World History Encyclopedia

The Battle of Lake Erie (10 September 1813), also known as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was a decisive naval engagement in the War of 1812. It saw a squadron of US ships, under Oliver Hazard Perry, defeat a British squadron near Put-in-Bay, Ohio, ultimately leading to the American domination of Lake Erie and allowing for their recapture of Detroit. #BattleOfLakeErie #NavalHistory #OliverHazardPerry #History #WHE

Medievalists retain misconceptions and myths about Oriental Christians. Indeed, the fact that the Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity is an afterthought for many. During the Middle Ages, Christians from different creeds and confessions lived in present-day Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Palestine. Here, they constructed churches, monasteries, nunneries, and seminaries, which retain timeless artistic treasures and cultural riches. James Blake Wiener speaks to Dr Mat Immerzee to clarify and contextualize the artistic and cultural heritage of medieval Christians who resided in what is now the Levant. Dr Immerzee is a retired Assistant Professor at Universiteit Leiden and Director of the Paul van Moorsel Centre for Christian Art and Culture in the Middle East at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. JBW: The largest Christian community in what is present-day Lebanon is that of the Maronite Christians – they trace their origins to the 4th-century Syrian hermit, St. Maron (d. 410). The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Syriac Church, using the Antiochian Rite, which has been in communion with Rome since 1182. Nonetheless, Maronites have kept their own unique traditions and practices. What do you think differentiates medieval Maronite art and architecture from other Christian sects in the Levant? Due to a large degree of contact with traders and crusaders from Western Europe, I would suspect that we see “Western” influence reflected in Maronite edifices, mosaics, frescoes, and so forth. MI: Especially in the 13th century, the oriental Christian communities enjoyed an impressive cultural flourishing which came to expression in the embellishment of churches with wall paintings, icons, sculpture, and woodwork and the production of illustrated manuscripts, but what remains today differs from on one community or region to another. In Lebanon, several dozens of decorated Maronite and Greek Orthodox churches are encountered in mountain villages and small towns in the vicinity of Jbeil (Byblos), Tripoli, the Qadisha Valley, and by exception in Beirut, but only a few still preserve substantial parts of their medieval decoration programs. Most churches fell into decay after the Christian cultural downfall in the early 14th century when the pressure to convert became stronger. While many church buildings were left in the state they were, others were renovated in the Ottoman period or more recently. Remarkably Oriental Christian art displays broad uniformity with some regional and denominational differences. Cut off from the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire after the Arab conquest, it also escaped from the Byzantine iconoclastic movement (726-843 CE), which allowed the Middle Eastern Christians to develop their artistic legacy in their own way. An appealing subject is the introduction of warrior saints on horseback such as George and Theodore from about the 8th century. The West and the Byzantine Empire had to wait until the Crusader era to pick up this or

The Christmas holiday has gathered around it customs and traditions for over two millennia, some of which even pre-date the Christian festival itself. From gift-giving to the sumptuous spread of a Christmas dinner table, this article traces the history of the celebrations from Roman times to the Victorian era when our modern take on the holiday was firmly established in both deed and literature. Although many of the traditions described herein are universal to all Christian countries, particularly up to the end of the Middle Ages, we here present the Christmas traditions largely in terms of the Anglo-Saxon experience. #History #HistoryFacts #Christmas #Holidays #WHE

Mediterranean trade increased exponentially at the turn of the first millennium. During Rome's zenith, goods of all sorts began to move in all directions. As a common traveler aboard merchant ships, Paul traveled within such a milieu. Tracing the water portion of his journeys in the New Testament can shed light on general trade patterns in the Mediterranean Sea areas. #RomanEmpire #PaulTheApostle #Trade #History #WHE

We're excited to announce that World History Encyclopedia is now a recognized 501(c)(3) organization in the United States! This means that if you are in the US, your donations are now tax-deductible, allowing you to support global historical knowledge while enjoying potential tax benefits. Your contributions help us continue providing free, reliable historical content to millions worldwide. By donating, you're not just supporting our mission; you're investing in the preservation and dissemination of our shared human heritage. You can donate here: https://lnkd.in/gJW9bRPa Thank you for your continued support! 😊 #History #USA #Education #Donate #WorldHistoryEncyclopedia

