by Brian Thornton | Aug 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
I will not describe the barbaric chants which [Elagabalus], together with his mother and grandmother, chanted to [Elagabal], or the secret sacrifices that he offered to him, slaying boys and using charms, in fact actually shutting up alive in the god’s temple a lion,...
by Brian Thornton | Jul 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
“That wretch, from the beginning of his pontificate to the end of his life, feasted on immorality.” — St. Peter Damian, Liber Gomorrhianus Pope Benedict IX This week’s...
by Brian Thornton | Jul 18, 2022 | Uncategorized
A contemporary bust of Alexander the Great This week’s bastard comes from the Hellenistic Age, that period in the historical narrative of the ancient Mediterranean that began with the death of Alexander the Great in Babylon (323 BC) and ended with the suicide of the...
by Brian Thornton | Jul 11, 2022 | Uncategorized
Read, — how there was a ghastly Trial once Of a dead man by a live man, and both, Popes — Robert Burns, The Ring and the Book Our initial foray into historical...
by Brian Thornton | Jul 11, 2022 | Uncategorized
Hiya! Guess it’s time I finally upped my game and dipped my toe into the deep end of the author-blogging pool. I already blog twice-monthly over at the Sleuthsayers blog (If you’re curious, you can find my work here under the handle “Doolin...
