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Reformation in the Netherlands & the Eighty Years' War
The Protestant Reformation in the Netherlands was among the most violent and destructive of any region during the first 50 years of the movement, ultimately informing the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), but causing massive destruction and...
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Allegory of the Tyranny of the Duke of Alba in the Netherlands
Allegory of the Tyranny of the Duke of Alba in the Netherlands, oil on panel by an unknown artist, c. 1622-1630.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
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Picture Stone with Sun Wheel
Picture stone with whirling suns, ornaments, and a ship, 5th-6th century.
Fornsalen Museum, Visby (Gotland).
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Isolde and Marke from the Motion Picture Tristan + Isolde
Marke (Rufus Sewell) and Isolde (Sophia Myles) as depicted in the 2006 motion picture Tristan + Isolde.
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Scandinavian Gold-Foil Picture
Gold-foil picture depicting a couple embracing each other, found in Scandinavia. It is thought to represent the Norse god Freyr and his wife Gerðr united in holy marriage (hieros gamos). These tiny images are known as 'guldgubber' and...
Definition
Egyptian Book of the Dead
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a collection of spells which enable the soul of the deceased to navigate the afterlife. The famous title was given the work by western scholars; the actual title would translate as The Book of Coming Forth...
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Chinese is NOT picture writing! - History of Writing Systems #5 (Determinatives)
Watch this ancient Chinese scribe figure out how to use a fixed set of characters to write limitless words in his language. How? By combining meaning writing (logographs) and sound writing (rebus)! The result is a set of helpful hints...
Definition
Book of Kells
The Book of Kells (c. 800) is an illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the Christian New Testament, currently housed at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. The work is the most famous of the medieval illuminated manuscripts for the...
Definition
Tibetan Book of the Dead
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is the English translation of the Tibetan texts known as bar-do thos-grol (Bardo Thodol) – “Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State” – and serves as a guide for the soul of the deceased after...
Definition
William the Silent
William the Silent (l. 1533-1584, also known as William of Orange) was the leader of the Dutch Revolt (the Eighty Years' War) in the Netherlands; first politically (between 1559-1568) then militarily (between 1568-1584). He is among the most...