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TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Michelle Brown: What is a butt tuba and why is it in medieval art?
A rabbit attempts to play a church organ, while a knight fights a giant snail and a naked man blows a trumpet with his rear end. These bizarre images, painted with squirrel-hair brushes on vellum or parchment by monks, nuns and urban...
TED Talks
William Noel: Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes
How do you read a two-thousand-year-old manuscript that has been erased, cut up, written on and painted over? With a powerful particle accelerator, of course! Ancient books curator William Noel tells the fascinating story behind the...
TED Talks
TED: How I'm discovering the secrets of ancient texts | Gregory Heyworth
Gregory Heyworth is a textual scientist; he and his lab work on new ways to read ancient manuscripts and maps using spectral imaging technology. In this fascinating talk, watch as Heyworth shines a light on lost history, deciphering...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The hidden treasures of Timbuktu | Elizabeth Cox
On the edge of the vast Sahara desert, citizens snuck out of the city of Timbuktu and took to the wilderness. They buried chests in the desert sand, hid them in caves, and sealed them in secret rooms. Inside these chests was a treasure...
Curated Video
Library of Congress
Home to millions of books and manuscripts, the Library of Congress is a hub of culture and knowledge, pioneering digital accessibility while safeguarding America's rich history.
Curated Video
Exploring the Continuity of Greek-Arabic Bilingualism
Historian Maria Mavroudi (UC Berkeley) reveals how a careful study of Arab-Greek bilingualism can shed important light on a wealth of societal values, including the very foundations of their systems of knowledge.
Religion for Breakfast
The Book of Enoch Explained
In this episode we examine the topic: The Book of Enoch Explained
Religion for Breakfast
Was the Gospel of John Changed to Suppress Mary Magdalene?
Mary Magdalene has a ton of conspiracy theories swirling around her. Most are pure speculation. But a recent study by a Duke University New Testament PhD student, Elizabeth Schrader, argues that the copiers of the Gospel of John may have...
Curated Video
Greece, Patmos Island
According to a legend in Greek mythology, the island's original name was "Letois", after the goddess and huntress of deer Artemis, daughter of Leto. It was believed that Patmos came into existence thanks to her divine intervention. The...
Institute for New Economic Thinking
02 On Writing Keynesian Economics and the Economics of Keynes
In late 2015, JW Mason and Arjun Jayadev went to speak with Axel Leijonhuvud, in retirement in Pismo Beach, to ask about his work and the intellectual paths not taken after 1968. Over a couple of days with him and his wife Earlene, they...
Bino and Fino
On To Timbuktu
Bino can’t find one of his books because he can’t remember where he left it. Mama Mama teaches the children to treasure their books.
TED-Ed
What Is a Butt Tuba and Why Is it in Medieval Art?
Before picture books and animated videos, there were hand-copied manuscripts whose margins were filled with fantastic images. A short video examines the tradition of illuminating books and considers what some of the more bizarre images...
TED-Ed
The World’s Most Mysterious Book
What is MS 408? Who wrote it? What does it say? Nobody knows who wrote the Voynich manuscript, nor can anyone translate the text. Introduce viewers to the mystery with a short video that details what little is known about the manuscript.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Can Doodles Be Art?
Do you like to doodle? People in medieval times did too! Join Matilde, age 10, as she finds out more about marginalia and manuscripts.