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H - 7 : Where to find Tin for Making Bronze
Lifting Copper and Tin Ingots from the Uluburun Ship Wreck Yesterday’s blog reminded me to talk about tin, the rare metal required for...
hbanziger
Jul 21, 20244 min read


H - 8 : Purple for the Emperor
Tyrian Dye was not only produced in Tyros but probably throughout the Roman Empire Before starting our journey, I go every year on Google...
hbanziger
Jul 20, 20243 min read


H - 21 : Where are Anatolia's Salt Pans?
Natural Salt Pan in Delice (Kirikkale) in Central Anatolia My recent blog about the high salinity of the eastern Mediterranean made me...
hbanziger
Jul 8, 20244 min read


H - 35 : Earth Quake Center of the World?
The ancient Greek town of Salamis was twice destroyed by Earth Quakes but rebuilt - it was only abandoned during the Arab - Byzantine...
hbanziger
Jun 23, 20243 min read


H - 46 : Did the Melting Glaciers start the Agricultural Revolution?
Bottlenose and other Dolphins are a rare Sight in the Eastern Mediterranean On my to-do-list for this year’s trip is a blog on the...
hbanziger
Jun 12, 20243 min read


H - 76 : How Knowledge spread in Antiquity
In two of my previous blogs I talked about the role of scribes in antiquity and that books were scrolls not pages bound at the back. The...
hbanziger
May 13, 20245 min read


H - 81 : Anatolia - Cradle of Flowers and Plants
Turkish Ceramic Tiles with Wild Flowers and Red Tulips at the Center When looking at tiles in a Turkish Bazaar, you instantly notice the...
hbanziger
May 8, 20243 min read


H - 107 : Unequal Prosperity in the Roman Empire
Rainy today – no chance to spend time outdoors. Time for another blog then. Wondered for a while as to why the Eastern Roman Empire was...
hbanziger
Apr 11, 20246 min read


H - 120 : Fuel for the Pharos of Alexandria
Love the way science changes the way how we understand the world. The James Webb telescope shows us that the universe is probably older...
hbanziger
Mar 29, 20244 min read


H - 140 : Cedars - Lebanon's Holy Trees
One of the probably 2'000 Years old mighty Cedar Trees in the Lebanon Cyprus is not the only country in the Middle East with trees in its...
hbanziger
Mar 10, 20246 min read


H - 144 : Copper and Civilisation
Copper Ingot resulting from smelting with ancient Technologies (except the Hammer !) A few weeks ago, I wondered whether the first...
hbanziger
Mar 6, 20244 min read


H - 180 : Tsunami & Skiing - inseparable Twins
Most people have heard about Tsunamis in the Pacific. Far fewer have heard of Tsunamis in the Mediterranean. Skiing in Lebanon is...
hbanziger
Jan 30, 20245 min read


G + 20 : Waking up to a Dripping Sound
The Sea beyond Punta des Jondal where we went today was calm and turquoise A dripping sound woke me up at 3 am this morning. It was...
hbanziger
Aug 4, 20234 min read


G + 13 : From Cassis to Marseille - Hello from the Tethys Sea
This Calanque has become Port-Miou. It is deal for hiding during a Mistral Last day of sailing along the Ligurian coast. We are going to...
hbanziger
Jul 29, 20233 min read


G + 10 : Porquerolles - The Storm
Waves at the West End of Porquerolles were higher than 1.5 meters. Glad we are not at Sea We all wondered this morning how the day would...
hbanziger
Jul 25, 20233 min read


G + 6 : Grasse - Capital of Scent
Rain drumming on our cabin this morning woke us up at 6 am. The effects of the heat wave continue to hit the French Riviera. Usually,...
hbanziger
Jul 21, 20233 min read


G - 2 : The Côte d'Azur's Exceptional Light
Fishing boats in Nice Harbour - their colours seem to rhyme with the beautiful Light When writing the piece about the painters who...
hbanziger
Jul 13, 20234 min read


G - 13 : When Nature Changes the Course of History - The Silting of Ports
Last year, when sailing along the Anatolian coast, we came across many ancient harbors which are now completely landlocked. Nearby rivers...
hbanziger
Jul 2, 20234 min read


G - 44 : The surprising Qualities of Lavender
Lavender Field near the Village of Sault - at the Back is Mont Ventoux, the biker challenge One of the pleasures in life is spraying...
hbanziger
Jun 3, 20234 min read


G - 63 : Planting your own Natural Pharmacy
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about Herbes de Provence. Unexpectedly, it led me to several research pieces and YouTube clips on medical...
hbanziger
May 15, 20236 min read
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