celebratory feast.."

3) "The earliest physical evidence for [wine], in the form of reddish residue inside a pottery jar, comes from Hajji Firuz Tepe, a Neolithic village in the Zagros Mountains [in Northern Iran]."

Wiki Wash Out

For those of you who doubt the idiocy of relying on Wikipedia and ONLY Wikipedia, I submit to you this golden nugget on Pausanias:

"Pausanias (Greek Παυσάνιας) Nephew of Leonidas the Spartan king who commanded the land force at Platea in 479bc. Was co-king with Leotychidas. King of Sparta from 409 BC. In 395 BC, Pausanias failed to join forces with Lysander, and for this was condemned to death and replaced as king by his nephew Agesipolis I.

Pausanias escaped execution and left Sparta to live in exile in Tegea. He also traveled in the Persian Empire, and married a Persian princess. At some point he returned to Sparta, where he eventually perished. The Spartans had trapped him in the temple of Minerva, by placing a large stone by the door. It is believed his own mother helped to carry the stone to the door. His people destroyed the roof of the temple, as it was hoped that this would initiate a faster death."

I'm surprised it also doesn't claim that as king he travelled around Greece taking notes. Eegads.

New Links

I finally got around to adding links. I hope I got everyone but if not please don't feel bad about asking me to link to your site. And if you happen to know a historical fiction site that I've missed and should visit please let me know that as well.

My Meme Challenge

I have been tagged for a meme. I don't get tagged very often, so it's always a little exciting.

This meme involves listing seven interesting or weird facts about a historical figure. I chose Pausanias, nephew of King Leonidas and one of Sparta's most contraversial kings.

1) Pausanias was the nephew of Sparta's most famous soldier-king Leonidas (one of the heroes of Thermopylai). His father Prince Cleombrotus was king only for a short time before dying of an illness. Cleombrotus may have been Leonidas' twin.

2) Pausanias was an Agiad, one of the two royal families of Sparta. The Agiad was considered the "older house," and may have had more power and authority than the Eurypontid. The two houses had a bit of a rivalry.

3) Pausanias was the general at the decisive battle at Platea (479 BCE).

4) In the spring of 478, Pausanias led a Greek expeditionary force first to Cyprus and then to Byzantium. He was the first Spartan king to fight outside of Hellas (Greece) since the Dorian invasion.


5) It was an important campaign, but Pausanias lost authority when rumors were spread that he wanted to collaborate with the Persians. He was recalled by the Spartan authorities to stand trial but was found not guilty. Later he would return to Byzantium but was recalled again and put on trial for helping to instigate a helot revolt. Again he was found not guilty.

6) After nearly ten years of contraversial actions Pasuanias would have to flee from his many enemies at home and take sanctuary in a temple. The Spartans barricaded the temple and starved Pausanias to death (though they dragged him out just before he died so he would not pollute the shrine).

7) Thucydides' account completely contradicts Herodotus' account of Pausanias. In the former, Pausanias is arrogant and ambitious, in the latter he is a typical Spartan general who is capable of great mercy and has no taste for Persian luxeries. Talk about polar opposites!

In my story I try to reconcile the two versions of Pausanias found in Thucydides and Herodotus. I do so by stressing that Pausanias is young and is given the crushing responsibility of kingship during wartime, something he is not ready for. He is also forced to live up to an impressive list famous relatives. His grandfather King Anaxandrides helped lead the Spartans to victory over Tegea, his uncle Cleomenes was Sparta's most influential king (and the most contraversial), and of course his uncle Leonidas lead three hundred Spartans to a glorious end at the Hot Gates. Pausanias also has to contend with a much older and very bitter king. All of this compounds his determination to not only make Sparta victorious, but to be remembered as a great Spartan like the Agiad before him.

I tag anyone who wants to play along. This meme is a lot of fun!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2008 everyone!

Inspired by Scott Oden's blog, I decided to declare a few resolutions of my own.*

1) Finish The Owl & The Eagle. It needs to come together.

2) Don't second guess. Just write. It's a hard habit to break, but I need to look foward and allow my imagination to just flow. If a chapter or scene makes no sense. No worries. Just WRITE.

3) Write everyday. I'm pretty good and reading/researching, but I need to write more than just a few sentences everyday. I need to really push myself.

I won't give up. I'll get this story finished. It needs to be told. At least for me.

