Scilicet

Animals | Scilicet

Last week we had a post about bees on @scilicetblog.bsky.social, but there's lots more #AnimalHistory to be found there! From Swedish royal monkeys to Italian dogs in churches, and from Medieval lions to 18th Century birds... Check it out!
scilicet.org.uk/animals

ICYMI, yesterday's post by @guyfassler.bsky.social

ICYMI, yesterday's post by @guyfassler.bsky.social

My latest post for Scilicet on why bees were considered the perfect society in the #AberdeenBestiary.

A drawing from the Aberdeen bestiary of a dog and two bees

Fantastic bees and where to find them 🐝 What can a #medieval book of strange animals teach us about kingship and ideal society? @guyfassler.bsky.social explains how the Aberdeen Bestiary can answer these questions in our latest post: scilicet.org.uk/fantastic-be... #Skystorians #MedievalHistory

My most recent post for Scilicet, on viking history and Swedish national identity

Rediscovering the Vikings | Scilicet After the collapse of the Swedish empire, Swedes found themselves turning to their ancient forebearers the Vikings for help. But how did it come about and how did it shape their understanding of the S...

After Sweden’s empire crumbled, Swedes looked to the Vikings for a new sense of identity. But why Vikings, and how did this reshape how they saw their own landscape? @nataliesmith.bsky.social explores in our latest post: scilicet.org.uk/rediscoverin... #Skystorians #Vikings"

Why not give one of these recipes a try? @guyfassler.bsky.social enjoyed making the compote! www.instagram.com/reel/DKL0peS...

Beer soup, pear jam and carrot cake from Märta Sture’s 1739 recipe book | Scilicet What was Swedish food like in the eighteenth century? A fantastic book in which Märta Sture wrote down hundreds of recipes paints a tasty (if aometimes unusual) picture.

You’ve probably heard of Martha Stewart, but how about Märta Sture? In this post, @nataliesmith.bsky.social takes us through her recipes for pear compote, beer soup, and carrot cake from 1739! scilicet.org.uk/beer-soup-pe... #Skystorians #History #Foodhistory

Botanic drawing of Parsley. Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene, recipe no. 119:

Hungry for more historical recipes? 🌿 @guyfassler.bsky.social has found multiple Salsa Verde recipes spanning multiple centuries, offering a delicious insight into how tastes have changed over time. Why not give one a try? scilicet.org.uk/salsa-verde-... #Skystorians #History #SalsaVerde

Botanic drawing of Parsley. Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene, recipe no. 119:

Hungry for more historical recipes? 🌿 @guyfassler.bsky.social has found multiple Salsa Verde recipes spanning multiple centuries, offering a delicious insight into how tastes have changed over time. Why not give one a try? scilicet.org.uk/salsa-verde-... #Skystorians #History #SalsaVerde

painted ceramic plate with a very goofy leopard

A leopard with a policeman's moustache, spotted(!) amongst the ceramics at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello

A letter with the following text: וזאת לאיש אשר המלך חפץ ביקרו, מנורת זהב המאיר את עין כל הארץ, המצמיח הרים חציר בחכמתו, מרבה ומפשיא מזריע ומדשיא אילנות ועשבים למינהו, לבלתי צאת מעורבבים, מגיא הדשי[א] זרעונים, ומאליהם פרי טעונים, מלמד דרך צדק, גבורות מפעלותיו להודיע לבני האדם, טוב תורת פיו מאלפי זהב וכסף, כבוד האדון הרב הגדול המפורסם ...... Carl Line יהי כעץ שתול על פלגי מים, עלהו לא יבול, יהי פיסת בר בארץ, בראש הרים ירעש כלבנון פריו, ויציצו מעיר כעשב הארץ, יהי שמו לעולם, לפני שמש ינון שמו, ויתברכו בו כל גוים יאשרוהו. נדבת פי ירצה נא בכושר, אם נא מצאתי חן יוקח נא מנחתי כאשר יביאו בני ישראל את המנחה. לסדר ולפרט קטן. כי על כן ראיתי פניו כראות פני אלהים ותרצני

If you're interested in some more Linnean correspondence, @guyfassler.bsky.social has translated a letter, originally in Hebrew, that @nataliesmith.bsky.social came across. You can read his translation and their discussion of its possible authorship here:
scilicet.org.uk/a-letter-to-...

