December 08, 2019

English As We Know It: A Walk Through the Pages Of Time

December 08, 2019/ Guest User

The great Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once said, “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”

Recreated Gutenberg press (photo taken at the International Printing Museum, Carson, California)

In the early 1400s, all books were written by hand. But then, around 1440, in Germany, blacksmith, goldsmith, inventor, and printer Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press. This invention revolutionized printing.

Thanks to this contraption, the rise of printing helped spread various classical works. There were at least 500,000 books available around this time. Until then, the Bible was written only in Latin, but the printing press made possible the creation of the Bible in other languages.

In today’s society, anyone can be a writer. After Wattpad was created in 2006, it became a place where anonymous users could post stories from genres like classics, general fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, poetry, fan-fiction, spiritual, humor and teen fiction.

Two other popular websites that are well-known are Submittable and Tumblr. Submittable, formerly known as Submishmash, was created in 2010. This website allows people to post their stories and sometimes get money for those works, whereas Tumblr, which was created in 2007, allows people to post for free.

Who knows what literature will look like 20 years from now?

In 20 years, everything could be digital. Nowadays, with the invention of audio and e-books, readers can listen or skim through the pages of their favorite novel at merely one touch of a button. But here is the thing: by having everything online now, it is starting to take away many valuable jobs that provide useful skills. For example, if all books go online, that could remove the idea of librarians. Librarians learn the skill of organizing and time management while gaining extensive knowledge of the library's resources and books, which helps them with memory. This is just one job of many that may be taken away if all books go online.

I, for one, prefer actual hard copies of books rather than the digital ones. For me, part of the thrill of reading is getting to inhale the aroma of the old paper, and feel the pages under my fingertips. I find it harder to get lost in a story when I’m staring at a screen. But as soon as I open a novel, I feel as though I can step inside that world. I’m not saying that stories online aren’t great. I’m just stating that for me, personally, I don’t feel as connected when reading them that way. There is nothing wrong with people who choose to get their name out that way. I truly do respect them; I just have a preference.

In conclusion, it is my personal opinion that paper copies of books just do not measure up to those of the online type. I, for one, hope that the era of printed books does not end anytime soon.

There’s just something about snuggling up in bed with a fuzzy blanket, cozy socks, a warm cup of tea and a good book that speaks to me. It’s a feeling that I can’t quite put into words. Sure, nowadays, you can recreate that same image with a Kindle, but you're taking away one of the most fundamental elements, which is the book in your hands.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a look through my library and find myself a good book.

Links

Carissa Fortin

She is a massive Harry Potter Nerd. She loves mac and cheese. She would love to travel the world someday as a career. Her favorite place to be is in her library.

December 05, 2019

Unearth the Capsule: The First Five - How a Miracle Turned into Misfortune

December 05, 2019/ Marie-Chantal Chamberland

The sisters when they were four years old, Image courtesy of https://time.com/5555131/dionne-quintuplets-kidfluencers/

The Miracle

In 1934, Oliva and Elzire Dionne, already parents to five children, became parents of five more when Elzire gave birth to Yvonne, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Annette in Corbeil, Ontario. They were born two months premature with one of them weighing nearly two pounds. The five sisters were delivered with the help of midwives Benoit Lebel and Donalda Legros, along with Dr. Allan Dafoe. All five girls and Elzire surviving childbirth in a barn with no electricity was a miracle in itself considering the circumstances, the Dionne sisters were the first quintuplets recorded in history to ever grow up and live past infancy. Due to this, the situation was also considered to be a miracle.

However, as it always does, word got around.

Immediately after their birth, journalists and reporters flooded the family to capture this first in history occurence of identical quintuplets. These curious folk didn’t leave them alone for years.

The Misfortune

When the sisters were only a few months old, the Ontario Government took the quintuplets away from their family in order to “avoid exploitation” only to turn around and go against their word, which isn’t unusual for a government to do. The quintuplets, now made wards of the province, were raised in a nursery near the home and barn in which they were born and put under the care of Dr. Allan Dafoe and nurses. Their parents could only see them for a limited amount of time when they were in there. While the nursery was where they played, were taught and grew up together, there was another room in the nursery that shouldn’t have been there.

