The Queen of Cities Part 2: The House of God

On February 22, 2023April 4, 2023 By Michael LiIn History, Literature2 Comments

Part 1: https://venividiveritas.com/2023/01/24/queen-of-cities-a-fictional-tour-of-constantinople-in-540-ad/ The visages of sages past observed in hushed reverence as I was led through the monastery by Ecritius, their faces immortalised in melancholic mosaic. Golden incense holders and candelabras glittered as the candle flames swayed, contorting like the lithesome frames of Oriental dancers. Either side of me, monks garbed in unassuming raiments …

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Alternative History: Antony and Cleopatra Part 2

On February 18, 2023February 19, 2023 By Michael LiIn HistoryLeave a comment

Antony and Cleopatra Part 2: Roman Politics When Romulus slew Remus, offering the blood of a king and a brother to the gods, he did so out of neither envy or hatred, but of piety. In the ancient world, when festivals commenced, oxen were sacrificed. On the eve of battles, goats and chickens were gutted …

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The Queen of Cities Part 1: Arrival by Sea

On January 24, 2023April 1, 2023 By Michael LiIn History, Literature2 Comments

It is with great shame that I now admit that for the longest time I had thought my hometown of Barium to be the jewel of the world, a city unrivalled in its architectural splendour and cultural brilliance. My fellow citizens all took pride in the beauty of our city, and I was prone to …

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