From the Archives: An Islamic Map for a Christian King

When we last left Sicily,  the Roman Republic had taken Siracusa, which became the capital of Roman government in Sicily. The Romans held Sicily for 300 some years. The island was subsequently occupied by the Byzantine empire in 535 CE, Arabs from North Africa in 965 and the Normans in 1060. * Under the Normans,…

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History on Display: Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

I recently took a short, (relatively) spontaneous trip home to the Missouri Ozarks. While I was there, my parents and I visited the nearby Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, site of the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi on August 10, 1861.* Wilson’s Creek became part of the National Park System in…

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World War II Map by Map

If you’ve been hanging around here on the Margins for a while, you know I have a weakness for reference books. These days I try to exercise some self-control when it comes to adding a volume or three to my hoard.* The bookshelf dedicated to references books is close to  full** and every book added…

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