Elizabethan Hi-Tech!

In Britain, scientists studying a 400-year-old hoard of jewelry have found that Elizabethan craftsmen developed advanced manufacturing technology that could match that of the 21st century. A team from Birmingham City University analyzed the craftwork of the famous “Cheapside Hoard,” the world's largest collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewelry, discovered in a London cellar in 1912. Among the historic find is a watch that dates back to the 1600s and is so technologically advanced it has been described as the "iPod of its day."

Dr. Ann-Marie Carey, of BCU, and her colleagues used modern technology to discover how these beautiful items were created - and are stunned at the advanced technology used. With technologist Keith Adcock, they used 21st century digital technology to recreate pieces from the Hoard, including a 'Pearl Dropper' an egg-shaped item that originally featured ribbons of pearls.

"Our forensic analysis revealed the amazing technologies which craftsman of this period used, and we fear some of these 400-year-old processes may now be lost to us," she said. "It is has been a fascinating investigation. We think of our own time as one of impressive technological advances, but we must look at the Elizabethan and Jacobean age as being just as advanced in some ways." – From the Staff Writers of News Limited Network, news.com.au --------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Dee must have known the secret! Stay tuned..... ~Lianne

In 1086, Mortlake is Recorded in The Doomsday Book

The Doomsday Book

"While spending the Christmas time of 1085 in Gloucester, William [King William I, of England] had deep speech with his counselors and sent men all over England to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock, and what it was worth" (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle). This information was collected and recorded in a book which became known as the Doomsday Book. ---- John Dee

In 1086, we find an entry in the Doomsday Book for Mortlage, an area in London held by Archbishop Lanfranc of Canterbury. Fast forward to the time of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and Mortlage - now called Mortlake - becomes occupied for thirty years by the Queen’s personal advisor and spy, John Dee. It is he who will have a powerful influence on Elizabeth, and therefore impact world history from that time forward. - Lianne Drysdale

Theatrum Mundi Releases The Eyes of the Realm

The Eyes of the Realm is a rock opera about the original 007, a man named John Dee, who oversaw England's first spy network for Queen Elizabeth I. Our story begins in 1597, when England and Spain are vying for world domination. The Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition is searching for an ancient Greek device that is rumored to predict the future. John Dee sends his best spies, the assassin Oswan and the beautiful thief Viana, deep undercover in the Inquisition in order to find it first. But they share a secret past and must reconcile their feelings for each other while facing the horrors of the Tribunal dungeons.

Theatrum Mundi first formed in 1991 when the trio of Michael Ray Gould, Li'Anne Drysdale, and Todd Easton self-released an limited run of an album of symphonic metal in Springfield, Missouri. Their idea was to combine the symphonic rock of Renaissance and early Moody Blues with the metal of Queensryche. Years later, after hearing the music of Nightwish and Evanescence they realized they had been part of a musical zeitgeist, and decided to reform the band with new players. Purchase the Eyes of the Realm.

 

Welcome to my new blog about Elizabethan-era punk. I am fascinated with just about everything from the mid-to-late 1500s. Just think about what was happening at the time in:

• Music - opera was first performed in Florence, Italy.
• Science - the scientific method was being developed by Francis Bacon, the earth was shown to go around the sun, among other things.
• Technology - the galleon was perfected, allowing for much longer ocean voyages, the first prototype telescope was invented.
• Politics & Government - the Spanish Inquisition and the design of the British Empire!
• Fashion - ruffs! 

And that's just a small set of examples. That era is rich, and largely unexplored from a popular culture standpoint. So jump on-board the galleon and let's sail!
                                                                                       - 'ruff said.