Petrea Burchard

Nov 11, 2024 | thehistoryblog.com | Petrea Burchard

The Baldacchino, the great canopy above the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica designed by Baroque master architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, has been revealed in its original shining gilded glory after nine months of restoration. Funded by the Knights of Columbus at a cost of 700,000 euros ($770,000), this is the first comprehensive restoration of the massive 10-story structure in 260 years. It has only been dusted and superficially cleaned (by people suspended from ropes).

May 22, 2024 | audible.com | Petrea Burchard |Andy Weir |John Scalzi |Jeremy Robinson

Casey Clemens is having a bad day. And it’s going to get worse. It’s the day before Casey’s fortieth birthday and Hollywood doesn’t want her anymore (not that it ever did). Her career and personal life are a disaster. Frantic to escape her own emptiness, she hops on a plane to England and heads to the countryside to hide. But she can’t hide from herself.

Feb 6, 2024 | thehistoryblog.com | Petrea Burchard

Archaeologists have unearthed a vanishingly rare Roman wooden funerary bed in an excavation near the Holborn Viaduct in London. This is the first complete Roman funerary bed found in Britain, preserved in the muddy, waterlogged soil of the former Fleet River in excellent condition for almost 2,000 years. Five wooden coffins from the Roman period were also found at the site. Before this exceptional bonanza, only three Roman wood coffins had ever been discovered in London.