A detailed and lengthy biographical summary of the life of Elizabethan composer William Byrd, who used poetry for the basis of many of his songs.

A survey of Geoffrey Chaucer's work, which was much influenced by romance, the dominant mode of secular fictional narrative in his time.

The first section offers an extensive look at the history of The Umayyad Dynasty, its first ruler and the concern with secular matters.

This page chronicles an exhibit hosted by the Library of Congress of manuscripts and documents from the Vatican Library. Includes manuscripts of both a secular and religious nature as well as a detailed history of the Vatican Library....

Here at this site from Ancient History Sourcebook at Fordham University is an English version of ancient Roman poet Horace's poem, "The Secular Hymn."

A contrast of Arab nationalism with Islamic nationalism and a discussion of the secular aspects of the Arab nationalism. See Part B (page 7) of this PDF document.

Few great books like the Decameron have shaped our very notion of storytelling and its crucial role in the negotiation and production of shared social and cultural values. In its hundred stories, shared in ten days by ten young people...

An interesting collection of manuscripts. Teachers and students can explore dozens of images of medieval and early Renaissance manuscripts, both religious and secular. Clicking on the image will pull up a brief description of the work's...

Check out this awesome secular Christmas resource. This site offers songs, customs, themes and more.

The term Islamic is used here to define the art and material culture of those lands where the dominant religion is Islam, the religion revealed to the prophet Muhammad in seventh century Arabia. The Islamic lands have encompassed at...

Hu were ceremonial-771 B.C.E.). Their shape is typically slender near the top of the vessel, sagging towards the middle. They include a lid, two handles and a base. It is possible that the hu vessel was based on the earlier you vessel....

The third lesson deals with the emergence of gospel as a form of popular music among a general public. Gospel is a musical genre with roots in the African American church, particularly in the South. Between the 1940s and the 1960s,...

An article on the beginning of Polyphonic music during the Middle Ages. You'll also find illustrations.

An explanation of the effect that the tides have on the Earth's rotation.

This site from the CIA World Factbook contains a wealth of information on the country of Turkey.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, view an excellent online exhibit of artwork created during the Middle Byzantine period from 843 to 1261. Religious influences during this time were the inspiration for art, and this exhibit provides a...

A complete listing of the vocal works with their librettos. Very comprhensive. Click on BWV texts to view words.

Succinct description of the situation in Japan and the leadership of Emperor Hirohito during World War II. Includes links to relevant topics.

A general survey of the French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857) who developed a secular religion known as positivism and founded modern sociology.

A secular news and photo service that provides limited access to its 24-hour coverage of religious issues of the day. You can view abstracts of news stories that the service is following; click over to a calendar of events that lists the...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Read Kahlil Gibran's "On Self-Knowledge" and highlight details that are sacred in blue and details that are secular in red. When finished, click save to see how others marked the text as well.

[Free Registration/Login Required] See the results of how users have highlighted Kahlil Gibran's "On Self-Knowledge." Blue details are sacred and red details are secular. Click on any word to see the percentage of users that highlighted...

This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Al Green, an American singer-songwriter who was the most popular performer of soul music in the 1970s. By further transforming the essential relationship in soul music between the sacred...

Short synopsis and critical commentary on "The Interlude of the Nature of the Four Elements," a Medieval play with elements of a comedy and a morality. Also briefly discusses Thomas Lupton's "All for Money."