Category: Social World

Alexandria to Constantinople: Traveling the Roman World

Say I wanted to get from Alexandria, Egypt, to Constantinople, I don’t trust boats, and it’s 1800 years ago. Well, instead of mapping it with Google I’d have to use ORBIS instead. ORBIS tells me that it would take two and a half months and cost me 3000 denarii (about $30,000).

Route from Alexandria to Constantinopolis during the time of the Roman Empire (about 200CE). Map by ORBIS.

Which seems like a bit much. But, since I absolutely have to get to the capital, I think I’ll price out a coastal boat route. That reduces the price by 80%, and the time to three weeks.

If I was really cheap, and was willing to risk the open Mediterranean, the time could be chopped down to less than two weeks, at a cost of only 374 denarii.

In ORBIS, Walter Scheidel and Elijah Meeks have created a fascinating resource for the study of the geography and history of Roman civilization.

Seeds of Change: Cotton

Andrew Sullivan compiles some interesting commentary on the extent of global cotton production (40% of all agricultural land), and the argument that all this production for cheap clothes is exacerbating hunger problems around the world.

Note: the history of cotton makes for a fascinating read.

Where cotton comes from? "There grew there a wonderful tree which bore tiny lambs on the endes of its branches. These branches were so pliable that they bent down to allow the lambs to feed when they are hungrie" - Mandeville (1350). (Image via Wikipedia)

Arresting Joseph Kony and Ending the LRA

Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been a brutally destructive force in central Africa since the 1990’s. In the last few years the Army has been decimated and pushed out of Uganda, but it still exists and is still kidnapping children and destroying families.

My former students, Sutton and Sage, brought to my attention this video from the human rights organization, Invisible Children, that is making a final push against Kony and the LRA:

The CDC on Zombie Preparedness

Poster from the CDC.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been thinking about the potential for a zombie apocalypse. You can find a page on Zombie Preparedness on their website, as well as a graphic novel (9Mb pdf).

If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack.

— Ali Khan (2011) (Head of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): Quoted in Zombie Preparedness on the CDC website.

NOTE: The CDC recommends you quarantine zombies rather than kill them; Kyle Munkittrick, of the Pop Bioethics blog disagrees.

Soviet Space Progaganda

"Soviet means excellent." Soviet progaganda poster via How to be a Retronaut.

An excellent set of Soviet propaganda posters from How to be a Retronaut. The collection contains a fascinating blend of of triumphalism sprinkled with some attempts at modesty.

"Glory to the conquerors of the universe."

The posters make wonderful subjects for the study of propaganda and the space race.

My favorite:

"Socialism is our launching pad."