Science/Technology Archives – Page 17 of 38

April 25, 2023April 26, 2023

V is for Vikings

The Oseberg ship, a symbol of a different kind of trader. Wikipedia.

When you visualize “medieval traders of Persian textiles,” Vikings may not be the first thing that comes to mind.

Yet the Scandinavians were masterful travelers who, despite their reputation for looting, were also supreme world traders. They had access to their own products from the Silk Road and navigated their own pathways into the heart of the world exchange that took place on the central Asian steppes. As much as some would like to debunk the idea, you can’t argue when the evidence is dug up a Norwegian back yard.

Where the Bodies Were Buried

The Viking ship above, called a karve, was discovered near a farm in Southeastern Norway at the beginning of the 20th century. (Discovered near a farm … hmm … perhaps that means a plow hit an immovable object one fine Osebergian spring morn?) A Swedish archaeologist took charge of unearthing the site in 1904-05. While precious metal items were missing, they did find two female skeletons and a big stash of goods still remained.

April 18, 2023April 19, 2023

P is for Pepper

Black Gold. Texas Tea. The most valuable commodity in recent years has that nickname, and if you watched a certain TV show from the 1960s, you remember the words. But “black gold” before 1800 meant something else, something also very valuable. Futurists picked up on it, too.

The spice must flow.

Black Gold

Even today, pepper is the most traded spice in the world. It originated out of India, on the Malabar coast, although more than a third of it today comes from Vietnam. In the Silk Road days, it was so valuable that it was demanded by the Huns when they took Rome; they asked for 3000 pounds of pepper in addition to precious metals and furs. Rome lived on cinnamon and pepper, so it knew the value, too.

Accountant Luca Pacioli in his double-entry bookkeeping text explained to merchants how to list their inventory: gold coin in ducats, jewels, unpolished pointed diamonds, silverware, feather beds, and …

… cases of ginger bellidi … sacks of pepper, long pepper or round pepper … so many packages of cinnamon.
Continue reading “P is for Pepper”

April 14, 2023April 15, 2023

L is for Lotus

There is something mesmerizing about this animated graphic, as this woman dances in a circle in front of a circling flower. Is she Indian? Persian? Chinese? I can make an argument for each, and she seems like an amalgam of all three, which is perhaps the point.

You can watch her dance on Youtube here.

The title is “Silk Road Dream|Burning Lotus” and the creator is branded as “Life Makeover,” where other mini animated movies show off products. Is this dancer showing products, or the skill of the artist? Or both?

It’s ironic to be called burning lotus, since a lotus is a water lily. And the symbol of a spiritual adviser who suggested we should avoid craving material goods. And that the hypnotic music, swirling graphic, and picturesque dance are all like narcotic lotus that the Greeks told stories about.