With two-way mirrors, the sisters were put on display for a total of three millions tourists to come and watch them play in what was nicknamed “Quintland”. Although they were unable to see the tourists, they were very well aware that they were being watched. They grew up there for nine years under the control of the Ontario governent. It is believed that the Ontario government brought in an estimated $500 million in its economy, a major financial boost for the Great Depression era. Their father was also able to make some profit from this as he ran a souvenir shop nearby.

SIGN OUTSIDE OF “QUINTLAND,” IMAGE COURTESY OF https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/02/world/canada/ontario-dionne-quintuplets.html

They were also used in commercials and three Hollywood films were made about them. The sisters would occasionally leave to go on tours around the country, photoshoots and even to meet the Queen in 1939. In 1947, after years of Elzire fighting to get her children back, the quintuplets were finally released and their parents received custody of them again.

However, their reunion did not turn out to be a happy one. Sources say that their mother would verbally abuse and hit them. Three of the quintuplets also mentioned that their father would sexually abuse them while their five other siblings denied that their father would do anything of the sort.

The hospital in which they were raised and put on display was later turned into a school where the girls went to with other girls as classmates. The fame surrounding them began to die down as they grew up. When they were older, they all moved to Montreal. Emilie went on to be a nun, but died at the age of 20 due to a seizure. Marie, Annette and Cecile had marriages later on but all three ended in divorces. At the age of 35, Marie passed away due to a brain tumor and Yvonne died when she was 67 in 2001 after battling cancer.

Modern Day

Annette and Cecile are currently living in Montreal, however their financial situation is rough. Despite the Ontario Government having made a trust fund for them during their time in “Quintland”, most of their money had been taken to pay bills during that time. A $4 million settlement by the government was given to Annette, Yvonne and Cecile in 1998 for compensation of their exploitation growing up. They received $1 million each, with the final calculations of the payments resulting in an estimated $750 000 after they paid lawyers and public relations consultants. The fourth $1 million was given to Marie’s children.

A few years following the settlement, Cecile’s payments from the bank which were used to cover her monthly fees, suddenly stopped. She tried to contact her son Bernard who used $195 000 of his mothers settlement money to buy them a duplex, however, was unable to contact him as he seemingly disappeared along with the rest of her money from the settlement.

Today Annette and Cecile talk together on the phone from their senior’s residences. At age 85, Annette and Cecile want to make sure that people are aware of the dangers of child exploitation in the media, especially for financial gain, and that what happened to them never happens again.

Read here to learn more about their thoughts on being child celebrities: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/as-they-turn-85-dionne-sisters-caution-about-the-perils-of-childhood-celebrity-1.4439043

Marie-Chantal Chamberland

Marie-Chantal/Marie/M-C is a reader, writer, Marvel fan, and is currently studying Professional Writing. Some of her interests include traveling, skating. learning about the past, baking, and hanging out with her dog.

December 02, 2019

Oasis in Time: The Egyptian Mummification Process

December 02, 2019/ Liam Konrad

Who is my Mummy?

The Egyptian practice of mummification began circa 3500 B.C.E. Its purpose was to preserve the body and prepare the deceased individual for entry into the afterlife. What many people may not know is that Egyptians were not the only ones to mummify individuals.

Other cultures that practiced mummification included Australian Aboriginal, Aztec and Incan civilizations. Some cultures reserved the privilege of mummification for people of high status, while other cultures mummified all individuals after death.

However, the Egyptian civilization is the most well-known for mummification. This may be a result of the arid conditions which were ideal for drying out corpses and helped make the mummification easier.

For Egyptians, this process took on a spiritual meaning as well. The mummification of a body after death was also a way to ensure the deceased individual would pass on to the afterlife. It is believed that the bodies of deceased individuals who came from poor families were sometimes filled with juniper oil to dissolve organs instead of removing the organs as was done in the cases of richer mummies.

On the other hand, pharaohs were buried in ornate coffins in luxurious tombs including the Egyptian pyramids. Their tombs were filled with items that may be of use to them in the afterlife, such as food and tools. Sometimes even servants were buried with the pharaohs. Chillingly, a servant’s last way to serve the pharaoh was to die for him or her.

