“Tell me the truth. Are you a spy?” It wasn’t the first time an old friend had asked me this, but the others made it sound like a joke. I suppose it was all those strange stamps in my passports: North Korea, China, Burma, Sudan, Syria… That and a twenty-two year-long obsession with a martial art that had historic links to espionage. I always assumed writing for travel magazines helped others make...
A short post-Canada update now that I’m back in Berlin. Thank you to everyone who packed the room for my talk at the Prescott Public Library. Special thanks to those who spent hours on the highway driving from Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Syracuse NY. It was nice to see so many old and new faces — especially on a sunny summer Saturday when everyone would much rather be outdoors...
Eric Cline The Late Bronze Age Mediterranean was a surprisingly interconnected place. Rulers sent one another gifts, as well as diplomatic exchanges, and food aid in times of drought. Trade flourished, interrupted by the odd embargo, and military conflicts used disinformation for strategic gain. It was globalized and cosmopolitan in a way that feels very familiar to us in 2024. And then...