*I need to remake a list of links. For some reason the previous list got erased when I changed formats on my blog.

Creativity vs Organization

I'll cut right to the chase. I'm reaching out to authors, published and aspiring alike in the hopes of getting some tips on organizing my many many many many many many notes. Many.

I have them down on paper. I have them down on various floppy discs. I have notes on this website. I have a collage of pictures so I can get an idea of what a certain character looks like. I have print-outs from various websites about the history and geography of Ancient Greece and Persia. I have it all, and no way of organizing it.

I tried by buying various folders and putting the notes in them, but it's still overwhelming mixing and matching stuff. I put all of my chapters together to see how they fit, but they're all over the place (stupid transitions...).

I have so many questions. What I do with quickly jotted down ideas? How do I get myself to look over these ideas in the future so I don't forget about them? What if Historians don't agree on dates or facts (as I've mentioned more than once 480BCE is a transitional period so it's not quite Archaic but it's not quite Classical)?


Of course there's no right or wrong answer here, I'm simply overwhelmed by how much "stuff" I have now. Should I make a website with character profiles and geography? Should I collect floppy discs (or in the came of labtop a usb port thingy) and keep track of different stuff that way?

Any tips would be GREATLY appreciated.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you are having a magical time!

I am typing on my new Sony Vaio labtop. It is awesome. I'm hoping being armed with a new labtop will give me the motivation to organize my story notes, write more now that I have a computer in my room (and at just over 5 pounds can take around with me) and get my novel finished! Woot!

Thinking Aloud

Famous bust of Themistocles (Roman copy)

I keep mulling over why it's so hard to write O&E. I think I've said this before, but I blame the time period. The early 5th century in Attica is a transitional period, which makes it hard to write about. To add to the frustration, ancient historians didn't always agree with one another, which means modern historians squabble about when things were invented, who did what and when they did it. This confusion makes it hard to reconcile certain "facts" in history and in my story.

This past weekend I finally come up with a plausible backstory for Themistocles, and even then I had to tweek some stuff. For example, his Archonship is traditionally dated to 493 BCE, but I push it foward to 483 BCE, because it makes his career easier to follow (and besides, Herodotus says that Themistocles had only recently came to power when he was in charge at Salamis!)

Anyway, this is what I have so far (keeping in mind it's still a very rough draft) :

Themistocles (son of Neocles) was raised by a single father after his mother--a foreigner-- died when Themistocles was two. The boy who's name means "Glory of the Law" lived in dire poverty after his father gambled away most of their money. The only way they could get by was to swindle the citizens of Athens by various monetary scams. Meanwhile Themis was influenced by the philospher Mnesiphilus and learned to appreciate the art of oration, which would help him later in the political arena.


When Themistocles was in his early teens he was a witness to great political change. In the late 6th century Cleisthenes established democracy in Athens, loosening the stranglehold the aristocrats had on power and giving it to the common citizen. Themistocles was so inspired by Cleisthenes he vowed to become a powerful politician himself. In the meantime he eeked out a living as an unsuccessful lawyer, until he suddenly landed a major case: Miltiades had fled Thracian Cersonese where Athens had a colony and was accused by the citizens of Attica of being a tyrant and put on trial. Remarkably, Themistocles managed to convince the jury not only to drop the charges but pursuaded them that Miltiades could be useful should the Persians ever attack Athens. When the Persians made their move not long after it was Miltiades who led them in battle. After the spectacular victory Miltiades tried to "punish" the city-states in the east that supported Persia but his mission was a failure and he returned home in disgrace. Men called for the death penalty, claiming that Miltiades tricked them, but once again Themistocles managed to change the verdict to a fine instead. Unfortuantly Miltiades died in jail and his young son Cimon was forced to pay the steep fine of 50 talents.

After making a name for himself as a lawyer Themistocles went on to work in the public sector until he gained enough popularity to run for Archon. In 483 he did just that and won by a landslide (some say a crafty scheme was involved). It was during his Archonship that Athens had a major windfall: a huge amount of silver was discovered just south of the city. Themistocles--using his political muscle, a little persuasion, and a lot of blackmail--convinced the citizens to use the silver to pay for a new fleet of ships. They agreed, though not without his enemies trying to ostrasize him. In an ironic twist he managed to get his enemies ostrasized instead! Meanwhile Themistocles increased the power of the Board of Generals so that he could join it after being Archon and continue to be a major influence. He also made sure nobody could have as much power as Archon again by pushing for the Archonship to be determined by lot. After a whirlwind year of change Themistocles go onto the Board of Generals where he continues to wield a surprising amount of power. But his enemies are determined to see his downfall. And for some, that means looking to the East for help...

