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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Famous People

In this section, we shed light on some of the most famous and infamous people known throughout history, from powerful pharaohs, to emperors and empresses, acclaimed military leaders, or just regular civilians who’ve been thrown into the spotlight for great crimes or for heroic actions, leaving an indelible mark on the world.

A mysterious Indian king. Bengal king Sashanka has long been a historical mystery as well. Source: venkatvasa/Deviant Art

King Sashanka: Unifier of the Bengal People and Lands

The region and state of Bengal in India is situated in the East of the country and is primarily known for its rich culture, literature, history, and heritage. This region has also been quintessential...
King Solomon is most famous for his wisdom in the story of The Judgment of Solomon. Source: Dcastor / CC BY-SA 3.0.

As Wise as Solomon: The Powerful King Who Magically Ruled Israel

King Solomon was the fourth (or third) ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel . He is remembered primarily for his wisdom (hence the English idiom ‘as wise as Solomon’), though he was also a wealthy...
King Henry VIII. (Ann Longmore-Etheridge / Flickr)

The Complicated and Disturbing Life of King Henry VIII

King Henry VIII was the second monarch of England and reigned during the 16th century . Henry ruled his kingdom for almost 40 years, and he seems to have had a promising start at the beginning of his...
Augustus.    Source: Ded Pixto / Adobe Stock.

Understanding Augustus: A Historical Detective Story

The first subject of our enquiry must be Caesar Augustus himself. He is often described as the first Roman emperor, but that is a wholly misleading description. What causes the misunderstanding is...
Posthumous portrait of Queen Isabella I of Castile.

Queen Isabella of Castile: Drama, Inquisition, and Exploration

Isabella I was a Queen of Castile and León who lived between the middle of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th centuries. Her reign is notable for a number of important events, including the...
Julius Caesar

The Deeds of Julius Caesar, Rome’s Greatest Son

There is hardly a more popular historical figure in the annals of ancient Rome, than one of its most distinguished generals and statesmen – Julius Caesar. The story of the man who managed to...
rusaders (vukkostic / Adobe Stock)

Richard the Lionheart – The Crusader King

Richard I (more commonly known as Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart ) was a king of England who lived during the 12th century. He is arguably best-known for the role he played in the...
Zeno of Elea shows Youths the Doors to Truth and False. Source: Singinglemon / Public Domain.

Zeno’s Paradoxes Verses Reality

Zeno’s Paradoxes refers to a set of ingenious philosophical problems attributed to Zeno of Elea, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher . These paradoxes were devised in order to defend the teachings of...
Portrait of Juan Ponce de León.

The Fake Story of Juan Ponce de León and the Fountain of Youth

Juan Ponce de León was one of the first Europeans known to have set foot on what is today the United States of America. This was due to his expedition to the area now known as Florida (the first one...
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the emperor's ceremony of enthronement to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

A New Japanese Emperor Takes To The Chrysanthemum Throne

The Chrysanthemum Throne is the throne of the Emperor of Japan and a metonym referring to the Japanese monarchy itself. The Japanese imperial family has recently been in the news, due to the...
Representative image of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, Struck Fear in Viking Hearts

Aethelflaed, also known as the Lady of the Mercians, was an Anglo-Saxon ruler of Mercia who lived between the 9th and 10th centuries AD. When Aethelflaed was still a child, the Vikings controlled a...
Paquiquineo - a chief’s son converted to Christianity. Source: jozefklopacka / Adobe Stock.

Paquiquineo: Brave Traitor or Freedom Fighter?

In 1561, a Native American from Virginia by the name of Paquiquineo was invited, in some accounts kidnapped, to Spain where he met the king and eventually was sent back to the Americas to assist the...
Mysterious Monk Walking Alone During Sunset. Source: Igor Ovsyannykov / CC BY 2.0

Italy’s Ancient Benandanti: Harvest Rites and Ghostly Battles

In the Friuli region of Italy in 1580, during the peak of the Roman Inquisition’s foray into witchcraft, an inquisitorial examination of a local town crier produced the following eerie testimony: “…...
The Baptism of Emperor Constantine

Was the Emperor Constantine a True Christian or Was He a Secret Pagan?

Constantine the Great is known in history as the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity . However, legends and archaeological evidence suggest a different story– it seems that Constantine had...
Close up of the monument to Crazy Horse. Source: Scott Lee / Public Domain.

Monument to Hero Crazy Horse Is Taking Shape After 70 Years

The famous Lakota were one of the three Sioux tribes of the plains. Throughout their history, which is both glorious and tragic, there have been many prominent heroes, braves, and chiefs. The one...
Herod the Great as depicted in a painting in the Chapel of Madonna and Child. Photo source: Jbribeiro1 / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Herod the Great: A Biblical Tyrant But An Able Protector of Judaea

Herod the Great was a Roman client king of Judaea (known also as the Herodian kingdom) who lived during the 1st century BC. He was also the founder of the Herodian dynasty, whose members, like Herod...
Saul and the Witch of Endor

The Biblical Witch of Endor: Contacting the Spirit of a Prophet

The Witch of Endor is also known as the biblical Medium of Endor. According to legend, she was a medium who apparently summoned the Prophet Samuel's spirit. She is known from the Old Testament but...
Memorial to Stanley and Livingstone, Burundi 	Source: Poffer, D / CC BY 2.0

The Livingstone – Stanley Monument and The Famous Tale of Two Explorers in Africa

Without a doubt, European explorers in 19 th century Africa changed history. Two of the most famous are Dr David Livingstone, and the journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley , who opened central...
Marcus Aurelius Distributing Bread to the People by Joseph-Marie Vien

The Philosopher-King of Ancient Rome: Marcus Aurelius' Imperium

Marcus Aurelius is famed for various accomplishments—his title as the last of the Five Good Emperors; his extensive study of and literary accomplishments in the field of Stoicism; and, last but not...
Noble bandit of the forest. Credit: Fotokvadrat / Adobe Stock

The Noble Bandit Fulk FitzWarin and His Fight for Whittington Castle

George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of books is a thrilling portrayal of the lives and intrigues of medieval lords, and it gained notoriety for its realism and complexity. But do we...
La Quintrala serial killer evades capture Source: kharchenkoirina / Adobe Stock

La Quintrala: Flaming Redhead Serial Killer Evaded Capture

In the world’s history of aristocracy, abuse of power was always a distinct possibility, and quite a few female landowners built up a macabre reputation based on torture, imprisonment, and abuse. In...
Hippocrates Statue and Dooley Hospital Door.	Source: CC BY 2.0

Ancient Greek Physician Hippocrates and the Medical Revolution

Classical Greece is considered by many to be the birthplace of modern Western civilization. The ancient Greeks made astounding progress in a huge number of areas - from politics and governing to...
Kreka was Attila’s first wife. (matiasdelcarmine / Adobe Stock)

The Wives Who Made Attila the Hun

In 448 AD, Priscus , a Roman diplomat and a Greek historian , and Maximus , the head of the Byzantine embassy, were on a mission by Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II to meet with the infamous...
Victory over the Muslims at the Battle of Tours marked the furthest Muslim advance and enabled Frankish domination of Europe for the next century. Source: Bender235 / Public Domain.

The Franks, Charlemagne, and the Forging of Europe

The earliest histories of many European nations are firmly rooted in the ancient periods of migrations – when all sorts of tribes traveled from their homes in search of new grounds for settlement...

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