

WHERE WOULD YOU HIDE THE GEMS?
“It’s a deep bowl, like the one I use to serve figs, like a basin but with a lid.” That’s the way Miriam described a lecane to Phoebe....


Join Miriam at Zenon’s
In THE DEADLIEST THIEF, Miriam invites her sometimes-deputy, the itinerant potbellied dwarf, Nathaniel ben Rubin, to join her for his...


Is Pytheus the deadliest thief?
In Miriam’s time, the first century CE, Tarsus was one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating back to the...


De Medicina
We see evidence of Miriam’s knowledge of medicine throughout the Miriam bat Isaac Mystery Series. In her first book, THE DEADLIEST LIE,...


Please Pass the Dandelion Salad.
In one scene from THE DEADLIEST THIEF, Miriam and Judah are having dinner. Among other delicacies, they share a salad of dandelion...


The Moneychangers
Although there were banks in Miriam’s Alexandria to lend money, manage land and buildings, collect outstanding debts, and handle the...


Analyzing Bloodstains in Ancient Rome
The study of forensics dates back to Roman times. In fact, the term “forensics” is derived from the Latin word "forum" because the Romans...


Mandrake Root: An Ancient Medicinal
Mandrake is a mysterious nightshade with a long, thick taproot that resembles the human body. At one time, people believed the plant...


TURNING AN IDEA INTO A STORY
To write a story, you first need an idea for the plot. One source is the stories you’ve read or heard about but with a “what if” twist...


MEET ABYZOU
In THE DEADLIEST THIEF, Miriam is pregnant with her first child. In one passage, she tells us what she and Judah spoke about during...