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The Roman Emperor Caracalla was known as one of the cruelest and most unstable of Rome’s leaders. His reputation was based not only on his treatment of his own people, but also on his travels to the eastern margins of the empire, where he led a series of massacres against the Parthians, an ancient people of the Persian Gulf who Caracalla sought to subdue. 

It didn’t end well for Rome. The Parthians defeated the Roman legions, Rome was forced to pay reparations, and Caracalla…

In October, I bled for ten days without access to a proper bathroom.

The house we fled to — like most shelters in Gaza — had no privacy. Forty people slept in two rooms. The bathroom had no door, only a torn curtain. I remember waiting for everyone to sleep so I could clean myself with a bottle of water and scraps of cloth. I remember praying I wouldn’t stain the mattress I shared with three cousins. I remember the shame — not of my body, but of being unable to care for…