Happy birthday, Carl Linnaeus! 🌿🌱🌼 We're celebrating by revisiting our favourite letter to him, translated here by @nataliesmith.bsky.social. It was written by nobleman Olof von Dalin in 1762, asking: Should Royal Monkeys Wear Sweaters During the Winter?
scilicet.org.uk/should-royal... #Skystorians

A somewhat wobbly sketch of a battlefield. One of the horses has fallen, and is being trampled by the oncoming cavalry

Before becoming king, a young Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden sketched several scenes of horses and battlefields🐴🪖 In this archival post, @nataliesmith.bsky.social talks us through some of these childhood doodles: scilicet.org.uk/royal-doodle... #ThrowbackThursday #SwedishHistory #Skystorians

A somewhat wobbly sketch of a battlefield. One of the horses has fallen, and is being trampled by the oncoming cavalry

Before becoming king, a young Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden sketched several scenes of horses and battlefields🐴🪖 In this archival post, @nataliesmith.bsky.social talks us through some of these childhood doodles: scilicet.org.uk/royal-doodle... #ThrowbackThursday #SwedishHistory #Skystorians

In case you missed them in our migration from twitter, we're going to be spotlighting some older posts from the Scilicet archives every #throwbackthursday

Thank you for following our trip through the archives of our posts for #WorldNumeracyDay! We hope these posts have shown just how varied the history of numeracy is ➕📏

Inflation and nostalgia in early modern Britain | Scilicet In the past, as today, cost of living crises made people nostalgic for the good old days.

Finally, @jamesafox.bsky.social has written a topical piece on how inflation and a cost-of-living crisis made people nostalgic for the good old days in early-modern Britain. scilicet.org.uk/inflation-an... #NumeracyDay #UKHistory #Skystorians

The woman who documented the weather every day for thirty-seven years | Scilicet Why did Janet Burnet of Kemnay House in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland, meticulously record the weather almost every day from 1758 to 1795?

For the meteorologists among you, @jamesafox.bsky.social has also written a post about Janet Burnet of Kemnay House in Aberdeenshire, the woman who documented the weather every day for thirty-seven years scilicet.org.uk/the-woman-wh... #ScottishHistory #SkyStorians #NumeracyDay

200 years ago, the Imperial Measurement System was introduced in Britain | Scilicet The Weights and Measures Act of 1824 introduced the Imperial measures we still use today. But what difference did it really make?

If weights and measures are what you're after, @jamesafox.bsky.social also has a post The Weights and Measures Act of 1824, which introduced the Imperial measures still used in the UK today: scilicet.org.uk/200-years-ag... #NumeracyDay #UKHist #Skystorians

The use and abuse of financial literacy: a case of fraud in 18th-century Scotland | Scilicet Explore the perils of using knowledge in the wrong way through this cautionary tale from an eighteenth-century Scottish innkeeper.

Next in our highlights for #NumeracyDay: The use and abuse of financial literacy, where @jamesafox.bsky.social explores a case of fraud in 18th-century Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 scilicet.org.uk/the-use-and-... #SkyStorians #ScottishHistory #BookHistory #Numeracy

No laughing matter? The curious case of Cocker’s Arithmetick | Scilicet Why was Cocker’s Arithmetick, the most successful arithmetic textbook of its day, the butt of a joke?

Happy #NumeracyDay! ✖️➕➗🔢 We're celebrating by revisiting some excellent numeracy-related blog posts by @jamesafox.bsky.social First, we have the curious case of Cocker's Arithmetick being the butt of a joke scilicet.org.uk/no-laughing-... #SkyStorians #BookHistory #Numeracy

Food for thought: Recipe books through history | Scilicet We all need to eat, but the way we do says much about our place in society. Looking at a range of recipe books through history shows this has long been the case.

We all need to eat, but the way we cook and share food says a lot about class, culture and identity. In our latest post, @guyfassler.bsky.social, @jamesafox.bsky.social and @nataliesmith.bsky.social dig in to some historical recipes from across Europe 🍽️
scilicet.org.uk/food-for-tho... #Skystorians

Thank you Kristin, we're glad you enjoyed it! (and we're very curious about those recipes...!)

What a fantastic blog post! And timely: I’ve been looking through some of the handwritten cookbooks (a treasure trove!) in the National Library of Sweden’s manuscript collection today. 👀

Food for thought: Recipe books through history | Scilicet We all need to eat, but the way we do says much about our place in society. Looking at a range of recipe books through history shows this has long been the case.

We all need to eat, but the way we cook and share food says a lot about class, culture and identity. In our latest post, @guyfassler.bsky.social, @jamesafox.bsky.social and @nataliesmith.bsky.social dig in to some historical recipes from across Europe 🍽️
scilicet.org.uk/food-for-tho... #Skystorians

Habemus Papam!

With a key: The extraordinary beginnings of the conclave | Scilicet The election of a Catholic pope is steeped in mystery, history, and political intrigue. But what are the origins of the conclave – the locked-room tradition that has was used in pontifical elections s...

And if you want to impress your friends with some fun facts when the white smoke rises, @guyfassler.bsky.social also has a post on the origins of the conclave itself
#Conclave #Skystorians scilicet.org.uk/with-a-key-t...

Waiting for white smoke? Pass the time with some papal intrigue! First up from @guyfassler.bsky.social : Did a melon really kill Pope Paul II? 🍈 scilicet.org.uk/did-a-melon-...
#Conclave #Vatican #Skystorians