A 1927 abstract published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine claimed that medicine made from powdered mummies was popular. This is because bitumen was believed to have medicinal properties. But mummies were not, as these people believed, embalmed with bitumen. This belief led to the burning of bodies for “mummy medicine.”

An Arabian proverb states that “Life, like a fire, begins in smoke and ends in ashes.” This may not be true for all people, but these people’s lives certainly ended in ashes after their mummified bodies were burned.

An image of art depicted on the North side of King tut’s tomb, following its restoration. IMage courtesy of history.com.

The pharaoh Tutankhamun — a.k.a. King Tut — is perhaps the most famous mummy. His body was found in 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter.

Legend has it that disturbing the resting place of a mummy leads to death. When people died of unnatural causes in Carter’s expedition, many speculated that this was a result of Carter’s disturbance of Tut’s tomb.

Many mummies were buried with amulets in their possession, as the amulets were believed to offer protection to the individual’s soul after death. Some pharaoh’s pets were buried along with them to accompany the pharaoh in the afterlife.

Ancient Egyptian mummification was so successful that many features of individuals can still be made out by looking at the preserved mummy.

What happened to my Mummy?

The entire mummification process would usually take around 70 days and priests, known as embalmers, would help perform this process. First, all internal organs that are prone to decay were removed from the body. The brain was removed by placing special hooked instruments in the nostril and pulling out pieces of brain tissue. If done improperly, disfigurement of the face was almost inevitable.

Organs contained near the chest were removed via an incision made on the left side of the abdomen. The organs were put in special containers known as canopic jars and buried alongside the mummy. The heart, where it was believed the soul resided, was the only organ that was kept inside the mummy’s body.

The Canopic Jar of an Egyptian Named Ruiu. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan museum of art.

Natron, a type of salt, was sprinkled over the body. Packets of the salt were also inserted into the body to remove all moisture. The natron was removed from the body and residuals were lightly washed off once the drying was complete. Sunken parts of the body were filled in with linen and artificial eyes were sometimes added to the mummies to make them look as lifelike as possible.

The final step in mummifying the body was to wrap the entire body in linen, often requiring hundreds of yards of linen.

For more information on Egyptian mummification, visit BBC.

Liam Konrad

Liam is an avid reader, with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn from our past. He is often found exploring other worlds during his time spent reading. He is currently a second-year student in the Professional Writing program at Algonquin College.

November 26, 2019

Dates You Should Know: The Three Kingdoms

November 26, 2019/ Joel Balkovec

The Hero Guan Yu crosses five passes and slays six generals, a famous scene from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. A Mural from the Summer Palace, Beijing. Via Wikipedia. — The Hero Guan Yu crosses five passes and slays six generals, a famous scene from the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. A Mural from the Summer Palace, Beijing. Via Wikipedia.

The 14th-century Romance of the Three Kingdoms is one of the most important works of Chinese literature. It begins with some of my favourite words in all of the things I’ve ever read:

“The Empire long-divided must unite, long-united, must divide.”

Detailing the turbulent events of the second and third centuries in China, the novel depicts some of the best-known characters and events in Chinese history: the rise and fall of the tyrant Dong Zhuo, the love affair between matchless warrior Lü Bu (whom, thanks to Dynasty Warriors, I’m told you should not pursue) and the great beauty Diaochan, the exploits of the valiant and loyal Guan Yu - who would come to be venerated as a war god in later generations, the rivalry between the two master strategists Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi, Zhao Yun single-handedly tearing through an enemy army with a baby strapped to his back, the climactic battle of Red Cliffs, won by a daring fire attack (as depicted in John Woo’s epic movie Red Cliff) and the eventual reunification of China after decades of division and war.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms has inspired generations of readers and, most importantly, provides the basis for the absolutely awesome Dynasty Warriors series of video games, which retells the story. Just with more lasers, explosions and miniskirts (along with the much more grounded-in-reality, miniskirt-lacking Romance of the Three Kingdoms strategy games).

