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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.

Prester John was a legendary Medieval king. Source: diter / Adobe Stock
9 August, 2020 - 14:07 dhwty

The Legend of Prester John and His Lost Kingdom in the East

Prester John (known also as Presbyter John or John the Elder) was a legendary figure in Europe during the Medieval and Early Modern periods. Europeans living at that time believed that Prester John...
Hagia Sophia in February 2020 (A.Savin/ Public Domain)
7 August, 2020 - 20:31 jim willis

The Storied Past of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia

On July 12, 2020, Pope Francis stood silently in a pulpit placed in the large window overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in Rome. He had just delivered the weekly Angelus prayer given each...
The Second Scorpion King of Ancient Egypt
6 August, 2020 - 18:59 Natalia Klimczak

Searching for the Lost Footsteps of the Scorpion Kings

There were two Scorpion Kings in the pre-dynastic period of ancient Egypt. They were forgotten by most of the world until Dwayne Johnson played one of the rulers in the famous movie ‘The Scorpion...
The Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan (Image: © David H Childress)
6 August, 2020 - 00:40 davidchildress

The Enigma Of The Unfinished Obelisk At Aswan

The standard definition of an obelisk is a monolithic stone monument whose four sides, which generally carry inscriptions, gently taper into a pyramidion at the top. These massive, pointed shafts of...
Shadow of a eunuch in the Forbidden City of China
5 August, 2020 - 21:51 dhwty

The Fascinating Life of a Chinese Eunuch in the Forbidden City

The Inner Court of China’s Forbidden City was the emperor’s private realm, where no other men were allowed to linger for too long. Officials, military personnel, and even male relatives of the...
King Arthur. Detail. Charles Ernest Butler, 1903.
4 August, 2020 - 18:49 Graham Phillips

Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Birthplace of King Arthur: Legends Come to Life?

The discovery of 1500-year-old ruins at Tintagel in south-west England made headlines around the world. What appear to the be the walls of a Dark Age palace have been found in the exact place, and...
Orion and adjacent constellations.( Sanu N/ CC BY-SA 4.0)
3 August, 2020 - 18:51 jim willis

Orion, Cygnus And The Mysteries Of The North Sky

Of all the mysteries and forgotten wisdom of lost civilizations, perhaps the most profound examples are to be found in their study of the heavens. It is not that modern man lacks information about...
African slave turned king. Credit: Max / Adobe Stock
1 August, 2020 - 19:05 B. B. Wagner

Slave Turned King: The Rule of Miguel De Buria of Venezuela

In Venezuela’s early history, between 1552 to 1555, lies the first and most famous historical account of a slave revolt in the new world. This rebellion was led by Miguel de Buria, who not only won...
Transcript of The Silvery Water by Ibn Umayl at-Tamîmî by An Islamic artist 739H/1339, probably in Baghdad. Topkapi Library (Public Domain)
1 August, 2020 - 00:04 ashley cowie

Grandfathers of Alchemy, Forefathers Of Chemistry

Alchemy is a word almost everyone has heard of, but few have ever committed more than a handful of hours trying to grasp what this heavily loaded symbolic word actually means, in its entirely. So...
Mother Shipton's Cave
31 July, 2020 - 23:11 Natalia Klimczak

Mother Shipton’s Cave of Magic, Mystery, and Prophecy

According to legend, one of the most famous mystical women of England was born in a cave in Knaresborough, Yorkshire. The place of her birth, now known as Mother Shipton’s Cave, continues to be a...
Ancient Greek Olympics were a fundamental aspect of ancient Greek culture. Various types of running took place during the games, along with equestrian sports and combat sports. Source: sebos / Adobe Stock
31 July, 2020 - 14:02 Riley Winters

From Myth to Reality: Olympia and the Ancient Greek Olympics

The Olympics , as they exist today, are but a shadow of their former glory. Though there are more activities and participants in the modern games, they do little to entice and arouse the Greek...
Barbara Erni was a famous con artist in the 1700s whose treacherous trunk trick earned her a reputation, and ultimately an untimely end. Source: Thicha & Andrey Kiselev / Adobe Stock
30 July, 2020 - 22:51 Aleksa Vučković

The Brazen Cons of Barbara Erni and Gregor MacGregor

Throughout our relatively modern history, con artists, thieves, and scammers have been a dime a dozen. In dire times of poverty and lawlessness, shrewd and mischievous people resorted to the world of...
Cupid the Honey Thief by Albrecht Dürer (1514) Kunsthistorisches Museum (Public Domain)
29 July, 2020 - 18:12 Roberto Volterri

