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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

Amazing street and architecture of Chefchaouen, Morocco, North Africa By Balate Dorin / Adobe Stock

8 August, 2020 - 13:58 Riley Winters

Chefchaouen: Morocco's Blue Pearl City

Chefchaouen (also known as Chaouen), Morocco's Blue Pearl city, is renowned for its old, traditional blue rinsed structures, casting the city in a luminescent colored hue. Situated high in the Rif...

Ancient Greek Olympics were a fundamental aspect of ancient Greek culture. Various types of running took place during the games, along with equestrian sports and combat sports. Source: sebos / Adobe Stock

31 July, 2020 - 14:02 Riley Winters

From Myth to Reality: Olympia and the Ancient Greek Olympics

The Olympics , as they exist today, are but a shadow of their former glory. Though there are more activities and participants in the modern games, they do little to entice and arouse the Greek...

29 July, 2020 - 20:35 Riley Winters

The Kama Sutra: Setting the Record Straight

Out of all the necessities in the world, three come to the forefront: food, water, and reproduction. While the first two are necessary for the survival of the individual among the many, the latter is...

11 June, 2020 - 23:43 Riley Winters

Romeo and Juliet: Not a Shakespearean Tale After All

William Shakespeare's world renowned Romeo and Juliet (written sometime between 1591 and 1595) stands in the historical record as one of the greatest love stories ever written. It has been retold...

27 May, 2020 - 21:33 Riley Winters

The Enigmatic Loki, A Trickster Among Gods in Norse Mythology

The trickster god Loki is undoubtedly the most debated figure from Norse mythology to this day. Though he appears to be a scheming, mischievous deity who has no real loyalties, scholars still explore...

15 April, 2020 - 23:35 Riley Winters

Does Historical Account of ‘Chariots in the Clouds’ Actually Describe UFOs?

…a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable…were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such...

14 April, 2020 - 19:46 Riley Winters

Saraswati: Hindu Goddess of Wisdom and Protector of the Universe

A deity with as many attributes as arms, Saraswati (or Sarasvati) is the Hindu goddess of aesthetics. These include music, the arts, wisdom and learning. She can be compared, in many ways, to the...

Representation of a female Viking magic practitioner

11 April, 2020 - 01:38 Riley Winters

Vestiges of the Vikings: Magic Buried in a Viking Woman's Grave

Murky, elusive and undefined, the religion of the pre-Christian Vikings has long been subject to debate. Contemporary texts of their spiritual worship do not survive, and the later records that do...

Painting of a key scene in The Nibelungenlied

8 April, 2020 - 20:19 Riley Winters

Song of the Nibelungs: The Epic Germanic Tale of Love, Death, and Revenge

The Nibelungenlied , or "The Song of the Nibelungs", is a Middle High German epic poem first written sometime in the thirteenth century. Though its author is unknown, The Nibelungenlied remains one...

15 January, 2020 - 20:08 Riley Winters

Secret Lives of Elves and Faeries: The True Story of Rev Robert Kirk

Born in 1644 in Aberfoyle, a parish of Perthshire, Scotland, Reverend Robert Kirk is remembered for apparently making great strides in bridging the gap between the human and faery realms. He was the...

Marcus Aurelius Distributing Bread to the People by Joseph-Marie Vien

14 September, 2019 - 02:07 Riley Winters

The Philosopher-King of Ancient Rome: Marcus Aurelius' Imperium

Marcus Aurelius is famed for various accomplishments—his title as the last of the Five Good Emperors; his extensive study of and literary accomplishments in the field of Stoicism; and, last but not...

Trajan's Column and The Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Trajan Forum, Rome, Italy.

3 September, 2019 - 17:37 Riley Winters

Trajan's Column: An Unyielding Pillar of Imperial Strength

A pillar of Emperor Trajan's military victories, the Column of Trajan is as much a benchmark of Rome's strength as an empire as it is a monument to Trajan's success as a leader. Situated at the...

Psyché et l'Amour (Cupid and Psyche), also known as Psyche Receiving Cupid's First Kiss (1798) by François Gérard.

20 August, 2019 - 19:35 Riley Winters

Cupid and Psyche: True Love Conquers All

The mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche is one of the few Greek and Roman myths that has not fully become assimilated into modern consciousness. Though adapted somewhat into the better known "...

The famous Lions Gate into the hill fortress where Mycenaean armies originated.

18 July, 2019 - 19:26 Riley Winters

The Fall of a Civilization: The Mysterious Collapse of the Mycenaean Bronze Age

"In most cases, collapse results from multiple, 'cascading' stress factors—politico-economic, demographic, and sociocultural as well as environmental…relational aspects, arguing that factors such as...

Modern Representation of a Varangian Guard.

20 June, 2019 - 22:33 Riley Winters

Varangian Guard: Bodyguards and Berserkers of the Byzantine Empire

Read Part 1 The tale of the Varangians continues in its prime in the form of the Varangian Guard, a prominent and selective Byzantine army arising in the 10th century. Composed of the Scandinavian...

2 June, 2019 - 15:45 Riley Winters

Don’t Cross the Kobolds: Mischievous Spirits of European Folklore

In ancient folklore, the kobold is a small, pointy-eared, goblin-like creature with a short-temper and a mischievous spirit. While generally described as well-intentioned, angering a kobold is said...