How we celebrate Christmas today is largely shaped by a small group of authors who recorded festive traditions in the 19th century. These authors include Washington Irving (1783-1859), Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), and Charles Dickens (1812-1870). By capturing in popular print festive traditions, many of which dated back to medieval times, these authors caused something of a Christmas revival. 19th-century literature, sometimes expressly concentrating on Christmas and at other times merely using the holiday as a jovial setting for a fictional story, captured what were, in many cases, fast-disappearing traditions, which future generations would return to and update. Thus, such activities as carol singing and masque balls returned to fashion. In addition, writers of Christmas stories, which were often serialised in hugely popular weekly magazines, helped spread newer ways to celebrate such as the sending of Christmas cards and the decorating of a Christmas tree. In this article, we present through selected extracts just how some of these 19th-century authors managed to capture the spirit of Christmas for posterity. #WashingtonIrving #Literature #CharlesDickens #History #WHE

The Eightfold Path In Buddhism: This infographic illustrates the Eightfold Path (आर्याष्टाङ्गमार्ग", Āryāṣṭāṅgamārga), a core teaching in Buddhism, established by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, over 2,500 years ago as a way to overcome suffering and achieve enlightenment. It outlines a practical framework for ethical living, mental discipline, and the cultivation of wisdom. The path consists of eight interconnected practices... #History #SiddharthaGautama #Religion #India #WHE

The present book, "Reading Herzl in Beirut" by Jonathan Marc Gribetz, is a well-researched book that sheds light on the fascinating history between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Research Center and the raids on it by Israel which not just seriously affected but also altered the trajectory of its existence. This book is recommended for academics examining the political history of West Asia. Reading Herzl in Beirut by Jonathan Marc Gribetz is a well-researched book that sheds light on the fascinating history of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s Research Center and the raids on it by Israel. The present work focuses on the period between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. Beirut, a city roughly 150 miles away from Jerusalem, is the centre of this study. The book contains three parts, and the chapters in each part deliberate upon some of the pertinent issues related to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the emergence and evolution of the PLO Research Center. Located in Beirut, the Research Center was founded in 1965 and, playing a critical role in shaping Israel-Palestine (and Arab) relations, became an important arm of the Organization. An integral part of this institution was the library which boasted of a rich collection of books. The library contains books about Zionism, Judaism, and Israel's formation and evolution. Through an in-depth study of the PLO Research Center and its library, Gribetz examines the checkered history of Israel-Palestine relations. The books in the library were critical for PLO members in that they helped them to understand the primary tenets of religious and philosophical schools such as Judaism and Zionism. In addition, they could also equip themselves with knowledge about the complex socio-political antecedents of the Jews. This book suits academics of the political history of West Asia and university-level students and history enthusiasts interested in West Asia’s disturbed socio-political antecedents. The intended readers of the book range from general history enthusiasts to university-level students and research scholars. Gribetz's study will also be noticed by scholars of library sciences and students of archival studies. Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) was an Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist, lawyer, writer, playwright and political activist. Considered the father of modern political Zionism, he advocated Jewish immigration to Palestine to establish the Jewish state of Israel. Along with Herzl's books, Gribetz notes that a range of books by well-known figures of the Zionist Movement, including Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai and David Ben-Gurion, adorned the library's shelves. The Research Center and its library were the brainchild of Fayez Abdullah Sayegh (1922-80), who critically analyzed the Palestinian resistance movement against Zionism. The author delineates at length the administrative structure of this institution and its working style. To reflect on the organiz

The Siege of Fort Meigs (28 April to 9 May 1813) was a major engagement on the northwestern frontier of the War of 1812. It saw a US army under Major General William Henry Harrison, holed up in the hastily built Fort Meigs, withstand a siege by British and Native American forces despite heavy casualties. #FortMeigs #MilitaryHistory #Tecumseh #History #WHE

Io, Saturnalia! Saturnalia was an enduring Roman festival dedicated to the agricultural god Saturn which was held between the 17th and 23rd of December each year during the winter solstice. Originating from archaic agricultural rituals the Roman festivities came to include a general round of gift-giving, merrymaking, and role-reversals so that it became one of the most popular celebrations in the calendar and certainly the jolliest. #Saturnalia #Rome #History #WorldHistoryEncyclopedia