To Bee Or Not to Bee In The History Of Mankind

“ Sì come schiera d'ape, che s'infiora / as a host of bees, which blooms” said Dante Alighieri in Paradiso , XXXI, v.7 The Popol Vuh , the sacred book of the mythology of the Maya, tells how the bee...
The Classis Britannica was an important fleet in the Roman Navy. Source: RadoJavor/Deviant Art
29 July, 2020 - 13:59 John S. Richardson

Powerhouse of the Roman Navy: The Classis Britannica

The Roman Empire is perhaps best known for its legions, which were famous for their ability to overcome even their greatest defeats. However, while the legions of Rome were the all-conquering land...
A 19th century ukiyo-e by Kuniyoshi depicting the ships of the great sea expedition sent around 219 BC by the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to find the legendary home of the immortals, the Mount Penglai, and retrieve the elixir of immortality. (Public Domain)
27 July, 2020 - 18:35 MartiniF

Sacred Islands Of Exotic Eastern Gods And Elixir Of The Immortals

Classic works such as Odyssey by Homer, The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe tell about mysterious distant islands. These islands are usually exotic and inaccessible...
Darya Saltykova, aka Saltychikha, was an abusive and unchecked aristocrat, known for murdering 139 serfs on Yroitskoe estate near Moscow in Russia. Adapted from Portrait of Countess Darya Petrovna Saltykova by François-Hubert Drouais. Source: Public domain
25 July, 2020 - 18:58 B. B. Wagner

Darya Saltykova: Cruel Russian Aristocrat with a Taste for Murder

In 1768, Darya Nokolayevna Ivanova Saltykova, better known as Saltychikha , was found guilty for the murder of 139 serfs under her care. Of that number, only 38 were confirmed due to the immense fear...
Amphipolis Tomb: The pebble mosaic in the floor of the second chamber with a damaged area in the center of the original restored in this ©drawing by A. M. Chugg.
24 July, 2020 - 15:56 Andrew Michael Chugg

Which Mysterious Macedonian Royal Was Buried At Amphipolis?

Amphipolis is situated upon the eastern bank of the River Strymon about five kilometers (3.10 miles) inland from the northern shore of the Aegean Sea. In the time of Alexander the Great and his...
Five sangomas at an Umgido Ceremony in Zululand (Wizzy/ CC BY-SA 3.0)
22 July, 2020 - 21:39 micki pistorius

Busakatsi Witchcraft in Africa: Religion Or Criminal Act

The world is under the impression that the scourge of witch hunts came to an end in the 18th century. Cory was among the seven women and one man hanged as witches on September 22, 1692 in America and...
Painting of Smilodon populator from the American Museum of Natural History by Charles Knight (1903) (Public Domain)
20 July, 2020 - 23:11 ashley cowie

The Deadliest Man Eaters In Mankind’s Evolutionary History

Humans are the most successful predator on the planet and stand sentinel at the spearhead of the planetary food chain, but this was not an achievement that came easy. Mankind’s ancestors had to fight...
Ancient Bengali Buddhists helped spread the religion to Tibet.
20 July, 2020 - 18:51 Saurav Ranjan Datta

How Ancient Bengalis Established Buddhism in Tibet

The history of the Indian sub-continent’s Bengal region dates back to ancient times. This long history includes India’s most famous epic stories including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata . Ancient...
Sophocles
18 July, 2020 - 15:51 dhwty

Sophocles: Archetypal Master of Greek Tragedy

Sophocles was a playwright who lived in Greece during the 5 th century BC. He is one of the three Greek writers of tragedy (the other two being Aeschylus and Euripides) whose works have survived till...
The harsh conditions did not deter Viking Hrafna-Flóki from settling Iceland Source: Sergio / Adobe Stock
17 July, 2020 - 23:00 Aleksa Vučković

Settlement of Iceland: Viking Hrafna-Flóki’s Real Journey

Iceland is a large Nordic island country, and one of the most sparsely populated nations in Europe. This remote island is known for its iconic North Atlantic climate and somewhat inhospitable nature...
Prince Thutmose's schist recumbent bier (Soutekh67 / CC BY-SA 4.0)
17 July, 2020 - 21:34 Calumy

The Missing Prince And The Missing Papyri

A strange mystery baffled Egyptologists when opening the tombs of kings who had been laid to rest in The Valley of the Kings. In 1816 explorer Giovanni Belzoni had reached the far end of the valley...
Was the Queen Anne’s Revenge deliberately beached by Blackbeard
17 July, 2020 - 18:51 ashley cowie

Did Blackbeard’s Pirate Legacy End With ‘Leaks' Rather Than Mistakes?

Sitting on a throne during the Golden Age of Pirates , Blackbeard , or Edward Teach (1680-1718), was an English pirate who famously terrorized the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North...

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