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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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St Valentine

Cupid and Psyche (Amore e Psiche) - symbol of eternal love, by sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni. Source: Paolo Gallo/Adobe Stock

Love May Be Timeless, But the Way We Talk About It Isn’t

By David Albertson /The Conversation Every year as Valentine’s Day approaches, people remind themselves that not all expressions of love fit the stereotypes of modern romance. V-Day cynics might plan...
Sigismunda Mourning Over the Heart of Guiscardo by William Hogarth (1759).  Source: Tate/ CC BY NC-ND 3.0

Forget Flowers, 18th Century Romantics Gave Their Actual Hearts

Jolene Zigarovich /The Conversation Every Valentine’s Day, we’re inundated with hearts. We purchase cards with hearts and heart-shaped balloons. We wear clothing with hearts and adorn ourselves with...
Saint Valentine is today associated with lovers. Here, lovers shown in the Medieval Miniature from the Codex Manesse. Source: Public Domain

Valentine’s Day’s Connection with Love was Probably Invented by 14th-Century Poets

Natalie Goodison / The Conversation As an undergraduate, on a tour of Europe, I happened to step into the church where Saint Valentine’s head was kept. The tour guide told us a (likely fictitious)...
Book pages curled into a heart for Valentine’s Day. 	Source: pirotehnik / Adobe Stock

Day of Love? The Complex Origins of Valentine’s Day

On February 14, couples from around the world recognize Valentine’s Day. For most, Valentine’s Day is a day of love, a day to shower your beloved with gifts and tokens of appreciation, to enjoy a...
Relics of St. Valentine of Terni at the basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin.

The ‘Real’ St. Valentine Was No Patron of Love

By Lisa Bitel / The Conversation On Feb. 14, sweethearts of all ages will exchange cards, flowers, candy, and more lavish gifts in the name of St. Valentine. But as a historian of Christianity, I can...
Some Top Tips for Valentine’s Day … from Medieval Lovers

Some Top Tips for Valentine’s Day … from Medieval Lovers

If you’d asked someone to be your Valentine before the 14th century, they’d probably have looked at you as if you were mad. And checked you weren’t holding an axe. There were two saints by the name...