A History of the Roman Empire in 21 women

Below, I give links to the Late November and early December Posts I have revised and republished. But, first, I would like to tell you about a great lecture I heard at the British Museum, this evening. It was given by Dr Emma Southon on her book about women in the Roman Empire. Her viewpoint was that a study of women in the Roman Empire gives a radically different insight into the Roman world than the traditional. One full of humanity rather than normal evidence which is, generally, about wars, and Empires and bravery and horrific cruelty and ambition and honour. She started with the story of Turia, whose extraordinary epitaph on her tombstone miraculous survived and gave her husband’s view of his extraordinary wife, and his utter sorrow at his loss on her death. Below, is a review of the book and a link to a podcast with the Author.

So, here are the December posts. December 1st and 2nd give an overview of December and the meaning of Winter. December 3rd is about Advent and the fact that you were not allowed to marry during Advent. December 4 gives a Shakespearean view of a cold winter’s day, and a composition by Vaughan Williams.

And late November posts, November 28th tells some interesting tales, both ancient and modern, about Eels, Pies, Rock ‘n’ Roll and my horror of Jellied Eels. November 29th, tells you how to make a ‘dish of snow’ and introduces Ice Houses. November 30th is about Scotland and St Andrews. Like them if you like them! And share them if you want to share them.

Wild Winter Foraging & Chestnuts December 3rd

Chestnut. Image by Angela from Pixabay

In Lia Leendertz’ lovely ‘The Almanac – A Seasonal Guide to 2022’ she lists the following as in season for foraging:

Crab Apples and sweet chestnuts
Roots: Dandelion, horseradish, Jerusalem Artichokes, and wild garlic
Wild Greens: chickweed, dandelion, and wintercress
Game: Hare, rabbit, pheasant, and venison

Sweet Chestnuts were introduced by the Romans and have long been a feature of Christmas. They can be ‘baked, roasted, boiled or microwaved’. You need to prepare them by scoring a cross in them; otherwise they will explode when cooked. They are often sold by street vendors (there is often a seller on the Millennium Bridge on the way to Tate Modern in London) and, in my family, are always a part of the stuffing for the Turkey. They can also be candied, purĂ©ed or stored in syrup. (The Woodland Trust Foraging in November and December).

John Evelyn, the 17th Century Diarist and author of a book on trees (Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber) wrote that the nuts were:

‘delicacies for princes and a lusty and masculine food for rusticks, and able to make women well-complexioned’

He complained that in England they are chiefly given to pigs to eat.

Chestnut meal was also used for whitening linen and for making starch. Marones, imported from Italy, France, Switzerland, and S. Germany contain 15% sugar and so were used to make a thick syrup and a ‘very usable’ sugar, from which Marons GlacĂ©s are made.

The wood of the chestnut is very useful and is/was used for building, pit props, furniture, poles for hops etc. but is nowhere near as long-lasting as oak.

Medically, they were used for treating convulsive coughs such as whooping-cough, where the leaves were infused in a pint of boiling water. (A Modern Herbal by Mrs M Grieve)

First Published on 3rd December 2022, Revised and republished in December 2023

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women November 25th

Poster from the UN promoting #noexcuse campaign, 'protecting women and girls isn't an expense. It's an investment.'
#noexcuse

Almost ‘one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their life.’ says the UN on its page Ending Violence Against Women Day.

In writing my Almanac of the Past, I have been struck by how violent are most of the stories of the Saints of the early Catholic Church. At the bottom of this post, you will find an essay touching upon this thorny subject. And click here for research on violence against women. Their results are not good news countries that speak English. South Africa is the worst, the USA 7th, Australia 11th, UK 12th, and New Zealand 15th. They admit the figures are difficult to interpret as what is being counted is reported crimes. It is likely that the worst countries are those where women do not feel free to report sexual violence.

Today is St Catherine of Alexandria’s Day, which makes an appropriate Saint for the UN Day. So I have updated this very interesting story and republished it today. Have a read.

Also, buffed up and republished are the following seasonal posts:

The dawning of Sagittarius – November 22nd

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Elsyng Palace, Enfield Society Excavations

Elsynge Palace

I was interested in this site because it was one of the many palaces owned by Henry VIII, and it began as a moated manor house before a transition into a small red brick courtyarded Palace, as seen above. Henry had, if my memory serves me well, approximately 57 Palaces and Manor Houses. 16 in the London area and 11 along the River Thames

But what I really liked when I visited the website was the charm of this lovely video by the Enfield Archaeology Society. Now those who know the wonderful TV Sitcom called the ‘Detectorists’ starring Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook, Diana Rigg and others, will recognise the styling of the amateur archaeologists – all looking like rumpled would be Indiana Jones’s! Very English.

https://www.enfarchsoc.org/elsyng/

The good news is that the show is having an extended Christmas Special outing this year.

I have revised and republished the following Almanac of the Past posts.

Martinmas Old Style – Pack-Rag Day November 22nd

Three men for hire (wikipedia)

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Posts on the Legacy of Queen Margaret of Scotland & The Accession of Queen Elizabeth

I have revised and updated three fascinating posts!

The first on the legacy of the Anglo-Saxon princess who changed Scotland when she became Queen.

The second is on the joy the Accession of Queen Elizabeth 1 gave to Protestants, with a description of the martyrdom of Thomas Tomkins of Shoreditch, London.

And perhaps, less earth shattering, some things you might want to know about Sausages.

As Winter Approaches

Almanacs and household guides of the 16th and 17th Century provide a list of seasonal things to do. These posts I have revised and reposted for your updated enjoyment. If you have to choose one, I suggest either the Old Parr post or have a look at the one on exercise, which will give you an excellent idea of early ideas of exercise.

And, finally, someone who survived many, many cold winters. Old Tom Parr:

Martinmas Posts – Winter’s Beginning

Martinmas was a very important part of the medieval Year, marking as it did the end of Summer, and the beginning of Winter.

I have been updating a series of Martinmas posts which you will find below:

And finally, a saintly repost:

Time to Gather Yarrow – November 13th

Yarrow
(achillea millefolium) – image by CongerDesign

Traditionally, Yarrow has a myriad of uses (see thefreedictionary for a comprehensive list). It was used for wounds (aka ‘Soldier’s Woundwort’); staunches nose bleeds (aka ‘Nosebleed’); inflammations …. THE PAGE HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO A NEW NOVEMBER 13TH PAGE HERE.

Post First published on 14 November 2022, revised 13 November 2023 and transferred to new page on 13th November 2024