The history behind the Romance of the Three Kingdoms brings us to one last Date You Should Know: December 11 AD 220, the abdication of the last Han Emperor and the division of China into the Three Kingdoms.

Long United, Must Divide

Cao Cao, Sun Quan and Liu Bei, the three Major rulers in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, as depicted in Koei’s ROmance of the Three Kingdoms XII. VIa Koei Wiki. — Cao Cao, Sun Quan and Liu Bei, the three Major rulers in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, as depicted in Koei’s *ROmance of the Three Kingdoms XII*. VIa Koei Wiki.

The formal establishment of the Three Kingdoms was a long time coming. The prestige and power of the ruling Imperial dynasty had been in steady decline since the 180s, following a long, chaotic period of rebellion, political turmoil, murder and civil war. The fall of central Imperial authority led to the rise of numerous local warlords and governors running their territories as functionally independent kingdoms. By the 210s, Cao Cao’s attempted conquest of the lands south of the Yangtze failed with his decisive defeat at Red Cliffs. This lead to the political situation in China consolidating into territories held by three major players: Cao Cao himself, Sun Quan and Liu Bei, though the Emperor was still nominally the ruler of China.

Cao Cao died in March 220, having established control over north-central China, the traditional heartland of the Han dynasty and exerting control over the Imperial court. He was succeeded by his son Cao Pi (the C is pronounced like Ts; get your mind out of the gutter), who used his inherited power and influence to force the Emperor to abdicate in December 220, declaring himself Emperor of Wei. In response to this, Sun Quan and Liu Bei asserted independence from Cao Pi’s rule, proclaiming themselves Emperors of Wu and Shu, respectively.

With the land divided into three, China settled into a long, bloody stalemate.

Long Divided, Must Unite

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, Joel,” you say. “Which kingdom won?”

The answer, of course is, “None of the above.”

The territorial changes in China before and during the Three Kingdoms. Via Wikipedia.

Liu Bei died in 223, and was succeeded by his generally poorly-regarded son Liu Shan. The Shu Prime Minister, Zhuge Liang, died in 234 during the last of his ultimately futile attempts to push north into Wei.

In 249, the Wei Prime Minister was overthrown by the members of the Sima family, who established themselves as the power behind the throne of Wei. From there, Wei capitalised on the lack of strong leadership in Shu to invade, leading to Liu Shan’s surrender and Wei’s conquest of Shu.

Ultimately, the last Emperor of Wei was overthrown by yet another member of the Sima family, Sima Yan, who established himself as the first Emperor of Jin. The armies of Jin conquered Wu in 280, bringing about the reunification of China after a century of war.

China reunified under the Jin Dynasty in AD 280. It didn’t last. Via Wikipedia.

Unfortunately, the members of the Jin Imperial family almost immediately began fighting among themselves.

And we end right back where we started.

Joel Balkovec

Joel Balkovec has an MA in Classics, so he knows a thing or two about history. When he’s not professionally writing at Algonquin, he’s writing family-friendly Fantasy stories at home as J.B. Norman. Visit his website at www.realmgard.com.

November 25, 2019

The Art of Bullfighting

November 25, 2019/ Dekra Abdo

Few people have witnessed an actual bullfight, but many of us have at least heard about the art of the Spanish bullfighting tradition. Bullfighting is practiced in Spain, France, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador and Portugal and owes its tradition, in part, to the gladiator games.

Bullfighters, also known as ‘toreros’, and the tradition of bullfighting are an iconic and defining cultural characteristic of Spain. It was brought to the attention of the Western world by Ernest Hemingway’s book, ‘The Sun Also Rises’

The spectacle of bullfighting is known as corridas de toros in Spanish and is held in an arena called Plaza de toros. Bullfighting has become very popular, with the Las Ventas arena in Madrid being the largest arena in the world. It has a capacity of 25,000 seats to accommodate the aficionados (fans). Bullfighting season lasts from spring through autumn, with Sundays typically being the biggest day.

A customary bullfight can last three to four hours and highlights six bulls, toreros and a crew of assistant bullfighters.

