4 NEWS
The discovery of a cavernous,
18th-century icehouse has
lifted the lid on how Londoners kept their
cool in the time before refrigeration.6 PROFILES
Beau Brummell was the
snappiest dresser in England,
but his enduring influence on men’s style
did not save him from a pauper’s death.12 INVENTIONS
First devised by priests to teach
the deaf, sign language evolved
into the sophisticated family of signing
systems used all over the world today.14 WORK OF ART
War shattered Leonardo’s dream
to sculpt a giant bronze horse.
500 years later, an American art patron
set out to make “Il Gran Cavallo” a reality.90 DISCOVERIES
Following clues left in classical
writings, 19th-century scholars
tracked down Bubastis, the city sacred to
the Egyptian cat goddess, Bastet.16 Who Murdered the Iceman?
When archaeologists discovered that Ötzi, the 5,300-year-old mummy
found on an Alpine glacier, had not died a natural death, the cold case
turned white-hot as new theories and evidence emerged.
32 The Opulence of Opet
Opet was one of Egypt’s most colorful festivals, when noisy crowds
cheered as divine processions traveled from Karnak to Luxor. But its
splendor had a serious purpose: the divine confirmation of royal authority.
44 As Rich as Crassus
Roman real estate baron Marcus Licinius Crassus used
his fabulous wealth to share the political stage with his
rival Pompey the Great and protégé Julius Caesar.56 Austria’s Unhappy Empress
Married at age 16 to emperor Franz Josef, Elisabeth of
Bavaria, nicknamed Sisi, was known for her beauty
but stifled by life at court and an unhappy marriage.
74 D-Day: ‘Full Victory’ in France
Seventy-five years ago, under Eisenhower’s
command, Allied troops stormed the beaches
of Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe
and the final stages of World War II.
Features DepartmentsA MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF ELISABETH, FOUNDED IN 1898
IN MEMORY OF ELISABETH, EMPRESS OF AUSTRIASOUND AND COLOR
Vibrant banners fly and jubilant
spectators cheer the sacred barks during
ancient Egypt’s Opet festival, in a painting
by American artist Balage Balogh.VOL. 5 NO. 2