Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Archeology
November 24, 2023

Footprints in New Mexico Suggest That Humans Were Already in North America Over 20,000 Years Ago

The longstanding theory is that humans arrived in the Americas about 16,000 years ago. They migrated down the Pacific Coast after crossing the Bering Strait on a land bridge that once existed. They may have then used boats to sail down the coast around glaciers which were still extant as the last Ice Age wound down.

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Archeology
November 23, 2023

3,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Arrow is Discovered at Melting Ice in Norway

Climate change is impacting temperatures around the world. Collapsing ice shelfs and melting glaciers regularly make the news as indicia of a warming planet and shifting ecosystems. The receding of the planet's ice is also exposing remnants of the past which have lain preserved under cold temperatures for hundreds, even thousands, of years. The glaciers of Norway have yielded particularly interesting finds from past inhabitants of the region.

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Archeology
November 18, 2023

Ancient Babylonian Tablet Uses Pythagorean Theorem 1,000 Years Before Pythagoras Was Born

The Pythagorean Theorem is fundamental to geometry. Named after the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, the simple equation (c^2 = a^2 + b^2, where c is the hypotenuse) helps determine the missing value of a right triangle when you know the other two sides. Its application has been vital to technical endeavors like engineering and design for thousands of years.

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Renaissance Art
November 15, 2023

Family Discovers Their Living Room Painting Is a Lost Masterpiece Worth Millions

Some things become so ordinary that we easily miss their extraordinary nature. For some people, the decor they spend their lives around is merely sentimental or aesthetically pleasing. However, it can turn out to be extraordinary and of great interest to the world. We’ve recently seen a TV room painting turn out to be by Pieter Brueghel the Younger and even garage sale purchases turn out to be Ming Dynasty relics.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.