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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Acai berries staining a hand. Source: Imago Photo / Adobe Stock

Acai Berries: Uncovering a Historic Amazonian Nutritional Powerhouse

You’ve probably heard of the acai berry before. This small, purple fruit is incredibly common nowadays in fruit bowls and smoothies, but did you know it actually has a long and fascinating history?...
Representational image of a sunken shipwreck. Source: bayazed / Adobe Stock. Inset: Saffron, peppercorns, and almonds found aboard the Gribshunden ship. Credit: Larsson, M. and Foley, B.

Tasty Treasures: 3,000 Plants, Spices, and Fruits Found on 15th Century Norse Shipwreck

A remarkable discovery has been made by archaeologists of preserved plants, spices, and fruit aboard a sunken Norse ship from the 15th century. The ship, named Gribshunden , had belonged to King Hans...
Europeans were terrified of tomatoes when they were first introduced. Source: humanissa_rt / Adobe Stock

Terrifying Tomatoes! Europeans Were Afraid of Newly Introduced ‘Poisonous Apples’

Everyone has a friend who hates tomatoes. But did you know that this fear or hatred of tomatoes is nothing new? Used in pizza , pasta and even gazpacho, the ubiquitous tomato is associated with Italy...
“Forbidden fruit” was written in the Bible in reference to the ‘apple’ of Eden that led to Adam and Eve being banished from paradise for tasting of the Tree of Knowledge. But was the forbidden fruit really an apple or some other fruit? Source: funstarts33 / Adobe Stock

Was the “Forbidden Fruit” in the Garden of Eden Actually an Apple?

The forbidden fruit reference in the Bible and the story of how Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden is well known and used in all kinds of modern contexts. But was the forbidden fruit...
Royalty examining a pineapple. Source: peopleimages.com/ Adobe Stock

British Aristocrats Rented Pineapples by the Hour to Display Their Status

Who would have thought that a few centuries ago, an everyday fruit like the pineapple, would be a symbol of wealth, status and good breeding? Worth thousands to buy, the precious pineapple was far...
An Ancient Treat: The Rich History of Fruitcake

An Ancient Treat: The Rich History of Fruitcake

Love it or hate it, fruitcake has been a winter holiday staple for a long time. You could say the earliest version was a barley, pomegranate seed, nut, raisin, and honeyed wine dessert called satura...
Medieval King Louis IX refused to eat his greens. Credit: diter / Adobe Stock

Crusader King Died Because He Refused to Eat His Greens

A French sleuth may have solved the mystery of the death of France's famed King Louis IX, better known as Saint Louis. He was the last of the crusader kings and it was believed that he died of plague...
Flower of Life.

What Ancient Secrets Lie Within the Flower of Life?

The Flower of Life is a name for a geometrical figure composed of seven or more evenly-spaced, overlapping circles. This figure, used as a decorative motif since ancient times, forms a flower-like...
An old peach pit. Are the thousands of peach pits found in Japan the remains of fruit eaten in a lost kingdom?

Peach Pits, Peach Boy and the Lost Kingdom of a Shaman Queen

Thousands of peach pits have been found at a Japanese archaeological site. It seems there is more to the story than simply a fondness for the fruit - sources suggest that the ancient peaches were...
 A Ming silk tapestry depicting Dongfang Suo stealing a Peach of Immortality.

Reserved for the Gods: Only Two Humans Have Tasted the Chinese Peaches of Immortality

You may have heard of the golden apples of Greek myth, but do you know of the Chinese Peaches of Immortality? These sacred fruits have become symbols that continue to hold significance at yearly...
Egyptian hieroglyphics depict the pouring out of beer.

The Strange and Wonderful World of Ancient Brews

Many of us now enjoy unusual alcoholic beverage concoctions since the advent of the craft beer and cocktail movements. What we may not realize is that fellow humans have been carrying on like this...
Could Frozen Seeds Save the Future? Scientists Bring a 32,000-year-old Seed Back to Life

Could Frozen Seeds Save the Future? Scientists Bring a 32,000-year-old Seed Back to Life

Far away on the remote island of Spitsbergen in the Artic Svalbard archipelago lies humanity’s fail-safe storage of seeds. With the threat of natural and man-made disasters looming in the future, the...
Did You Known That Baboons Were Trained in Ancient Egypt to Catch Criminals?

Did You Know That Baboons Were Trained in Ancient Egypt to Catch Criminals?

The ancient Egyptians were renowned for their worship of animals, and one of these was the baboon. In ancient Egyptian mythology, baboons are best known for their association with Thoth, the god of...
Divine, Forbidden and Dangerous? Magic Apples in Ancient Mythology

Divine, Forbidden and Dangerous? Magic Apples in Ancient Mythology

Apples have a prominent place in world mythology, and are often associated with paradise, magic, knowledge and sensual experience. Legendary magician Merlin was said to carry a silver bough from an...
Best-Preserved Ancient Fruit Found in 4,000-Year-Old Burial Chamber

Best-Preserved Ancient Fruit Found in 4,000-Year-Old Burial Chamber: Honey’s Preservative Power

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times An Early Bronze Age burial mound in Georgia, known as a kurgan, held in its depths astonishingly well preserved wild fruits. Sitting underground for thousands of years...
Brain size shrinking

Why did our brains stop expanding?

In the forest the human brain was expanding and expanding at a phenomenal rate. Sometime at around 200,000 to 150,000 years ago, this process came to an end. The brain stopped expanding and started...
Ancient subterranean city of Cappadocia

Ancient subterranean city of Cappadocia takes on a new purpose

For thousands of years, people have inhabited caves and tunnels in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. Cities, empires and religions have risen and fallen around these unique underground havens –...