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Gallo-Roman mosaic

How Gaul ‘Barbarians’ Influenced Ancient Roman Religion

The continental neighbors of the Romans, the Gauls were considered barbaric entities which the Republic and Empire attempted to colonize multiple times. Caesar’s numerous conquests on the mainland...
Neanderthal in a cave

Oldest Ever Neanderthal Remains Found, Dating Back 116,000 Years!

In 2008 a team of archaeological excavators digging in the Stajnia Cave near Mirów in Poland, unearthed deeply-ancient tools among the remains of Neanderthal hunters. This discovery represented the...
Could the origin of the Basajaun myth reside in an encounter between the primitive and Mesolithic populations of the ancient Basque Country, and the migrating Neolithic settlers? Source: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

The Myth of the Basajaun: A Basque Story of an Ancient Encounter

The genetic background of modern day Europe can often be a complicated topic to talk about. History often brings the migrations of faraway peoples, which is how the Indo-Europeans merged with the...
Bronze Age skull in situ in the Tollense valley Source: ©: Stefan Sauer / Tollense Valley Project

Ancient Warriors Show Europeans Were Late Adopters of Dairy Produce

Research undertaken on Bronze Age warriors who died in a battle in Germany has revealed something remarkable about the evolution of human digestion. It established that it is only in the past few...
Researchers have discovered extinct strains of smallpox, an infectious disease also known as Variola, in the teeth of Viking skeletons proving the disease was around at least 1,400 years ago. Source: nobeastsofierce / Adobe Stock

Viking Explorers Found To Be Carriers Of The World's Deadliest Virus

Chinese-Flu, Kung-Flu and now Trump-Flu, according to Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, but now, in the middle of all these politicized pseudonyms names for...
The rich burial of Varna man found with gold in Bulgaria

Varna Man and the Wealthiest Grave of the 5th Millennium BC

In the 1970s, archaeologists in Bulgaria stumbled upon a vast Copper Age necropolis from the 5th millennium BC containing the oldest golden artifacts ever discovered near the modern-day city of Varna...
Goseck Circle

Goseck Circle: The Oldest Known Solar Observatory

In 1991, inspectors from the German government took aerial photographs of a small German town called Goseck and saw something strange. On the ground, there appeared to be a giant circular ridge...
Modern day uprising. Credit: Ciudalia / Adobe Stock

Uprisings After Pandemics: It Happened Before and May Happen Again

As a professor of medieval Europe, I’ve taught the bubonic plague, and how it contributed to the English Peasant Revolt of 1381. Now that America is experiencing widespread unrest in the midst of its...
The Legendary Kraken

The Legendary Kraken: The Real Animal Behind the Monster

According to Scandinavian mythology, the Kraken is a horrifying giant sea creature said to be one mile long. Stories generally describe it as a terrifyingly enormous octopus or squid like creature...
The glass delusion - a belief in human frailty or a desire to transcend human existence? Source: Creative Commons

Glass Delusion: Bizarre Medieval Affliction Left People Shattered

There is a story dating back to the 1960s about a man who overdosed on LSD and became permanently insane. In his insanity, he believed himself to be a glass of orange juice. He was afraid to lie down...
A grim reaper brings death by boat. Credit: Cushing / Whitney Medical Library

How ‘Death Ships’ Spread Disease Through the Ages

One of the haunting images of this pandemic will be stationary cruise ships – deadly carriers of COVID-19 – at anchor in harbours and unwanted. Docked in ports and feared. The news of the dramatic...
Scientists have found the earliest direct evidence for Upper Paleolithic humans in Europe in a Bulgarian cave. Source: Gorodenkoff /Adobe Stock

Earliest Upper Paleolithic Humans in Europe Discovered!

When did modern humans reach the lands we now call Europe? When did those Late Stone Age humans replace the Neanderthals as the dominant hominins of the region? The answers to these questions about...
Medieval soldier at war. Credit: Andrey Kiselev / Adobe Stock

The Battle of Tours - A Decisive Fight for Europe’s Future

The early medieval world of our ancestors was built upon struggles and decisive battles. The emerging nations united the broken tribes, expanded their borders, conquered their enemies, and often...
There are many legends of ancient hauntings at prehistoric burial mounds.

Ancient Hauntings in the Hills

It was a worldwide phenomenon during Prehistoric times for people to bury their dead under mounds (which are also known as tumuli ). The dead were buried along with their worldly possessions and...
The Carolingian dynasty’s victory at the Battle of Tours is considered a turning point in European history. Source: Bender235 / Public Domain.

The Carolingian Dynasty - Puppeteer Rulers In Early Medieval Europe

The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family that rose to power during the 8th century AD. Under the Merovingians , the Carolingians obtained the office of mayor of the palace. As the...
The Black Death was spread across Europe by rats. Source: rawinfoto / Adobe Stock.

Culling the World: The Catastrophic Conquests of the Black Death

Medieval history is seldom kind. The decades and centuries slumbered onwards, each one bringing its own share of wars, crime , poverty...and disease. Happiness and prosperity were rare and almost...
King Charles II of Spain, was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. He is now best remembered for his physical disabilities. Source: TRAJAN 117 / Public Domain

Inbreeding Armageddon Annihilated The Habsburg Dynasty

Scientists have proven inbreeding brought about severe facial deformations and collapsed of one of Europe’s most powerful historical dynasties . The royal European Habsburg family sat on the throne...
The Seleucid Empire was a Hellenistic state that fought in the Syrian Wars to retain their empire. 	Source: Kings and Generals / YouTube.

The Rise and Demise of the Seleucid Empire

The Seleucid Empire was a Hellenistic state that existed between the 4th and 1st centuries BC. It was established by Seleucus I Nicator (meaning ‘victor’ or ‘conqueror’), one of the diadochi, or...
The Apennines in central Italy are part of the shaved-off remnants of the ancient continent of Greater Adria. (Travel Wild / Adobe Stock)

Ancient Continent Discovered Hiding Beneath Europe

A mega-continent has been discovered that slid beneath Europe hundreds of millions of years ago. While today we experience extreme weather patterns and the effects of the changing climate there has...
Red runes carved from wood on the ground. There are 24 runes in the Elder Futhark.

Futhark: Mysterious Ancient Runic Alphabet of Northern Europe

Runes are the characters of the earliest written alphabet used by the Germanic peoples of Europe called Futhark. The runic alphabet was used within Germanic languages but primarily in Nordic...
One of the skeletons found beneath Coleg Menai in Llangefni, Wales. Credit: Archaeology Wales.

Mysterious Mass Grave Found in Wales May Contain Bodies of Vikings’ Slaves

Archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious mass grave dating back 1,600 years in Wales containing the remains of 86 individuals. Researchers are now attempting to explain strange characteristics...
Horned figure on the Gundestrup Cauldron

The Gundestrup Cauldron: Largest and Most Exquisite Iron Age Silver Work in Europe

The Gundestrup Cauldron is an ancient silver vessel that was discovered in a peat bog in Denmark. This cauldron is notable for being the largest known piece of European Iron Age silver work. Thus,...
Medieval knight riding into battle. Credit: rudall30 / Adobe Stock

The Dramatic History of the Normans: A Tale of Medieval Conquest

History is full of stories that will grip you like a modern page-turner novel, but only a few can do it as easily as the tale of the Normans. Proud and fearsome, these Viking descendants were key...
A 17th century engraving depicting an ordeal by water.

Trial by Ordeal: A Life or Death Method of Judgement

In the modern judicial system, the innocence or guilt of an accused may be established based on the evidence brought against him or her. In ancient and medieval societies, however, a different way of...

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