Feb 26th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
A Viking runestone bearing a cross and the first written mention of Norway found in the country has been added to UNESCO's Memory of the World program. This program aims to protect important documents that contribute to our global heritage. The runestone, called the Kuli Stone, is the oldest document on Norway's list.
It's important for its early mention of the country's name and also because ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Christians posts
Runestone erected by Christian Vikings added to UNESCO list
Feb 26th, 2012 at 11:00AM:
A Viking runestone bearing a cross and the first written mention of Norway found in the country has been added to UNESCO's Memory of the World program. This program aims to protect important documents that contribute to our global heritage. The runestone, called the Kuli Stone, is the oldest document on Norway's list.
It's important for its early mention of the country's name and also because ...Crucifixion nails found in Israel? Probably not.
Apr 16th, 2011 at 11:30AM: There's been a shocking archaeological discovery in Israel. Nails from the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ have been found!
Well, no, probably not.
The claim comes from Israeli Canadian documentary filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, the Washington Post reports. Jacobovici has done several documentaries on Christian subjects and came across an archaeological report from 1990 mentioning the discovery of ...Court fines hotel owners for refusing gay couple a room
Jan 18th, 2011 at 10:00AM: A court in England has fined hotel owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull for refusing a gay couple a double room, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy tried to get a room at the Chymorvah Hotel, near Penzance , in 2008, but were turned away. The judge ruled that this was discrimination and awarded the couple £1800 ($2,863) each in damages.
The ...More Roman heritage from Mérida, Spain
Dec 30th, 2010 at 9:30AM: In the Extremaduran city of Mérida, it feels like at any moment you're going to turn a corner and meet an ancient Roman. Sometimes that almost happens.
This fellow was at the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano, a world-class museum featuring Roman statues, mosaics, and other artifacts. Built by the famous architect Rafael Moneo Vallés, it looks like an old Roman basilica, with lofty ...Exploring ancient Rome in Mérida, Spain
Dec 28th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
It's Christmas. What do you get an avid traveler who used to be an archaeologist?
For my wife the answer is obvious--a trip to a Roman city!
So here we are in Mérida, capital of the province of Extremadura in Spain, not far from the Portuguese border. In Roman times it was called Emerita Augusta and was capital of the province of Lusitania. This province took up most of the western ...Ten clear signs you're in the wrong city for Christmas
Dec 23rd, 2010 at 10:30AM: Christmastime is a special time for Christians, and also for non-Christians who don't mind the excuse to decorate, eat, and exchange presents. One of the main chagrins of perpetual travelers is that they often find themselves in the wrong city for Christmas. Being away from family is one thing, but sometimes, December 25 can roll by without feeling like a "real Christmas" at all. I feel weird even ...The death of paganism: how the Roman Empire converted to Christianity
Sep 21st, 2010 at 10:00AM:
In the year 300 AD, Christianity was a minority religion in the Roman Empire, practiced by perhaps ten percent of the population. In good years it was discriminated against; in bad years it was persecuted. By 400 AD, a century later, it had become the official religion practiced by pretty much everyone. Evidence of this remarkable transformation can still be seen in Rome's monuments.
Teachers ...The catacombs of Rome
Sep 17th, 2010 at 12:00PM:
"There were 500,000 people buried here," my guide whispers.
She leads me down a dimly lit, narrow passage that seems to go on forever. To either side the rough walls are lined with small niches.
"These are where the bodies were kept. There are twenty kilometers of tunnels, and while most of the tombs are now empty, some are still unopened."
We are in the Catacombs of Domitilla, one of ...The tombs of Rome--where art meets death
Sep 15th, 2010 at 10:30AM:
If you're going to your eternal rest in the Eternal City, you should go in style.
Sure, you can't take it with you, but you can show off what you had, and with all the competition in this place you have to do something special to make an impression. Rome is filled with grandiose monuments to the dead. First there are the giant tombs and temples of the Roman emperors. They were worshiped as ...The Purgatory Museum
Sep 14th, 2010 at 10:00AM: I'm not sure what I'm looking at.
A rectangular slab of wood bears two burn marks--one in the shape of a cross, the other resembles a human hand. Nearby are other items--a shirt, a prayer book, a pillow--all with burns that look like they've been made by fiery fingers.
I'm in Rome's smallest and strangest museum, the Piccolo Museo del Purgatorio, the Little Museum of Purgatory. Housed in the ...Exploring England's oldest Anglo-Saxon church
Sep 4th, 2010 at 10:00AM:
One of England's most alluring traits is the way its historical ages pile atop one another. This is a nation where farmers discover Roman coin hordes in their fields, where people drink in 400 year-old pubs, where people worship in churches that have been around as long as England has been Christian.
If you're ever visiting Durham in northern England be sure to take a brief drive or bus trip ...Lalibela: Ethiopia's ancient jewel
Apr 19th, 2010 at 11:30AM: For an agnostic I've certainly been to a lot of holy places.
I've always been skeptical of received wisdom, and fascinated that so many people dedicate their lives to a deity they can't see, can't prove exists, and who has left them in the lurch on more than one occasion. I'm also fascinated that this strange behavior called religion often makes people better people, and just as often is used ...Interfaith tourism in Syria
Jan 22nd, 2010 at 9:30AM: Who says the Middle East has to be a place of religious tension?
Not the worshipers at Deir Mar Mousa monastery. This medieval Christian monastery is a pilgrimage center for Christians and Muslims alike thanks to an open policy of worship and tolerant religious discussion.
Christians make up about ten percent of Syria's population and there are churches in many cities, like the one in Hama ...Peace on earth, goodwill toward men: two places where it worked
Dec 24th, 2009 at 9:30AM: We hear a lot about peace and friendship over the holidays, but the reality is that different religions and peoples are constantly fighting. It seems we can never get along. Or at least that's what the history books would have you believe. History focuses on change, and change usually means conflict, but there have been many times in the past when different religions and ethnic groups have lived ...
