Cleopatra's mother was black? The article asks whether Cleopatra's mother was "African". Of course she was. What it means is, was she black? This is not a new claim in itself. The excellent Isidore of Seville has a gallery of ancient images of Cleopatra and a collection of articles. The orthodox view is that as a Ptolemaic queen she was probably blonde and definitely Macedonian. Looking at those sculptures and coins - does she look a bit, well, Jewish? Could there have been a charming Hebrew slave in her father's palace?

Tactile illusions . aaaand I'm off to work. NOT going to hunt down a blackboard AT ALL.

Heiko Müeller - Paintings and Drawings. [Via]