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Healing and Horrors at a Roman Psychiatric Hospital
Perhaps it's only because the United States is so void of ancient cities and archaic remnants that I am so enamored with ancient things. I wonder about the people living in Turkey. Is it meaningful to them that they can throw a rock and hit yet another gorgeous ancient ruin? Or it simply another thing that hardly warrants noticing, like yet another corn field in the US?
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To Breach the Walls of Troy
1000 ships. 10 years. 1 hollow horse. Luckily, I only had to wait in line for 10 minutes to breach the walls of Troy. I grew up on myths. I remember reading a child-friendly version of The Iliad in the fourth grade. As a school project, I created a home video of the Twelve Labors of Heracles, including putting a tan, fuzzy blanket on my dog and making my brother run after her and “stab her” to simulate the killing of the Nemean Lion. By the time I was halfway through middle school, my favorite movies were Troy and Gladiator (and The Lord of the Rings). And, like everyone in…
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Istanbul: Jewel of the Empire
It signifies that the Romans were intrigued by past civilizations, as I am. And, like colonizers, were adept at stealing cool cultural monuments to display in their own country rather than leaving them where they belong.
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Along the River Danube: Ancient Fortresses and Fearless Kings
I was doing an excellent job of clutching the trappings of Romanticism tight, so I hardly needed help, but the beautiful countries of Eastern Europe continued to prop up my escapism. After all, now we were starting to see castles!