A few hours before the bullfight, the unfortunate bull is held in a tiny, dark isolation cell without food or water. Confused and anxious, the bull becomes agitated and angry. Just before entering the arena, the bull is harpooned several times, on his back, to weaken him.

1st Stage: The opening parade is the highly anticipated moment when the torero and the crew of assistant bullfighters come out into the arena and walk proudly around the ring to cheering fans. The bull is released into the ring and the fight begins.

2nd Stage: The cape stage begins when the torero teases and taunts the bull with a cape to test its strength. As the bull charges towards the cape, the torero gracefully and methodically moves with precision and ease from the charging bull.

3rd Stage: The picador stage reveals Picadores (or assistant bullfighters on horseback) wearing protective armour and lances. They continue to taunt the bull and stab it in the shoulders to anger it even more. Banderilleros, who are also part of the crew of bullfighters, rush toward the bull on foot and stab it with coloured darts on its back to continue to weaken the animal.

Final Stage: Weakened and tired from charging and the inflicted wounds, the bull collapses and the torero moves in with a red cape and a long sword and plunges it into the back of the bull. A swift kill earns the torero more respect. As the bull falls in defeat, a crew assistant cuts its throat.

Spectators follow a bullfight at the Las Ventas bullring during the 2019 San Isidro festival in Madrid. Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS / https://www.thelocal.es/20190525/madrids-bullfighting-ritual-acclaimed-and-contested — *Spectators follow a bullfight at the Las Ventas bullring during the 2019 San Isidro festival in Madrid. Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS /* https://www.thelocal.es/20190525/madrids-bullfighting-ritual-acclaimed-and-contested

Bullfighting is a bloody and violent so-called sport, which divides the boundaries between the art of skill and brutality. While traditions are usually honoured and revered, it is very difficult to not feel disturbed and saddened by this spectacle. Earlier this year, Spain’s constitutional court ruled against the ban of killing the bulls during bullfighting, arguing that it is an essential part of the ‘sport’.

Screen Shot 2019-09-23 at 6.56.21 PM.png

Dekra Abdo

A self-confessed word-worm. My love for reading, writing and world cultures has taken me to many travel destinations. Let me hear your comments on my blog.

November 25, 2019

Unearth the Capsule: Putting the ‘City’ in ‘Toxicity’

November 25, 2019/ Marie-Chantal Chamberland

What was the name of that place where tons of radiation was leaked causing its residents to suffer from several illnesses that took many lives and the area should probably be avoided at all costs?

I’ll give you a hint:

It’s not Chernobyl.

MAP of Ozersk and the Mayak facility. image from the University of Utah School of Medicine website: https://medicine.utah.edu/radiology/news/2018/02/scott-miller-radiobiology.php

Located in the center of Russia, Ozersk is a blocked off city surrounded by barbed wire fences, armed guards and a sign telling anyone who crosses it that unless they have special permission to enter, stay away. And for good reason, too.

This city doesn’t have the same historical recognition that Chernobyl does since its history holds many records of it being kept out of the public’s eyes. The Soviet Union constructed Ozersk in 1946 shortly after WW II in secret as it was home to Mayak, a nuclear complex also used to build nuclear weapons. Workers for the factory would go on to reside in the newly built city but in severe conditions. Officials did not want any information to be leaked (unlike the immense amounts of radiation), so those who were brought in to work at Mayak and forced to live in Ozersk were forbidden to leave or to have any contact with their families back home. This went on for seven years, with family members believing them to be missing. Additionally, those brought in to work there were unable to leave since the entire nuclear operation was top secret. During those seven years, the Soviet Union successfully created and tested their first plutonium bomb called “First Lightning”.

Ozersk, which was also referred to as Chelyabinsk 40 and Chelyabinsk 65 in the past, was part of a collection of other cities hidden by the Russian government. Not only were their names changed many times, but for an unknown number of decades, these cities were removed from all maps until they were eventually shut down.

