Reclaim the Middle Ages

"Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica" by Ary Scheffer, 1846 Saint Augustine of Hippo was a mama’s boy!? Today, the traditional western European church celebrates Saint Monica’s day (c. 330 – 387 Anno Domini). She was the mother of Saint Augustine and the main reason – or insistence – for the great life and contribution to Christendom her son would have. Given in marriage to Patricius - a pagan Roman man - most of Monica’s young life would be spent in fervent prayer for her husband who, though of a violent nature and opposed to her Christian faith, always held her in high regard – like a true noble pagan man of old. She shared a home with a mother-in-law who, with her quarrelsome character, was an added pain to her life in a household where she felt as if she did not belong. Augustine was one of her three children surviving infancy, and his ill health until early adulthood was an added reason for fervent prayer on Monica's part. Upon regaining hea

Ivory tablets found in Durrës Read on - it is a happy thing! The ivory tablets above were found in Durrës in 1979 by archaeologist Fatos Tartari in a monumental tomb of the Illyrian era. The tablets were placed inside a large glass urn filled with a black liquid believed to have served for their preservation in time. Along the tablets were also found two styluses used for engraving on them and an ebony comb which, among other ornamental features, indicated it was the burial place of a woman. I mean, an Albanian woman would not leave her house without a comb in her purse, let alone enter the afterlife without one! The journey there may take one moment only, but hair gets dishevelled anyway and an Albanian woman would not face God (then believed gods) while unpresentable. We still take great care that our dead look their best when they depart for their journey, though Islam has hugely toned this down and deprived us of our pagan and then Christian joy in beauty, be that in

Ilir në betejë; pamje e gdhendur në tokëzën e një rripi. Mendohet të jetë imazh i Medaurit, zoti ilir i luftës. / An Illyrian in battle - impression on a belt buckle. It is thought to be an image of Medaurus, the Illyrian war god. Vazhdimësia e gjuhës përbën të paktën gjysmën e dokumentimit të historisë së një kombi. Arma në figurën e mëposhtme është një sica ilire, shpatë e shkurtër e përdorur prej paraardhësve tanë në ndeshje nga shumë afër për... t’i dhënë fund armiku kur ky afrohej pak si tepër. Unë besoj se “sica” është fjala paraardhëse ilire për fjalën shqipe “thika”, ku germa e parë “s” me shumë gjasa është për shkak të shqiptimit latin të fjalës (tingulli “th” nuk është pjesë e gjuhës latine). Ne e kemi ruajtur këtë fjalë ndër shekuj, për shkak se ishte që në fillim pjesë e gjuhës sonë, si dhe për shkak se armët gjithmonë kanë pasur vend të veçantë në shpirtin dhe historinë shqiptare. Sica ilire / An Illyrian sica Sica ishte armë shumë e veçantë, pasi ilirë