New Blog

As you can see, I changed the design and the name of this blog in the hopes of attracting more historical fiction fans. I'm not sure I'm happy with "Ancient Musings" though. Any ideas on a good name? Here are some words that I would be down with (not in any order):

1) Ancient
2) Greece
3) Hellas
4) Persia
5) Sparta
6) Queen
7) Lady
8) Chariot
9) Marathon
10) Scroll
11) Artemisia
12) Xerxes
13) Cyrus
14) Themistocles
15) Leonidas
16) Darius
17) Atossa
18) Artystone
19) Pasuanias
20) Archippe
21) Cimon
22) Acropolis
23) Palace
24) Muse
25) History/Historical

...you get the idea.


If you can make anything out of this list of random words/names or have an idea for a cool title for my blog, let me know! I appreciate any and all suggestions.

Random Thoughts

Ack! I'm stuck again! Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Is three books too much? Should I just write straight through as much as I can? I just can't make little stuff come together. I have no idea what my problem is lately. I write (or at least research/read) for my novel almost every single day, but once again I'm suffering from writer's block. What gives?????!!!!!

This random string of thoughts was brought to you by the letter S. As in STUCK.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to drop by and say Happy Thanksgiving! I'm really thankful to everyone who reads this blog and responds. I love being a part of such a cool writing group. I'm also thankful I have a blessed life and am able to do what I love.

What are you thankful for?

The Attican & The Ionian

This brief chapter will probably not make it into the final version of the novel, but I thought it was a cute idea to have a famous philosopher and a famous general meet. I know it's weird to give Anaxagoras an accent, but for some strange reason it just fit. This is the first half of the chapter. Enjoy!

*Themistocles asks his friend Mnesiphilus to find someone credible person to prove that a recent eclipse is not a bad omen for Athens and that they should continue to make preperations for war with Persia. Who Mnes finds is not who Themis expects...


A small breeze from the Aegean whispered through the distant olive groves, cutting the oven-like heat that hung over the city like a heavy cloak. Riding the wind was the faint tang of fish and salt, making a man hungry for charcoled tuna and fried mackerel. Above the polis the twinkling constellations floated in the cool black pool of night. Themistocles was lying on a stone bench looking up at them, fanning himself with one hand. He wondered if the deities of the sky looked down on humans and pitied them. They probably laughed. He would.

Taking a sip of Rhodes, he listened to the sounds of the city in his empty courtyard. Athens was never truly silent. Men stumbled home drunk from parties, married couples argued loud enough so everyone could hear, dogs barked in back alleys and goats bleated high atop the hills. The noises were signs that life went on, no matter how many times the Boeotians raided the northern frontier, or how many earthquakes there were, or how many volcanoes erupted, or how many eclipses happened, or even how many stories of the Persians marching west were heard. The sounds were comforting, a reminder that no matter how terrifying Night's presence Helios would never fail to rise up and chase her off. Even if it was an endless chase. Themistocles grimaced. I shouldn't think such things. Night is night and day is day. He rose up from the bench with a yawn. Tomorrow would be a brand new day, and he would begin his own chase.

He was just about to retire when there was a knock at the gate. It was late, and he was expecting no visitors. “Xenos.” Silence. "Xenos! No Sic, not you." He waved the servant away. As usual Sicinnus refused to retire until Themistocles was safely in bed. "Xenos!" The boy finally appeared from the servant quarters, bleary-eyed and yawning, his tunic inside out. "We have a visitor." Blinking away sleep, Xenos stumbled across the courtyard and unlatched the gate, swinging it outward slowly so as not to hit the visitor in the face. It was Mnesiphilus.

