It’s what’s hiding under all that anxiety, right? I recently had a – shall we say – incident… that exposed me to a minor phobia. If you have trouble with bugs, you may want to stop reading. I am staying in someone else’s apartment that is clearly not typically occupied for more than a week at […]
I learned a whole lot about spices and trade. A lot of things clicked this week. I sat back and took a look at my Geniza research while also thinking about what I’ve learned from the Genoese notarial records, and a picture of medieval Sicilian trade really emerged. I was kind of surprised to realize […]
My name is Robin Reich and I am a historian, hobby cook, and lizard person masquerading as a human. I am currently a fourth-year PhD candidate in History at Columbia University, where I study medieval Mediterranean history. For my professional experience, see my CV. For updates on my research, see my Scribi posts. Now in […]
This week started off very productive and then I just lost steam. I’ve continued my work on the Geniza documents, looking for instances of spices traded in Sicily. And I’ve found some really interesting stuff. I think, for instance, that there was a pretty substantial shift in the trade of spices when the Normans came to […]
Ph.D. expected May 2022 History M.Phil May 2018 Fields: Medieval Mediterranean, Pre-Modern Science, Material Culture, Modern Islam M.A. May 2017 Thesis: “Nearly Gold and Nearly Perfect?: The Cathedral Doors of Monreale” Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA M.A. May 2015 History Fields: Medieval Mediterranean, Medieval Islam Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Special Student and Student Researcher, […]
Does it, though? *Sorry for any confusion caused by the UK links in this post. This past Saturday I attended Islamic Archaeology Day at University College London, a really exciting event of speakers discussing their recent archaeological research on medieval Islamic societies around the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and the Indian Ocean. And while I found […]
I recently played the puzzle platformer Gris, which has been hailed as a beautiful, emotional journey. I think it kind of falls short, but it prompted me to think about the larger genre of emotional indie games. Read More
Did you know it’s hard to do research and also take care of two babies? This week required a lot of childcare maneuvering. My dad stepped in a lot, giving me a few extra hours a day while he entertained and fed my kids. Balancing childcare and work is especially difficult right now – my […]
Bon Appetit thinks you’re using too much pepper, but medieval Europeans think you’re not using nearly enough. This article popped up in my feed a week ago, and it literally invited me to reply, so here it is, a quick history of pepper in Western cuisine. The author, Molly Baz, says: Can somebody please tell me […]
Week one of archival research in London has been emotionally difficult but rewarding. Taking time for my emotional needs. I and everyone around me knew when I started planning this research year that it was going to be hard on me as a new mother. But even without my kids 6,000 miles away, living on […]
I recently played the puzzle platformer Gris, which has been hailed as a beautiful, emotional journey. I think it kind of falls short, but it prompted me to think about the larger genre of emotional indie games. Obviously, I spend a lot of time thinking about emotions and how to deal with them. Like most […]
I recently played the puzzle platformer Gris, which has been hailed as a beautiful, emotional journey. I think it kind of falls short, but it prompted me to think about the larger genre of emotional indie games. Obviously, I spend a lot of time thinking about emotions and how to deal with them. Like most […]
Stop, you’re pronouncing it wrong. Read More Last week I stayed home and did some editing. This week I read more medieval writings about urine. So, pretty mundane stuff. Read More When your body says: “Why not have both?” Read More ‘Cause I’ve got, like … dozens. Read More This week I learned a valuable […]
It’s what’s hiding under all that anxiety, right? I recently had a – shall we say – incident… that exposed me to a minor phobia. If you have trouble with bugs, you may want to stop reading. I am staying in someone else’s apartment that is clearly not typically occupied for more than a week at […]
