Welcome to Hidden Archives

A blog dedicated to shedding light on bits of history, lore, and mythology that are lesser known.

Welcome to Hidden Archives, a blog designed around little known historical tidbits and oddities. As I have studied history in depth, I have come to realize that the standard narrative history most of us grow up with is often neatly packaged to make sense. Making sense is all well and good, but often there are historical complexities that are ignored by this simplification approach. Sometimes we have a tendency to ignore things in our own history if they conflict with our current customs or mores, or if they add complexities that make it harder to explain. Examples of this include customs we once took for granted, but with which we are no longer comfortable. Other examples include generalizations and over-simplifications of historical events.

Items you will likely see on this blog post may include the following:

-The practice of slavery in the Americas from the 1600s through the 1800's and some of the misconceptions we have about the practice of slavery (not all chattel slaves were African, and not all slave masters were of European ancestry, for instance).

-The difference in how modesty has been perceived throughout history, and how much of what people consider to be morals based modesty is actually more about the cultural mores of the time and place.

-Other articles about philosophy, espionage, culture, economics, and many more. I may also dig into the history of smaller countries that are often ignored in the sweep of general world history courses. Stay tuned for more.