In 1957, Ozersk went on to experience one of the worst nuclear accidents in history: The Kyshtym Disaster. The conditions of the facility were far more hazardous than a nuclear facility usually is without those in charge demanding workers to go faster. A water tank used to keep liquid reactor waste for the processing plant had been malfunctioning and failed to be repaired. On September 29th, after a year of the radioactive material heating up the tank, it reached a temperature of 350 degrees Celsius and exploded, contaminating the atmosphere over hundreds of miles. Evacuation took some time to get under way, and while the total number of deaths caused by the radioactive waste in the atmosphere is unknown, it is safe to say that in months following the disaster took many lives due to illnesses.

To put things in perspective, Chernobyl is listed as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), whereas Kyshtym is listed as a Level 6.

(Tip: When working in a facility that handles nuclear material, take your time and be aware of all possible precautions.)

Along with the entire city of Ozersk and the Mayak facility, the Kyshtym Disaster was also kept secret from the public, with no official government statement coming out after the explosion and the Western World only learning about it in 1976.

The Kyshtym Disaster at the Mayak plant was obviously not the only sort of radioactive waste being thrown into the environment. From its creation, it has been dumping its waste into the lakes that stream down to the city of Ozersk, contaminating the air and damaging the health of all its workers.

Those living in the city after its creation were not living in completely horrible states. Compared to other populations in Russia, they had water, food, jobs and safe homes. In contrast to conditions outside of the nuclear city, the arrangements there were much better. Ozersk’s citizens are living with good schools for their children, opportunities to get different types of food other areas in Russia may not be able to obtain (such as bananas, which can be difficult to access) and beautiful scenery. It’s somewhat of a paradise for its residents.

“Wait a minute, what did you mean by ‘are’?”

That wasn’t a typo. Despite other cities being shut down (that is to our knowledge of course…*insert X-Files theme music here for dramatic effect*), Ozersk is still home to an estimated 100,000 people today. However, even with radiation in their water, food, air and themselves, few residents choose to leave the city despite having the option available to them. Their choices for life are either to: 1) Have access to loads of resources they won’t be able to get elsewhere but live in a city that is slowly killing them; or 2) Move out and start over where radioactive waste isn’t killing them everyday but they lack all the luxuries given to them before.

It does leave the question up in the air for those not living in a city filled to the top with toxicity, what would you choose?

Click here to learn more about the INES scale: https://www.iaea.org/resources/databases/international-nuclear-and-radiological-event-scale

Marie-Chantal Chamberland

November 23, 2019

Oasis in Time: Ancient Egyptian Legal/Justice System

November 23, 2019/ Liam Konrad

It is roughly 2925 BC. Upper and Lower Egypt are finally unifying. This unification is the work of King Menes. You have witnessed the birth of Egyptian law.

This was the first law that unified any part of Upper and Lower Egypt and allowed for a central judicial system for all of Egypt.

A Map Showing Both Upper and lower Egypt, courtesy of Historicaleve.com.

The history of Egyptian law is longer and richer than that of many other civilizations, having started in 2925 BC. Its reach extends far beyond central Egypt and possibly reaches further than Egypt itself.

Court is Now in Session

No official written ancient Egyptian code of law has been preserved, likely as a result of the lack of people who could read and write at the time. Much of what we do know about ancient Egyptian law is the result of historical research. Some archaeological digs also provide useful evidence to support this research.

Some pharaohs were known as lawgivers. This is because pharaohs were the ultimate authority in determining the outcome of lawsuits.

In most cases, the pharaoh would not be directly involved in legal cases. The pharaoh usually delegated the task of attending cases to the vizier, who acted as the judge in trials. The vizier appointed magistrates as well. So, while the pharaoh was the “official” authority on the law, viziers made the decisions in the majority of civil cases.

You want to get away with your crime Scot-free? Well, don’t count on it. In ancient Egypt, You do not have the right to a lawyer.

In important or large cases, the pharaoh was the only one who was allowed to deliver a verdict. The vizier would assist the pharaoh by conducting the investigation. The pharaoh could also grant power to a special commission with the authority to pass judgement on a case.

A major difference from today’s legal system is that Egyptians did not have the right to have a lawyer present during a case. The plaintiff and defendant were required to represent themselves in court, which included presenting their own evidence.

