This is an index and summary of the things I’ve talked about over the last month. Links for multi-post subjects go to the first post (even if it’s before this month), you can follow the internal navigation links from there. (TV shows without full posts will not be linked, but will be listed.)
Books
Fiction
“Consider Phlebas” Iain M. Banks. Science fiction, set in his Culture universe. Part of Read All the Fiction, kept.
Total: 1
Non-Fiction
“Plantagenet England 1225-1360” Michael Prestwich. Part of the New Oxford History of England.
Total: 1
Museums
Beyond El Dorado. Exhibition of pre-Hispanic Colombian gold artifacts at the British Museum.
Total: 1
Photos
Total: 2
Radio
The Making of the Modern Arab World. Four part Radio 4 series about the modern history of the Middle East.
Total: 1
Talks
“The Lion in Ancient Egypt: An Elite Phenomenon?” Lyn Stagg. Talk at the December EEG meeting, about lion symbolism & iconography in pre-dynastic and early dynastic Egypt.
Total: 1
Television
Non-Fiction
4,000-Year-Old Cold Case: The Body in the Bog. One off programme about the discovery and investigation of a body in an Irish bog. Was a bit Discovery Channel (they Solved The Mystery and Proved The Theory), and a bit unclear how general their idea was but nonetheless interesting.
The Bridges that Built London with Dan Cruickshank – one off programme telling the history of London’s bridges across the Thames. Interesting, but got a bit woo-woo at times towards the end.
Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities – history of Byzantium aka Constantinople aka Istanbul presented by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
Charlie Brooker: How Videogames Changed the World. A retrospective of the last 25 years of computer games, and their impact on our culture.
David Starkey’s Music and Monarchy – David Starkey tells us all about the influence the English monarchy has had on English music starting from Henry V through to the present day.
Indie Game: The Movie – film length documentary about indie games, following the development of Super Meat Boy and Fez, and talking to the creator of Braid.
The Joy of Logic – one off programme about the history of logic and maths, and the birth of computer science.
The Science of Doctor Who – a lecture by Brian Cox about the physics of space time, and the Fermi paradox.
Shipwrecks: Britain’s Sunken History – Sam Willis talking about shipwrecks around Britain or involving British ships, their impact on history and our culture.
Stories of the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited – Julian Richards returns to digs that were originally filmed for Meet the Ancestors more than a decade ago & sees what new things have been learnt.
A Tudor Feast – one-off programme about preparing a Tudor feast using authentic recipes and techniques.
Tudor Monastery Farm – part re-enactment, part documentary about what life would be like living on and running a farm in 1500.
Unreported World: Egypt’s Tomb Raiders. Documentary about the impact the recent political instability in Egypt has had on the people who rely on the tourism industry, and on the antiquities.
Total: 13