Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.


December 31, 2023

Renaissance Master Leonard Da Vinci Wrote One of the Earliest Known Resumés

Applying for jobs has always been stressful. Even Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance genius who was a master in everything from painting to inventing, must have felt the pressure too. Early in his career, before the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, the legendary artist was still building his reputation. He had to seek work from the wealthy, noble patrons of Italy.

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December 25, 2023

Team of 30 Archaeologists Spend 5 Years Uncovering Ancient Egyptian New Year’s Painting

Archeology is often envisioned as a quest, whether it be digging for treasure or scouring caves. However, a significant amount of conservation goes into discovering and preserving the past. For a team of archeologists in Egypt, the last five years have been a cleaning mission. The group have been scrubbing dirt, soot, and bird droppings off the Temple of Esna's ceiling to reveal incredible ink inscriptions which were previously murky.

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December 8, 2023

Divers Discover Nearly 50,000 Submerged Coins Off the Coast of Italy

In ancient days, seafaring was a difficult trade. It led to shipwrecks, and many years later to the discovery of long-lost treasures which once sailed above the waves. The Mediterranean Sea, in particular, is a rich repository of archeological evidence of intense trade routes and devastating warfare over centuries. The latest treasure to emerge is an enormous cache of ancient coins off the Italian coast near Sardinia.

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