If required, witnesses could be summoned to help support the testimony and evidence presented during the trial. Witnesses in court were not a regularity and judges tended to declare verdicts based on testimony and evidence presented by both parties.

Under Egyptian law, an individual charged with a crime was considered guilty until proven innocent. As such, defendants were often beaten to ensure they were telling the truth. If found innocent of a crime, an individual’s name was still kept on record as a suspect in the case.

Although it could be modern thinking influencing my opinion, it seems as if the verdicts would be very subjective. A judge may be tempted to rule in favour of the side they liked the most. The lack of witnesses resulted in a failure to use the testimony of others to prove or disprove the credibility of an individual.

Historians gather that crimes had harsh punishments in ancient Egypt. For infidelity, the spouse of the individual committing the crime would determine how severe the punishment would be. A wife found guilty of infidelity could face divorce, nose amputation or death by burning. An unfaithful husband could have a punishment of up to 1,000 blows, but could not receive the death penalty.

Law in Daily Life

Law was also a part of the daily life of Egyptian citizens, not just something used in court cases. When property was divided after death, it was predominantly distributed to male heirs of the property owner. There have been a few recorded cases of property being divided equally among all successors, whether male or female. This was by no means the norm, however.

Unlike the laws of many other places, Egyptian women were granted rights to own and inherit property. Even slaves, who most cultures would not have given legal rights or protection, were allowed to own property in some circumstances.

Women could also file for divorce from their husbands and people of either gender were able to be tried for infidelity.

For additional information, visit Encyclopedia Britannica’s article on Egyptian Law.

Liam Konrad

November 20, 2019

English As We Know It: The History Of The Library

November 20, 2019/ Carissa Fortin

Imagine this. You're in a room. It’s silent. Books are piled up in stacks, reaching up to the ceiling. The smell of ink and old parchment fills your nose. Right then, right there, you can pick any book. Each one would give you a different adventure. Which one do you choose?

As a young child, one of my favourite activities was going to the library. I would wander through the racks, gathering up stacks and struggling with the hard words. As I grew up I moved from books like Dick and Jane to Harry Potter. Libraries, I should say, helped me find my passion for reading and writing.

The word library comes from the Latin word liber, meaning “book’, whereas a Latinized Greek word, bibliotheca, is the origin of the word for library in German, Russian, and the Romance languages. It means a room or study where those books are kept.

Libraries were originally used to store business, legal, historical and religious records of civilization. Now, at libraries everywhere, you can use computers to research and you can also research on the computer from home.

The earliest library dates back to 5,000 years ago in the Southwest Asian regions of the world. One of the oldest libraries we know of is the ancient library at Ebla (circa 2500 BCE) in present-day Syria. However, It wasn't until the Middle Ages that people began to rely on them as a need.

In the Renaissance Era, more people had the chance to become educated and relied on libraries as a place to study and gain knowledge. Most of the books found during this time in libraries held religious text.

Libraries helped enrich the culture of those who were educated by providing this valuable resource which was otherwise unavailable. The knowledge, however, was only really available to those with money or power. Those included the royals and nobility, though those with lower means could not afford it.

In the 14th century, only five per cent of poor and middle-class people could read and write. It wasn’t until 1602 when Thomas Bodley, an English diplomat and scholar, founded the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England as an early public library. As a result, more people were able to be educated.

We are fortunate that, no matter where we are or what our social class may be, libraries are now available to us whether it be online or a building we actually visit. As of 2019, there are libraries that offer computer classes. Libraries are reinventing themselves to be more appealing to the modern reader. Some even offer coding workshops and 3D printers!

In conclusion, libraries can be a getaway for those who visit them to step away from all the stresses of life and can allow them to dive into the world of their favourite books. Libraries are a great and wonderful thing. There is a great beauty in the silence that fills these buildings.

Someday, I hope to visit the halls of some of the most famous libraries. The number one library I would like to visit is the Trinity College Library in Dublin. The library has rows of books that go from ceiling to floor. A fun fact about the library is that The Jedi archives of the Jedi Temple in the movie Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones bear a startling resemblance to the Long Room of the Trinity College Library.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to curl up with a hot cup of tea, and a good book.

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