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Riley Winters

Riley Winters is a Pre-PhD art historical, archaeological, and philological researcher who holds a degree in Classical Studies and Art History, and a Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor from Christopher Newport University. She is also a graduate of Celtic and Viking Archaeology at the University of Glasgow.

History

Member for: 9 years 7 months

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Posts

7 July, 2016 - 03:46 Riley Winters

Formidability in the Face of Factions: The Significance of Dunollie Fort

Snuggly enveloped within the arms of the Irish Sea, Dunollie Castle towers over Argyll from its sandstone promontory at the edge of Loch Etive in Scotland, a surviving symbol of the power and...

Dante e Virgilio nel Purgatorio, Domenico Morelli

25 August, 2015 - 15:00 Riley Winters

A Pilgrimage of Thought, Pt 4: Dante Ascends Mount Purgatory

Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Purgatory is presented within The Divine Comedy as a mountain that must be climbed to be overcome. Following Dante and Virgil's sojourn into Hell, he and his guide...

25 August, 2015 - 03:57 Riley Winters

A Pilgrimage of Thought, Pt 3: Dante Treks through the Inferno of Satan

Read Part 1 | Part 2 At the beginning of Inferno , the first section of the Divine Comedy , Dante Alighieri is thirty-five years old in the year 1300—representing both the new millennium and the...

The Dance of Zalongo, Theophilos Hatzimichail

18 August, 2015 - 15:05 Riley Winters

From Here to Eternity: the Tragic Tale of the Dance of Zalongo

Once known as the birthplace of Alexander the Great's mother Olympia, the former Ottoman Empire region of Epirus has a much more recent historical significance. Under the reign of Ali Pasha, a Muslim...

Hand-colored engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (19th Century)

17 August, 2015 - 01:01 Riley Winters

The Magnificent Constructions of King Nebuchadnezzar II

Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II remains known as the leader of one of the most powerful ancient empires to have preceded that of the Athenians in Greek's Classical period. However, aside from...

The three Jews brought before Nebuchadnezzar (1565), Philip Galle

16 August, 2015 - 14:50 Riley Winters

The Posterity of Neo-Babylonia: The Dramatic Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II

Born in 634 BC in what is now called Neo-Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar II would one day become one of the greatest ancient Babylonian kings. The first-born son of his predecessor Nabopolassar, from a...

Featured Image: Britomart viewing Artegal from The Faerie Queene, (1895-1897) W. Crane (Wikimedia Commons)

3 August, 2015 - 21:41 Riley Winters

Britomartis: The Original Virgin Huntress

The Minoan mistress of hunting and sea navigation, Britomartis is considered to be one of many goddesses to have been absorbed into classical Greek mythology. Britomartis appears to have played an...

29 July, 2015 - 03:15 Riley Winters

The 2,200-year-old Tale of the Chinese Cinderella

Before there was Cinderella, there was Ye Xian. Undeniably one of the most well-read fairy tales made popular by Disney’s 1950s film, Cinderella describes the life of a young woman forced into...

Ogdoad - The Place of Truth. Relief at Deir el Medina.

21 July, 2015 - 03:39 Riley Winters

The Infinite Ogdoad: The Creation Pantheon of Ancient Egypt and Predecessor Gods of the Old Kingdom

The Ogdoad, also called the Hehu or Infinites, were the celestial rulers of a cosmic age. Considered to have come long before the Egyptian religious system currently recognized, the Ogdoad were...

14 July, 2015 - 03:51 Riley Winters

A Dog Eat Dog World: The Canine Figurines of Mesoamerican Colima

The ceramics of West Mexico were very different from contemporary civilizations. Jalisco, Nayarit and Colima were the primary sites, creating some of the most intriguing and visually stimulating art...

The Ride of the Valkyries (1890), William T. Maud

12 July, 2015 - 04:07 Riley Winters

The Powerful Valkyries as Icons of Female Force and Fear

The Valkyries of Norse mythology were women of vast prestige and power. They were one of the few factions of warrior women from ancient lore recognized as having any power over the mortal realm...

16 June, 2015 - 03:59 Riley Winters

Swans Fat, Crocodile Dung, and Ashes of Snails: Achieving Beauty in Ancient Rome

Now learn, my dears, the art of beautifying your faces; learn by what means you can retain your charms. This line, taken from Publius Ovidius Naso's (Ovid's) Medicamina Faciei Femineae , or The Art...

15 June, 2015 - 00:17 Riley Winters

Holy Conversations: The Impact of the Mysterious Book of Soyga

The Book of Soyga , or the Aldaraia sive Soyga vocor, was written in the sixteenth century as a possible treatise on magic. The illustrious occultist John Dee of the court of Elizabeth I owned one of...

The Byzantine emperor Basil I (left) with his son Leo VI. Uploaded by Ghirlandajo, 2005

12 June, 2015 - 15:30 Riley Winters

The Forgotten Renaissance: The Successes of the Macedonian Dynasty

The Macedonian Dynasty was relatively short lived in the grand scheme of dynasties, yet it sent waves throughout the Byzantine Empire . Under them, previously lost territories were regained, the...

Relief on the Miègeville's gate of the basilica Saint-Sernin in Toulouse. The relief shows Simon magus, demons, and birth of the wine.

11 June, 2015 - 14:58 Riley Winters

The Strange Life of Simon Magus, Christian, Pagan, Magician, and Sorcerer

Simon the Magician, otherwise known as Simon Magus, comes down through history predominately from the New Testament account, Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24 , with all other ancient sources pertaining to...

8 June, 2015 - 00:45 Riley Winters

Cerridwen: Mother, Magician, and Crone from Old Welsh Mythology

An enchantress from Welsh mythology, Cerridwen is regarded as a woman of incredible power and magic. She pervades Welsh and Irish culture as an emblem of wisdom and rebirth, remaining today as a...