Carnal Ignorance
Is sex (or love) a lie? In her book 'The Bedtrick: Tales of Sex and Masquerade,' Wendy Doniger explores the 'bedtrick' (where one partner in coital love is disguised as another) in mythology, literature and popular culture. Here, she examines Shakespea...
Capital Punishment in the U.S.: A Forum on Death-Penalty Issues
In this lively debate, four leading experts discuss reasons why the US still retains the death penalty at a time when many other countries in the world have abandoned capital punishment. This forum introduces many of the socio-economic, racial and lega...
Athanasius Kircher and the Egyptian Oedipus
German Jesuit archaeologist, mathematician, biologist and physicist Athanasius Kircher (1602-80) lived by Plato's maxim, 'Nothing is more beautiful than to know everything.' For Kircher, this meant studying everything from the meaning of Egyptian hiero...
Astrology in Ancient Rome: Poetry, Prophecy and Power
The study of a little-known Roman poet, Marcus Manilius, provides a window on to Roman attitudes about astrology. Far from being simple folk beliefs, prophecy and divination were an important part of the state religion, and Roman rulers drew upon mythi...
Assessing the Economic Impact of September 11
Corporate executives and market watchers have cited 'the post-September 11 climate' as a reason for layoffs, poor corporate earnings and other financial setbacks. But have the attacks and their aftermath had any long-term effect on the U.S. economy? No...
Archaeology and National Identity in Israel
After the establishment of Israel in 1948, archaeology became a search for national origins--for material evidence of an ancient Israelite kingdom embedded in the modern state. In an excerpt from Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territo...
Ancient Greek Love Magic
In researching ancient Greek love magic--charms and spells that were used to produce desire or affection--University of Chicago classics professor Christopher Faraone found two very distinct magical traditions at play. The spells used by men against wo...
Ancient Greek Curse Tablets
For centuries, scholars taught that the ancient Greeks had risen above magic and superstition and build a society based on rational thought. When confronted with evidence of Greek curse tablets and other magical practices, nineteenth-century classicist...
Ancient Egyptian Society and Family Life
What was daily life like for the ancient Egyptians? In many ways, people today share similar values and life ways--a strong emphasis on the nuclear family, the love for social activities, and an attachment to appearance and fashion. Emily Teeter, an Eg...
'Democracy Dies Behind Closed Doors': Civil Liberties and National Defense
Can the United States be both safe and free? According to Nadine Strossen, law professor and president of the American Civil Liberties Union, there should be 'no inherent conflict between national defense and civil liberties,' and she sharply criticize...