David Tollen, Author at Pints of History

Terrorists and Barbarians

by David Tollen | Nov 15, 2015 | The Early Modern Age, The Recent Modern Age

In the wake of terrorist attacks like Friday’s mass killings in Paris, we often call our enemies “barbarians.” They are not. Barbarians like the Vikings, Huns, and Xiongnu lived on the fringes of civilization and preyed on their richer and more...

Why Sounds Yoda so Archaic?

by David Tollen | Oct 22, 2015 | The Postclassical Age (Medieval History), Linguistics & Philology

Says Yoda things like: “Powerful have you become; the dark side I sense in you.” Sounds it like speaks he an old dialect of English. Yet uses not Yoda “thou hast” or “erstwhile” or “thee” — or any other word or...

The Real Destruction of Atlantis

by David Tollen | Oct 20, 2015 | Earliest Civilizations in Eurasia

The legend of Atlantis comes from Plato. In Timaeus and particularly Critias, written around 360 B.C., the Greek philosopher describes an island society ruling a great empire. But the Atlanteans’ pride angers the gods, who destroy the island with floods and...

Historical Mashup by Ivan Gataric — for The Jericho River

by David Tollen | Sep 30, 2015 | Earliest Civilizations in Eurasia, The Recent Modern Age

Here’s more great artwork for The Jericho River, A Novel About the History of Western Civilization . It’s a poster by Ivan Gataric. The young woman is an Egyptian priestess (Tia from the book), and the sphinx is Mesopotamian (Zidu from the book). The ship...

In the Hall of the Dead King

by David Tollen | Sep 28, 2015 | Earliest Civilizations in Eurasia

Here’s an adventure from The Jericho River, A Novel About the History of Western Civilization, Chapter 3: Death in Egypt. Passing through was like stepping into a dark otherworld. Beyond the bronze door was a narrow tunnel of stone. Jason realized they must be...

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