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History

From the powerful civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley, to the fearsome yet sophisticated society of the Vikings, the ancient world was a surprising and challenging place. Here we feature some of the most seminal and influential events and people throughout history, that have helped shape the world we know today.

Replica Roman slave collars, after Zoninus. Source: nikhg / Adobe Stock.
4 September, 2021 - 18:33 B. B. Wagner

“Hold Me Or I Will Run!” Roman Slave Collars Came With A Warning

Slavery was a large part of the Roman Empire. Military expansion brought captives, to compliment the material wealth taken back to Rome. And there is strong evidence that these slaves were not always...
An artist’s imaginary depiction of a pharaoh burning herbs (possibly cannabis or blue lotus) in a ritual.
4 September, 2021 - 01:44 Robert Brusco

A Versatile Plant: What Were the Many Uses of Cannabis in Ancient Egypt?

Cannabis is widely considered to be one of the most widespread options when it comes to medicinal herbs. However, in ancient times the plant’s popularity was far greater, and its use much more common...
The Seven Dolls figurines
3 September, 2021 - 20:25 george fery

Buried Power Of The Seven Dolls At Maya Dzibilchaltún

What makes Dzibilchaltún so perplexing, are the seven crudely made clay figurines found buried below the altar in what has become known as the Temple of the Seven Dolls. At its peak Dzibilchaltún,...
The gatehouse of Bury St Edmunds Abbey. Source: Charles / Adobe Stock.
3 September, 2021 - 18:29 Meagan Dickerson

Bury-St-Edmunds Abbey: Shrine of the King, Cradle of the Law

If you’ve never visited the Suffolk region of southern England, you may not have heard the name of Bury-St-Edmunds. But this small medieval town is home to one of the most important and powerful...
Crossing The Caucasian: The Mongol Invasion Venturing Into The Land Of The Rus
1 September, 2021 - 20:33 Cam Rea

Crossing The Caucasian: The Mongol Invasion Venturing Into The Land Of The Rus

In 1221, to avoid being captured by the invading Mongols, Rashid, the Shah of Shirvan, abandoned his capital Shemakha, where the Genghis Khan’s generals Subotai and Jebe had ordered a siege tower to...
The four evangelists by Peter Paul Rubens. Sanssouci Picture Gallery. (1614) (Public Domain)
30 August, 2021 - 22:35 jim willis

A Genesis Apocryphon: Are Humans Offspring Of Gods?

When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1946, and gradually released to the public over the course of the next few decades, it provided valuable insight into the minds of those who wrote the...
A geisha. Source: juripozzi / Adobe Stock
29 August, 2021 - 22:35 Aleksa Vučković

World of the Geisha, Japan’s Enigmatic Entertainers

Japan is a nation rich in history and old, venerated traditions. The enigmatic geisha are considered as one of the cornerstones of that iconic Japanese tradition, and are certainly admired all over...
Tree huggers are both a current form of environmental activism and one that has been used effectively in the past in places like India. Source: Carolina Hoyos Lievano / World Bank
29 August, 2021 - 18:37 B. B. Wagner

Tree Huggers. The Unspoken History of Indian Environmental Martyrs

The term "tree hugger" is a phrase greatly associated with 1970's era Western liberal activists vigilantly trying to protect the environment from humanity's industrial destructive thirst for profit...
A Mongol melee in the 13th century. (Public Domain)
27 August, 2021 - 16:38 Cam Rea

The Great Mongolian Raid Of Georgia And The Siege Tower Of Corpses

By late 1220, after being relentlessly pursued for months by Genghis Khan’s generals Shah Ala ad-Din Muhammad II of Khwarazm , wearing a torn shirt, died exhausted, poor, and from pleurisy. With the...
Are there hidden benefits to cold treatment? Source: Dudarev Mikhail / Adobe Stock.
26 August, 2021 - 22:39 Aleksa Vučković

Therapeutic Hypothermia: Is Extreme Cold An Effective Ancient Remedy?

Of all the methods of healing and therapy, one would never think of hypothermia as an effective medical aid. But is there more to cold than we realize? Therapeutic hypothermia has surprisingly old...
The visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon.
26 August, 2021 - 01:31 Calumy

Solomon and Sheba: Were a Famous Pharaoh and Queen the Real Protagonists in this Love Story?

The story of Solomon and Sheba is well known as one of love. But it is only when we learn their true identities that we see how much affection and adoration Solomon had for his favorite Queen. He...
Limestone relief of Crown Prince Thutmose in the role of high priest. Saqqara. Neues Museum, Berlin. Design by Anand N. Balaji (Merja Attia); Deriv.
25 August, 2021 - 20:50 anand balaji

On The Trail Of The Mysterious Crown Prince Thutmose: Clues To A Sudden, Violent Death? – Part II

In addition to making Crown Prince Thutmose High Priest of Ptah, Amenhotep III prepared his intended successor in the ways of Aten worship too. This was a thread later picked up by Akhenaten , who as...
Tahtib dance or ancient Egyptian martial art stick fighting being performed in modern Egypt. Source: Traditional Sports
25 August, 2021 - 15:01 B. B. Wagner

Egypt’s Ancient Tahtib Martial Arts Form: Stick Fighting Warriors!