“Oh good you're up,” he chirped as he handed Xenos his hat and bent down to unlace his sandals. “Go on, boy! I don't need my feet washed and I'm not so old I can't unlace my own shoes." He grinned up at Themistocles. "Forgive the hour but I just had to come and see you." “Been drinking, have we?” His friend laughed as he threw his sandles against the wall and strolled over to clasp Themis on the shoulder. “Only a little. I was making my way home from a tavern in the Ceramicus and decided to take a walk to clear my head. I ended up on the Acropolis. And I met someone there." Themistocles gave a sly smile. "Oh?" His friend nodded. "Today's council meeting bothered me quite a bit so I went up their to comtemplate things. I mean, for those damn aristocrats to suggest making a peace offering with the Satrap in Lydia? And now trying to contact the grandson of Croesus, who may not even be alive for all we know.” “Like it would do any good anyway,” Thems said dryly. They had cut their ties forever with Lydia when the Alcmaeonidae had convinced Athens to help in the Ionian Rebellion fifteen years ago. The capital of Sardis had burned and the Persian king had been wroth.

“I suppose even more men are saying the eclipse means we should capitulate?” “Yes,” Mnes admitted. Then he grinned. “But that’s where this lad comes in.” Behind them a youth was just handing his dirt-stained boots over to Xenos, a freckled-face boy of no more than twenty with frizzy copper hair and large dark eyes. His beard was as gangly and scant as the rest of him, split by crooked-teeth that grinned out at his host. That was not what Themistocles had been expecting.

“How do you do, General!” the lad said in excited tones. He rushed over and grabbed Themis' hand and shook it vigorously. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Sir! I’ve 'eard all about you Marathon men! General Mnesiphilus 'ere was kind enough to talk to me and now I get to meet another brave soul such as yourself!” “Oof!” The boy's handshake was so enthusiastic Themistocles felt his teeth rattle. In the shadows Sic shifted as though ready to charge. It was an effort to shake hands and wave the slave away at the same time. When the boy let him go the world was spinning quite nicely.

“Do you have a name to go with that handshake?” “Anaxagoras of Clazomenae,” the boy announced proudly. Themisotcles frowned. “Clazo…?” “Between Sardis and Halicarnassus,” Mnes explained. “They speak a form of Attic dialect there.” “That they do, General that they do.” The boy's grin managed to widen. “No Dorian blood in this skinny ol’ body, if that’s what you’re wonderin’.” Mnes laughed. “It seems the Doric dialect isn't popular in that area of Ionia. At any rate, I remembered what you said about finding someone who thought the eclipse a good omen so we could convince the council to go to war with Persia, and found this boy right in the middle of market traffic today. Everyone was looking up and frowning as though another eclipse was coming. This one was was staring up at the sun and grinning. I saved him from getting his teeth knocked out by a farmer trying to get his wagon by.” It would have been an improvement, Themis thought. The boy’s teeth were truly ugly. It was an effort not to stare while the youth talked. “Me and the general 'here met again tonight when I was studyin' the stars. I just turned around and saw my 'ero nearby, standin' all by 'imself on the other side of the Acropolis. We got to talkin', and I told the General 'ere that the 'eavens are truly a blessin’ with many miracles, and that’s why I was smilin' at the sun earlier today'. That's when General Mnesiphilus said I should come with 'im. Meet the brains behind the great new fleet o' Athens.” His grin threatened to split his face in half. Themistocles had to struggle to keep his own smile. I wanted a scholar, not a vagabond!

"Great. Xenos, go mix up a bowl of wine for our guests.” The youth was lighting more torches in the yard but now put down his flint and oil and skittered off towards the kitchen. “Should I bring out the couches as well, Master?” he called over his shoulder. "I'd rather not have my guests sit on the ground, yes.” Meanwhile Sicinnus still had loomed in the shadows, glowering at the strangers. Themis sighed. He was going to have to keep an eye on Sic tonight. The man had not taken the eclipse as a good sign, and seemed to think it might be personally dangerous to Themistocles and his family. Lectures about who and who not to trust did not penetrate the man’s skull.

Once they were settled he was able to learn more about the strange youth from Ionia. The boy was as happy as a blind bard to tell his story...

The Things We Learn

While looking up how the Ancient Greeks used the pillory (as mentioned in Herodotus), I stumbled across a totally unrelated fact: "In Ancient Greece, bankruptcy laws forced the debtor to sit in the market place and place a basket over his head." I had never read that anywhere, so I thought it was interesting.

It's always interesting how while looking for one thing, we find another. I didn't find anything on the use of pillories in Ancient Greece though. I wanted to know since King Cleomenes of Sparta gets thrown in one by his relatives. Did it look like the ones used in Europe 1000 years later? It would be interesting to know for my novel.

This IS SPARTAAAAAA!

I saw this and thought it was hilarious....O&E still in progress.