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Edo Period Police: Brutality in the Name of Peace

2025-04-23

After Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan in the early 17th century, Edo (modern-day Tokyo) became the new capital, ending centuries of civil war. However, crime persisted. The government established a police force composed mainly of samurai, overseen by magistrates and employing various ranks of officers, including the doshin (constables) and yoriki (higher-ranking samurai). While the yoriki enjoyed higher status and better pay, the doshin handled the brunt of daily policing, sometimes resorting to brutal methods like eye-crushing irritants and torture to extract confessions. This system, while effective in maintaining order in a city of over a million, highlights the harsh realities and contradictions of Edo-era justice.

(www.tokyoweekender.com)

History Edo Period Police Torture

Knossos Palace: The Archaeological Construction of a Pacifist Utopia

2025-03-20

This article explores the excavation of the Palace of Knossos on Crete by Arthur Evans and how it was imbued with a pacifist utopian narrative. To foster reconciliation between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, Evans suppressed evidence of Minoan military installations, portraying Minoan society as a peaceful and prosperous matriarchy under a benevolent mother goddess. This constructed pacifism resonated during the war-torn 20th century, embraced by artists and intellectuals as a response to violence. However, over time, Evans' interpretation of Knossos has been shown to be fraught with contradictions and inaccuracies, and the image of a peaceful utopia has been largely revised by historians.

(www.historytoday.com)

History Pacifism

Viking Age Ice Grips: A Thousand Years of Traction

2025-01-28

Archaeological finds reveal that Vikings used crampons to navigate icy winters over 1000 years ago. Various types of crampons, dating back to the Viking Age and the Middle Ages, have been unearthed from graves, showcasing their widespread use. Museum educator Espen Kutschera even tested a Viking-era pair, proving their effectiveness. Research suggests that despite the relatively high cost of iron in the Viking Age, crampons were likely accessible to many, highlighting the Vikings' ingenuity and adaptability to harsh winter conditions.

(www.sciencenorway.no)

History Vikings crampons

Roman Coins: A Human Story Forged in Metal

2025-01-19

This article delves into the fascinating history of Roman coins, revealing not just economic history but also a compelling social narrative. From the Gallic sack of Rome in 390 BC to the establishment of the Temple of Juno Moneta (later the Roman mint), the author traces the coin-making process, highlighting the lives and labor of miners, artisans, and other societal groups. Each hand-crafted coin, a testament to human sweat and ingenuity, bears witness to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, providing invaluable insight into the social dynamics of the era.

(lithub.com)

History Ancient Rome Coins

Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago: Exposing the Brutality of the Soviet Union

2025-01-01

Published on December 28, 1973, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's *The Gulag Archipelago* is a sprawling 300,000-word account of the Soviet prison camp system. Based on Solzhenitsyn's personal experience as a political prisoner, the book details the horrors of the gulag, from arrest and torture to execution and starvation. His criticism of Stalin in a letter led to his arrest and eight years in the camps. The book's publication caused international outcry and resulted in Solzhenitsyn's deportation from the USSR. Despite this, *The Gulag Archipelago* stands as a powerful condemnation of Soviet totalitarianism and a testament to the fight for human rights.

(www.smithsonianmag.com)

History Soviet Union Gulag Solzhenitsyn

Newberry Library Unearths Largest Known Example of Rare Maguey Paper Manuscript

2024-12-23

The Newberry Library in Chicago has made a remarkable discovery: a colonial-era Mexican manuscript, Ayer 1485, written on an exceptionally rare type of paper made from agave plants—maguey paper. The manuscript, a collection of sermons by Bernardino de Sahagún, a Franciscan missionary, contains nearly 50 sheets, far surpassing the number of known existing maguey paper sheets worldwide. The choice of maguey paper, a material with significant pre-Hispanic religious connotations, suggests a deliberate decision by Sahagún's indigenous collaborators, offering valuable insight into the complex cultural exchange during the early period of contact between Europe and the Americas. This find not only highlights ancient papermaking techniques but also enriches our understanding of this crucial historical moment.

(www.chicagotribune.com)

History maguey paper ancient manuscript colonial Mexico

Demonic Possession Predicted the Fall of the Carolingian Empire

2024-12-13

In the early 9th century, a Frankish courtier recorded a tale of demonic possession. The demon, Wiggo, confessed to destroying crops, livestock, and spreading plagues, blaming the Franks' sins and their rulers' many crimes. Wiggo described rampant greed, mutual suspicion among rulers, and lack of piety. This story mirrored the crisis of the Carolingian Empire: internal strife, economic instability, and famine. The courtier, Einhard, used this tale to subtly criticize the rulers' corruption and foreshadow the empire's decline.