The Violent History Behind Nutmeg

By H.M.A. LeowMay 14, 20268 min read

How a single spice became the pretext for genocide in the Banda Islands.

Read article

History

Why early medieval Ireland had laws for bees

Medieval Irish bees had a legal status because they were classified as domestic livestock.

Chris Doyle, Lecturer in Ancient and Medieval History, University of Galway·May 20, 2026

The Conversation

How a shifting Nile landscape shaped the rise of the ancient empire of Kush in Sudan

The ancient Kush city of Jebel Barkal rose up in the Nile River Valley starting around 2000 BCE. New research dug deep to learn more about what this landscape was like over the past 4,000 years.

Geoff Emberling, Research Scientist in Archaeology, University of Michigan·May 19, 2026

The Paris Review

The Ignorant Art Historian: Sackcloth 1953

“We associate burlap not with art but with use, indeed with waste.”

Hal Foster·May 19, 2026

Public Books

The Novel as Instrument: Sinan Antoon and Michael Allan

Our partner podcast Novel Dialogue invites a novelist and a literary critic to talk about novels from every angle: how we read them, write them, publish them, and remember them. This season’s signature question is: Who was your favorite teacher and why? “I am haunted by history: the history of dictatorship, the history of empire, […] The post The Novel as Instrument: Sinan Antoon and Michael Allan appeared first on Public Books.

Megan Cummins·May 22, 2026

The Conversation

Xi warned Trump against the ‘Thucydides Trap’ – here’s what ancient Greece can tell us about US-China relations

The Greek historian recounted the danger of a rising power challenging an established one.

Neville Morley, Professor in Classics, Ancient History, Religion, and Theology, University of Exeter·May 18, 2026

The Conversation

Fertiliser: the forgotten history linking the agricultural commodity and empire in wartime

A labour and political ecology expert looks back at imperialistic logic and how chemical fertilisers have repeatedly served as strategic objectives and weapons, particularly in wartime.

Lorenzo Feltrin, Postdoctoral research fellow, Ca' Foscari University of Venice; Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)·May 21, 2026

The Violent History Behind Nutmeg

Related

Why early medieval Ireland had laws for bees

How a shifting Nile landscape shaped the rise of the ancient empire of Kush in Sudan

The Ignorant Art Historian: Sackcloth 1953

The Novel as Instrument: Sinan Antoon and Michael Allan

Xi warned Trump against the ‘Thucydides Trap’ – here’s what ancient Greece can tell us about US-China relations

Fertiliser: the forgotten history linking the agricultural commodity and empire in wartime