I tell people: "I study ancient history and dead languages."

Sometimes, they ask, "Like Latin? Like the Roman Empire?"

I love to smirk, wave a hand dismissively, and say, "Too new."

Syncretism. The root word Crete is within it. It means, more or less, uniting different beliefs without creating a new, undiverse whole. Historians believe the united regions of ancient Crete were united after a nearly cataclysmic event --- probably Thera erupting ( Read more... )