Tahtib is an ancient Egyptian stick fighting martial art that dates back to Egypt's Old Kingdom (2649-2130 BC) during the second millennium BC. This martial art emphasizes the use of a long stick for...
A modern statue of Eunus, leader of the First Servile War, in Enna. Source: rachid amrous /Adobe Stock
24 August, 2021 - 22:47 dhwty

Eunus: Slave ‘King’ and Leader of the First Servile War

The First Servile War was a large-scale slave revolt that lasted from 135 to 132 BC. The uprising, which broke out on the island of Sicily, pitted the rebellious slaves against the Roman Republic...
A small schist statuette shows Prince Thutmose as a miller grinding grain. Louvre Museum, Paris. Design by Anand N. Balaji (Public Domain); Deriv.
23 August, 2021 - 17:44 anand balaji

On The Trail Of The Mysterious Crown Prince Thutmose: The King Who Was Not To Be – Part I

Amenhotep IV, the youngest-known son of Pharaoh Nebmaatre Amenhotep III-heqa-Waset, ascended the throne at the height of Egypt’s golden age. The seeds for that efflorescent era of the Eighteenth...
The Maccabean Revolt: The Jewish Rebellion Against the Seleucid Empire
21 August, 2021 - 18:51 dhwty

The Maccabean Revolt: The Jewish Rebellion Against the Seleucid Empire

The Maccabean Revolt was a Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid Empire that took place during the 2nd century BC. Not long before the revolt, Jerusalem had been captured by the Seleucids. According...
The Holmgang was formalized but could still be deadly. Source: Alex_marina / Adobe Stock.
20 August, 2021 - 19:03 Aleksa Vučković

Fight For Your Honor! The Holmgang And Viking Law

Throughout their history, the Vikings were known as ferocious fighters, seafarers, raiders, and traders. The popular image depicts them as somewhat rambunctious and lawless - but that is far from the...
Callanish Stones (spanishjohnny72/ Adobe Stock)
20 August, 2021 - 18:45 ashley cowie

The Ancient Celtic Thresholds Of Liminal Time And Space

The ‘Veil of Isis’ is an ancient metaphor and allegorical motif of mythology where nature is personified as the goddess Isis covered by a veil representing the mystery and inaccessibility of nature's...
King Sahure. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain.
19 August, 2021 - 19:06 dhwty

King Sahure and His Beautiful Pyramid: A Rare Peaceful Pharaoh?

Sahure was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who lived during the Old Kingdom period. He was a ruler of the 5th Dynasty, and his reign was marked by peace and prosperity. Amongst other things, Sahure...
Leonidas at Thermopylae, by Jacques-Louis David (1814). (Public Domain)
18 August, 2021 - 18:09 Myke Cole

Thermopylae A Speedbump for the Persian War Machine

If there is a single event that made Sparta ’ s military legend a seminal moment when the ‘Bronze Lie’ was forged, it is the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, fought 10 years after Marathon . Nearly...
Where's the evidence for Robin Hood?
18 August, 2021 - 01:09 Kerry Sullivan

Why is the Evidence for Robin Hood as Elusive as the Man Himself?

The historic existence of the legendary English hero who ‘stole from the rich and gave to the poor’ is a perennial source of debate. Every few years, new evidence emerges of authenticity and possible...
Ancient ruins and island in water (Nikolai Sorokin / Adobe Stock)
16 August, 2021 - 22:20 Dr. Phil Flambas

Plato’s Prehistoric Athens Destroyed In A Neolithic Landslide

The Ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote his Atlantis story in two documents called the Timaeus and Critias . These writings date from about 360 BC and are the only known works that describe the...
Sarah Forbes Bonetta. Source: Joseph Langridge / Public Domain.
16 August, 2021 - 14:49 Bipin Dimri

Sarah Forbes Bonetta: Orphan, Slave, African Princess and Queen Victoria’s Goddaughter!

Sarah Forbes Bonetta was born as Omoba Aina in 1843, a princess of West Africa’s Yoruba people. At an early age, Omoba’s parents were killed and she was kidnapped by one of their rival kings. Fate...
Self-Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Source: MAMJODH / CC BY 2.0.
14 August, 2021 - 18:59 Bipin Dimri

Italian Peasant Or Oriental Slave: Who Was Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mother?

The real identity of da Vinci’s mother has always been shrouded in mystery, with historians remaining confused about Leonardo da Vinci’s maternal family. But now, a scholar has claimed that he found...

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