The Social Study

The importance of education and its impact on society, with an emphasis on Social Studies.

[masterteach]

It took 20 years to find his stomach. Now researchers know what was inside—in excruciating detail.

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Mosaic of a Funerary Symposium. Place of origin: Antioch Date: late A.D. 4th century Medium: Limestone, marble and glass tesserae.

[npr]

'Lies My Teacher Told Me,' And How American History Can Be Used As A Weapon

James Loewen's 1995 book explained how history textbooks got the story of America wrong. Now, in a new edition, Loewen champions critical thinking in the age of fake news.

[archaeologicalnews]

World's oldest cheese found in Egyptian tomb

Aging usually improves the flavor of cheese, but that’s not why some very old cheese discovered in an Egyptian tomb is drawing attention. Instead, it’s thought to be the most ancient solid cheese ever found, according to a study published in ACS’ journal Analytical Chemistry.

The tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of Memphis in Egypt during the 13th century BC, was initially unearthed in 1885. After being lost under drifting sands, it was rediscovered in 2010, and archaeologists found broken jars at the site a few years later. One jar contained a solidified whitish mass, as well as canvas fabric that might have covered the jar or been used to preserve its contents. Enrico Greco and colleagues wanted to analyze the whitish substance to determine its identity.

After dissolving the sample, the researchers purified its protein constituents and analyzed them with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Read more.

[npr]

Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul,” died Thursday in her home city of Detroit after battling pancreatic cancer. Her death was confirmed by her publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn. She was 76.

Franklin sold more than 75 million records during her life, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. She took soul to a new level and inspired generations of singers who came after her.

No one’s life can be condensed to one word — but Aretha Franklin came close when she sang one word: “respect.”

“Respect” was written by the great Otis Redding. In his version, a man is pleading, offering his woman anything she wants in exchange for her respect. He sang: “Hey little girl, you’re sweeter than honey / And I’m about to give you all of my money / But all I want you to do / Is just give it, give it / Respect when I come home …”

Aretha changed those lyrics to demand parity. “Oooh, your kisses,” she sang, “Sweeter than honey / And guess what? / So is my money …” In her hands, “Respect” became an empowering song — for black women and for all women. It was a No. 1 hit in 1967, and it became her signature song.

Franklin was 25 years old when “Respect” was released. But she had been singing since she was a small child in her father’s New Bethel Baptist Church.

Aretha Franklin, The ‘Queen Of Soul,’ Dies At 76

Photos: Getty Images

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Trajan. Date: ca. A.D. 108 Medium: Marble Provenance: Venice, National Archaeological Museum (Museo archeologico nazionale di Venezia)

[masterteach]

More on Trajan here

[archaeologicalnews]

Prehistoric mummy reveals ancient Egyptian embalming 'recipe' was around for millennia

It is the first time that extensive tests have been carried out on an intact prehistoric mummy, consolidating the researchers’ previous findings that embalming was taking place 1,500 years earlier than previously accepted.

Dating from c.3700-3500 BC, the mummy has been housed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin since 1901, but unlike the majority of other prehistoric mummies in museums, it has never undergone any conservation treatments, providing a unique opportunity for accurate scientific analysis.

Like its famous counterpart Gebelein Man A in the British Museum, the Turin mummy was previously assumed to have been naturally mummified by the desiccating action of the hot, dry desert sand.

Using chemical analysis, the scientific team led by the Universities of York and Macquarie uncovered evidence that the mummy had in fact undergone an embalming process, with a plant oil, heated conifer resin, an aromatic plant extract and a plant gum/sugar mixed together and used to impregnate the funerary textiles in which the body was wrapped. Read more.

[masterteach]

This shouldn’t be all that surprising. The Tashwinat mummy found in the Sahara dates to around 5600 B.C. We know that as North Africa dried up, populations living in the area moved closer to water sources (i.e. the coast and the Nile River). There’s a compelling argument out there that these early cultures that developed west of the Nile influenced the Badarians that predated the Egyptians. Suffice it to say that mummification wasn’t original to the Egyptians, but merely a cultural trait passed on to them from their ancestors. Source

[teachinginreallife]

When students think essays are informal writing

[masterteach]

Archaeologists in Mexico City have found the skeleton of a child at the foot of an ancient temple, believed to been sacrificed to the Aztec god of sun and war.

[masterteach]

[museum-of-artifacts]

Trelleborg - Viking ring fortess. Zealand, 980 AD

[fakehistory]

Gavrilo Princip begins his plan to kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914)

[archaeologicalnews]

UK heatwave exposes ancient Chatsworth House gardens

The UK heatwave has exposed the remains of an ornate 17th Century garden design at Derbyshire’s Chatsworth House.

The patterns of where flowerbeds and paths once were can be seen under the South Lawn’s scorched grass.

Head of gardens Steve Porter said he had known the designs that date back to 1699 were hidden underneath the lawn.

Mr Porter said: “It wasn’t a lost landscape or anything - we knew it was there.

"But the fact is, it’s normally a green lawn so everything is hidden underneath so it’s not visible.

"The scorched and dry weather we’re suffering at the moment has meant that the areas where there were paths and things underneath are showing up nice and clearly now so you have the nice defined pattern of flowerbeds and paths.” Read more.

[sixpenceee]

Chand Baori located in India. It is one of the oldest stepwell in India, and is considered to be among the biggest in the world. Built during the 8th and 9th century it provided the surrounding areas with a dependable water source for centuries. The green water at the base of the well is no longer in use. 

SOURCE

[masterteach]

If you've taken part in a religious service, have you ever stopped to think about how it all came to be? How did people become believers? Where did the rituals come from? And most of all, what purpose does it all serve? This week, we explore these questions with psychologist Azim Shariff, who argues that we can think of religion from a Darwinian perspective, as an innovation that helped human societies to survive and flourish.

[npr]

Trump To Iran's President: 'NEVER, EVER THREATEN' The U.S. Again

President Trump threatened Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in a late-night tweet after Rouhani warned Trump, "don't play with the lion's tail" and said "war with Iran is the mother of all wars."

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