1. The difference between one-humped and two-humped camels:
One-humped camels are called dromedaries, and they are found mostly in warm, desert lands.  Two-humped camels are called Bactrian camels.  They do better in cold and mountainous places than dromedaries.  In ancient Persia people used Bactrian camels earlier in their history and dromedaries later; I saw carvings of both when I went there.  During the Parthian period, people experimented with cross-breeding dromedaries and Bactrian camels, producing camels larger and stronger than either of their parents. How many humps in the cross breed?  They had either a single, longish hump, or a single, longish hump with a sort of indentation in it.  For huge amounts of information on the camel’s place in history, see The Camel and the Wheel, by Richard W. Bulliet.

2.  An ancient security alarm system for caravanserais:
First of all, a caravanserai (or caravansary) was a type of inn for people who were traveling with animals. The inn and its high, thick, mudbrick walls surrounded a large square courtyard, where people and animals rested.  If you had lots of money, you could book a room in the inn.  One of the major functions of caravanserais was to protect the travelers from thieves.  The builders of the caravanserais put small holes in the walls, holes that penetrated all the way through.  They knew that pigeons would find these niches irresistible as nesting sites.  So if thieves tried to scale the walls from the outside, the nesting birds would get alarmed and start cooing like crazy, giving the residents time to prepare for intruders.

3.  The origin of the term “parting shot”:
Persians during the Parthian era (the period in which Alphabet of Dreams takes place) were well known for their skill at horsemanship, and also with their skill with bow and arrow. One maneuver for which they became famous was to ride away from the enemy, seeming to be in retreat.  Then they would twist backward on the horse, and loose a surprise arrow.  Ouch! This became known as the “Parthian shot,” and later, presumably, evolved into our term, “parting shot.”

4.  Why some Iranian homes have two different kinds of door knockers:
In the ancient village of Abyaneh, known for its intricately carved doors, I noticed that the entrances to some houses had double doors with a different kind of knocker on each one.  One type of knocker was shaped as a circle.  The other was shaped as a straight line. 

Here’s why:  In Iran and some other Muslim countries, it’s considered inappropriate for a man who is not a family member to see a woman who is not modestly dressed.  However, within the privacy of her home and family, a woman may dress as she likes.  And it’s also okay for women outside the family to see one another in less-modest attire.

I can relate! I often parade around the house in my bathrobe, but I don’t necessarily want the postman to see me like that.  So: each type of knocker—the circle and the line—sounds different as it strikes the door.  Women are supposed to use the circle-type knocker.  Men are supposed to use the line-type knocker.  So a woman inside the house will know whether to throw on her cloak and headscarf before opening the door.

5.  14 Wise Men?
According to Paul William Roberts in In Search of the Birth of Jesus, “early accounts—some of them by saints and Fathers of the early Church—give the number of ‘kings’ present at the Nativity as high as fourteen and as low as two.” In fact, the Bible never says how many Wise Men there were.  But three gifts are mentioned, so maybe that’s why we now assume there were three Wise Men.

6.  What’s the best time for storytelling?
According to Inea Bushnaq in Arab Folktales, the dark of night is considered the best time for storytelling in much of the Middle East.  She writes, “To spend the good daylight hours telling stories is ill-omened.  The superstition lingers still in parts of Iraq that whoever tells stories in the daytime risks growing horns and having his gold turn to iron.”

7. How to reinsert the drawstring from the waist of your pants if it’s stuck or pulled out:
With a midak,  a Middle Eastern sewing tool that resembles a knitting needle.

8.  Why wear platform shoes to the bath?
If it’s baths in the Middle Eastern tradition, the floors may be hot. Traditionally, bathers went through three chambers in the baths, each one hotter and steamier than the last.  In some of the old baths, near-boiling water was pumped beneath marble floors, so the floors became exceedingly hot.  Bathers wore pattens, sandals that lifted the wearer’s feet above the ground, sort of like small wooden tables for the feet. 

9. How long is a “Great Year?”
About 25,700 years.  I can’t say I totally understand this, but I’ll give it a go.  The Earth wobbles slightly on its axis.  So, over thousands of years, the sun changes its position on the first day of spring (vernal equinox) against the background of stars. The amount of time the sun takes to make a complete cycle and return to its original position in relation to the stars…is approximately 25,700 years.  This process is called precession of the equinoxes.  There are twelve arcs in this huge circle, and each is identified with an astrological constellation. For instance, we’re now beginning the Age of Aquarius, which apparently will last somewhere around 2142 years.  Or so.  (Don’t trust me on this one.  If you’re interested, look it up!) 
  

10.  How can you tell what time it is in the dead of night without a clock?
With an astrolabe.  If you know how to use one.  (Which I don’t.)  An astrolabe is a disk which, in olden times, was typically made of brass, around six inches in diameter, and elaborately etched with a model of the skies.  The name has its origins from the Greek astron and lambanien, meaning, “the one who catches the heavenly bodies.”  In Alphabet of Dreams, I called it a “star-catcher.”  It’s possible that the earliest known astrolabes were created a few centuries BC, maybe by Hipparchus.  An alternate theory is that they weren’t invented until the time of Ptolemy, around 150 AD.  Because I wanted my Magi to have astrolabes, I went with the Hipparchus theory!  

An astrolabe can be used for determining the time of day or night; determining latitude; predicting the time of celestial events, such as sunrise and sunset; measuring the time of the year; determining the altitude of any object over the horizon; and as a reference for the positions of stars and other celestial bodies.  Nowadays, hikers can use astrolabes to find the amount of daylight left to them, architects can use them to determine the positions of shadows, sailors can use them to find navigational stars, and astronomers can use them to plan observations.

For more information on astrolabes, see http://astrolabes.org.