17th Century

Long ago, herds of elk roamed the ridge of land overlooking the Patapsco River that people came to call the "Ridge of Elk." By far this is the oldest settled part of Howard County, reaching back to the late 17th century. More than 150 years before the new county, Howard, was formed in 1851, what is now Elkridge was part of upper Anne Arundel County. Tax records of 1702 mention an "Elk Ridge Hundred," designating about 100 families for tax purposes and protection by a militia. This may be the first formal use of the name "Elk Ridge."

"The Times of Their Lives: Life, Love and Death in Plymouth Colony," by James Deetz and Patricia Scott Deetz, W.H. Freeman and Company. 366 pages. $24.95. And so, turkey-sated reader, what is your vision of the first Thanksgiving? Severe, teetotaling, black-clad Pilgrims assuming pious poses and offering thanks to God before feasting on turkey while a handful of noble savages observe? How about life in general in 17th century Plymouth Colony? More of the same, with Puritanical laws enforcing straight-laced behavior while men toiled selflessly and women stood meekly by?

There was a moment early in the concert by The Tallis Scholars when the sheer expressive beauty of Tudor-period English church music hit home. It came at the end of "Lamentations I" by the Scholars' namesake, Thomas Tallis, as the soprano voices reached high to intone and repeat the word "Jerusalem." Such a simple gesture, this phrase of reiterated notes. But in that insistent, yet understated, prayer, there could be heard enough depth of feeling to equal a century's worth of sacred music.

QUEENSTOWN -- For all the hoopla following Elian Gonzalez to his temporary home at Wye River Plantation, locals long accustomed to important officials and events in their back yard have treated his arrival almost like that of, well, a little 6-year-old boy. It was only in 1998 that the ribbons of roads and web of waterways surrounding the Wye River Conference Centers at the Aspen Institute were closed when President Clinton joined Israeli Prime Minister...

The story of "Don Quixote," that delusional Spaniard who sees windmills as giants and himself as the last of the noble knights, has delighted audiences for nearly 400 years. Even producer Robert Halmi Sr., whose taste for spectacular gimmickry has drained the life out of more than a few classics, can't stop it. Beginning at 8 p.m. Sunday, the latest film adaptation of the Cervantes novel debuts on TNT. And while it's hardly the definitive "Don Quixote," it's an entertaining 2 1/2 hours filled with adventures, dreams and lots of pseudo-jousting.

The warships of the 17th century have long since sunk or burned, and their design plans, thought outdated and useless, were tossed more than 300 years ago. But the only remaining copies of more than a dozen of these ships are still intact, barely held together by old glue and varnish, and displayed in the basement of the Naval Academy museum in Annapolis. These ships, valued at a quarter of a million dollars each, were built alongside the real ones on the docks of England using the same plans -- 48 times smaller.

More than one visitor has arrived at Historic St. Mary's City and, scanning the horizon with hand to brow, asked, "So, where's the city?" This short question has a long answer. Maryland's first capital perished long ago in a conspiracy of politics, time and nature. But meticulous research and modern archaeology are restoring the city and its tale of 17th-century life in the Chesapeake area. Visitors to the 840-acre site can see Maryland life as it was then. Costumed interpreters, exhibits and living history demonstrations allow you to immerse yourself in the Colonial experience.

Adaptations are never easy to bring off.And adaptations of classic theater by the likes of Aristophanes, Sophocles and Moliere are darned near impossible.How do you capture enough period nuances to do honor to the original while switching venues, modifying characters and bringing the declamatory poetic style of yesteryear alive for contemporary audiences?The folks at Colonial Players know how, because they have just opened a production of Moliere's hilarious 17th-century comedy, "The Learned Ladies," that's almost as feisty and fizzy as it must have been when France's greatest comic playwright had them rolling in the aisles at Versailles during the august reign of his benefactor, King Louis XIV.I doubt that the Sun King's retinue would have comprehended the hillbilly accents of the Nashville social climbers who provide the grist for Moliere's satirical mill in this adaptation by Freyda Thomas.

The remains of St. John's House are crumbling, and with them go the last traces of the 1638 building where a Marylander cast the first votes by a black man in any New World legislature.The 361-year-old archaeological site, on the campus of St. Mary's College in Southern Maryland, has been designated as the first in a series of endangered objects and places nominated to compete for preservation grants under the new "Save Maryland's Treasures" campaign.The effort is sponsored by the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000, and a coalition of state agencies, nonprofit organizations and private corporations.

In the 1600s, the Dutch literally speculated themselves into economic ruin over -- please don't laugh -- tulips.Tulip Mania wasn't the first speculative bubble the world had seen, nor would it be the last. But the flowering inferno was the first capitalist frenzy to be well-chronicled. To this day, the great tulip bubble is invoked by financial gloom-and-doomers whenever euphoric speculators seeking endless riches embrace the belief that their investments can only rise in value -- and never fall.