My Travel Year: A Look Back and a Look Forward

The Duke Humphreys Reading Room, Bodleian Library, Oxford

 

It's been a good year for me as far as travel went, but it was also sort of predictable. I did my usual winter research trip to Egypt, spending time in Cairo before heading upriver to Aswan to research The Case of the Disappearing Dervish. A trip to Bologna followed when I tagged along as my wife attended a conference. Springtime saw me visiting my son in British Columbia, followed by our usual two-month research stay in Oxford. I rounded the year out with a couple of trips to Tangier. I'm reviving the Moroccan Mysteries series, so those were research trips too. I hardly ever travel just for fun, although I have a lot of fun anyway!

No new countries in 2025. Will that change in 2026?

Maybe. 

Italy has the most beautiful churches, prove me wrong

 

This year I have trips planned to: Cairo and the Fayoum, British Columbia, Morocco, Paris, Italy, and of course Oxford.

We may go to Oman late this year thanks to a recommendation from some of my Cairene friends who sing its praises. We shall see. It would be my first new country in a while.

If you want to read more about my travels, I often write about them in my monthly newsletter. You also get two free ebooks in the deal.

What trips do you have planned this year? Tell me in the comments section!

Temple of Sobek, Kom Ombo, near Aswan

 

Military History Photo Friday: Decorative Shields in the Uffizi Gallery

Medusa on shield, painted by Caravaggio c. 1595-98. It brings to mind the Classical tale of how Perseus beheaded Medusa and later gave the head to the goddess Athena, who put it on her shield. This piece was a gift from Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte to Grand Duke Ferdinando I in 1598.

Shortly after my last trip to Tangier, I got to spend a few days in Florence. Besides brushing off a pickpocket and admiring some grotesque art, I also spent a wonderful day in the famous Uffizi Gallery. They have a fine collection of Classical and Renaissance art. Of interest to military historians are two decorative shields. Of course these would have never seen a battle, but were rather for parades or simply hanging on the wall.

The back of the Medusa shield.

A buckler (small shield) with spike and etched decoration. Made c. 1570-80 by an unknown artist, it was kept in the Medici Armory together with the Medusa shield.

Travel Tuesday: Ancient Egyptian Shabtis

A variety of shabtis from the 19th and 20th dynasties (1292-1075 BC)

If you've spent much time in the Egyptology section of any good museum, you've probably seen a collection of little figurines that look like miniature mummies. These are called "shabtis", meaning "answerer". They were put in tombs in order to answer the call to work in the afterlife so that the deceased could relax. They'd come to life and do whatever labor the gods called on them to do.

Some shabtis got their own coffin and larger collections were put in decorated boxes like the one on the left.

Shabtis come in a variety of styles and quality and are made of wood, faience, wax, terracotta, or stone. Some tombs had hundreds of them, and they are one of the most common artifacts to find in museums. These are from the archaeological museum in Bologna, Italy.

I recently did a blog post over on Black Gate about shabtis in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo that goes into more detail about these remarkable artifacts. I've also done a post right here on a rare double shabti.

Military History Photo Friday: A Walking Stick Gun

I spotted this interesting weapon in the Medieval Museum in Bologna last month. It dates from the 18th century. As you can see, if combines a flintlock musket with a gentleman's walking stick. The perfect thing for a relaxing stroll!

Italy was a lot of fun. I'm writing a series of articles about it every Wednesday for Black Gate. I've already posted on the medieval towers of Bologna, and the Etruscan treasures in the city's archaeological museum. Another post will follow this coming Wednesday!

Feliz Día de los Reyes Magos!

Today is the day of the three kings here in Spain, coinciding with Epiphany, when the three kings or wise men brought gifts in the baby Jesus. It always made more sense to me to give gifts on this day than Christmas, and that's what the Spanish do. There's also a huge meal, because no Spanish holiday goes by without a huge meal. We get a huge meal on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, the night before Día de los Reyes Magos, etc. As you can imagine, I've been hitting the gym pretty hard to compensate.

This photo is from the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, built by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric in 504 AD. It's decorated in the early Byzantine style with lovely gold mosaics that no photo can really do justice to. Ravenna is filled with early church art and you'll be seeing plenty of it on this blog in the weeks to come.

The Three Kings are really popular here in Spain, and there's a big parade for them every year. It's interesting that there's been some changes in how they're depicted since the 6th century. Balthazar, the swarthy fellow on the left, is said to have come from Ethiopia. In this mosaic he's almost white. Until recent years he was portrayed in Spain by a guy in blackface. Thankfully now he's played by an actual African. Melchior is played by an old man and Gaspar by a young man, but in this mosaic the roles are reversed. I wonder why that happened?

¡Feliz Día de los Reyes Magos!