Reflecting on the last 4 years PLUS a new historical poll!

From the Editor

From the Editor

First and foremost, I wanted to thank each and every one of you who subscribe to my Substack. Over 3,200 subscribers receive my newsletters today and I hope to continue seeing this number grow. It is both validation and encouragement to what has always been a project of passion.

There are definitely times when updates slow down and there are also times when it picks back up (and maybe a little too much). There are reasons for this. Aside from the fact that I work a day job and have a family, I also struggle with my ADHD and Bipolar II swings from depression to mania and everything in between. And then sprinkle in the hyper-focus from my autism while I am in my manic phase of the Bipolar….. Let me just say that some days can be extremely exhausting. Anyway, mental disorders, while very important to communicate openly, isn’t the primary focus of this update.

I recognize that sometimes my updates lack structure and order which is why I would like to conduct an experiment of consistency and introduce a schedule by which when articles / podcasts / videos / news / polls / etc. get sent throughout the week. I do not know what this schedule will look like yet or when it will be fully implemented. Also note that this will not change the quality of the content.

Digging Up The Past is not just on Substack, but we also have a presence on social media. We are on X/Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky and YouTube. Honestly, it is already overwhelming keeping up with these platforms, so it may just be these, for now. However, moving forward, most video updates here will synchronize and become available on YouTube (it is a nice automated feature provided by Substack). I will also start posting Shorts and Reels on their respective platforms. I have noticed that the algorithms for these platforms seem to primarily push video content and anything that is a link or picture gets buried.

You may have also noticed that I disabled the Chat function for this Substack quite a bit ago. This was because it kept getting hit with spam content and until Substack addresses what seems to be a universal problem on their platform, it will continue to be disabled.

Another thing which I would like to do is consolidate some of the fun posts like the polls (which usually perform well) into these digests. This alone should reduce the clutter in your inboxes!

While we are discussing changes to the website, I have been entertaining the idea of publishing video lectures on both the Substack and on YouTube. They would likely be centered around subjects. For instance, if the subject is the Aegean, then one lecture would introduce us to the Cycladic culture, another the Minoans, and then the Mycenaeans and so on.

I would also like to share that I have been spending my free time reading From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic by Mary R. Bachvarova and so far, I am enjoying it. I will likely write a review of the book for this site once I am done.

Reading books such as the ones above remind me of how enjoyable television documentaries used to be. I am instantly reminded of the 1985 BBC series “In Search of the Trojan War”, hosted by Michael Wood. Such a phenomenal documentary and vastly different from what we find on television today which is now a mix of reality TV mixed with what folks today describe as docudramas and produced more for ratings than education. Well, this is the world we live in today and that is why I continue to bury my head in books.

Lastly, I wanted to reach out with a request:

If you have questions or comments as it relates to ancient Mediterranean or Near Eastern history or the published content on this Substack, reach out! I would love to hear from you. And maybe I will publish your note in a future update or record another Ask Me Anything.

---

Quote

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher. - Socrates

---

Poll Question