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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.

Queen Anula of Anuradhapura poisoned her lovers and positioned her new lovers to rule. Source: Caribia / Adobe Stock.
30 March, 2020 - 18:59 dhwty

Queen Anula of Anuradhapura - A Reign Born of Poison

Anula was a queen of Anuradhapura, an ancient kingdom that ruled over Sri Lanka. Anula is recorded as the first queen in Sri Lanka who wielded a significant degree of power and authority. In addition...
Medieval Anchorites Were Experts at Self-Isolation, And They Give This Advice
30 March, 2020 - 02:02 ancient-origins

Medieval Anchorites Were Experts at Self-Isolation, And They Give This Advice

The pandemic of COVID-19 is often called “unprecedented” – and for many people cooped up in their homes in different countries, the experience is both unparalleled and challenging. But in late-...
On March 29th ancient people sharpened their swords and went to battle under the power of their resurrected sun gods. Source: Oleksandr /Adobe Stock
29 March, 2020 - 22:05 ashley cowie

March 29: When Viking and Christian Sun Gods Drew Swords

Easter corresponds with the first Sunday following the full moon after the March equinox and as such the holy day occurs on different dates around the Christian world. However, the story of the...
Detail of ‘The Love Potion’ (1903) by Evelyn de Morgan. Unlike the creation of this woman, Locusta of Gaul’s potions were made in hatred. Source: Public Domain
28 March, 2020 - 12:49 Aleksa Vučković

Locusta of Gaul – Nero’s Notorious Poison Maker

Poison was always the silent killer. Kings and emperors fell prey to it as easily as an unsuspecting servant. Throughout medieval and classical history, poison and those who knew how to prepare it...
Marforio at the Musei Capitolini (Public Domain)
27 March, 2020 - 22:20 Roberto Volterri

Vox Populi: Ancient Gossip of the Talking Statues of Rome

Medieval Italy gave birth to the most talented sculptors, such as Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Rome hosts some of the most famous sculptures such as the Pieta, Moses, David and the busts...
Representative image of the philosopher Anaximander.
27 March, 2020 - 20:35 dhwty

Anaximander of Miletus and His Philosophy on the Origin of All Things

Whence things have their origin, Thence also their destruction happens, As is the order of things; For they execute the sentence upon one another – The condemnation for the crime – In conformity with...
The Deadly Elixir of Life – Was a Shot at Immortality Worth the Risk?
27 March, 2020 - 13:02 dhwty

The Deadly Elixir of Life – Was a Shot at Immortality Worth the Risk?

The elixir of immortality (known also as the elixir of life) is a mythical substance believed to grant those who consume it eternal life. Various civilizations throughout human history have their own...
Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba
26 March, 2020 - 21:46 dhwty

Queen Nzinga: A Courageous Ruler who Set Her People Free

Queen Anna Nzinga, also known as Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbande, was a queen of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms (occupying what is today the country of Angola in the southern part of Africa) who lived...
The Pleiades by Elihu Vedder (1885) Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public Domain)
25 March, 2020 - 23:54 Felice Vinci

The Pleiades, Blue Print of the Seven Hills of Rome and Other Sacred Cities

Two thousand years after the death of Ovid – the Roman poet who was banished by Augustus from Rome to the remote town of Tomis on the Black Sea in 8 AD – the reason for his exile remains a mystery...
Close up of Lindow Man. Source: Verity / CC BY-SA 2.0.
25 March, 2020 - 22:05 dhwty

Lindow Man – What Killed England’s Oldest Celebrity?

Lindow Man, officially known as Lindow II, is the name given to a bog body that was discovered in Cheshire, North West England. Radiocarbon dating of Lindow Man shows that he lived around the 1st...
The Olympic Games Tokyo 202has been postponed. Source: kovop58 – Adobe Stock
24 March, 2020 - 17:57 Ed Whelan

Olympic Games Postponed for the First Time in History

The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has been announced today. This had long been expected because of the global crisis caused by the Covid 19 or Coronavirus outbreak. It is the first time in...
Mount Vesuvius: a volcanic eruption at the foot of the mount by Pietro Fabris, (1776). (Wellcome Images)
23 March, 2020 - 23:00 ashley cowie

Wrath of the Gods: Historic Eco-Armageddons

Today human cultures suffer nuclear power station meltdowns, rivers of plastics destroying natural environments and petrol fumes clogging cities’ airways and human arteries, but ancient history is...
What happened to the Maya? This mysterious civilization dominated parts of Central America for over a 1000 years, but then, seemingly fell quite dramatically. Source: PeekCC / Adobe stock
23 March, 2020 - 18:01 dhwty

What Happened to the Maya?

The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization that was located in Central America. The beginnings of the Maya civilization have been dated to the 2 nd millennium BC. Around the 9 th century...
The Spanish Empire and the New World. Source: CanBea87 / CC BY-SA 4.0.
23 March, 2020 - 12:53 dhwty

Did the Conquest of the New World Save the Spanish Empire?

The Spanish Empire was one of the earliest (and longest-lasting) European colonial empires. It was established towards the end of the 15th century, when the New World was discovered. The Spanish...
Mary, Queen of Scots: Tragic Heroine or Conniving Conspirator?
22 March, 2020 - 13:04 dhwty

Mary, Queen of Scots: Tragic Heroine or Conniving Conspirator?

Mary I of Scotland, popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots, is one of the best-known Scottish monarchs. Mary was a contemporary, and cousin, of Queen Elizabeth I of England. However, they the two...
The inside of measuring shaft of the Roda nilometer. (Baldiri / CC BY-SA 3.0)
21 March, 2020 - 18:15 dhwty

Nilometers: Ancient Egypt’s Ingenious Invention Used Until Modern Times

For thousands of years, nilometers measured the water level of the Nile River during the annual flood season. This, in turn, was used to predict the fortunes of the annual harvest, the taxes to be...
Representation of life in medieval Europe at a vineyard. Source: ruskpp /Adobe Stock
21 March, 2020 - 13:03 Aleksa Vučković

How Bad was Life in Medieval Europe Really?

When we think about the life in medieval Europe, we tend to conjure up grim and dismal images of war, poverty, sickness, and the Dark Ages . But was it truly so dark? Is there more to it, or are we...
Everyday Life in Old China 06 (Public Domain)
20 March, 2020 - 16:30 MartiniF

A History of Hairpins and Hairdo’s of Ancient Women in Eastern Asia

Confucian values in ancient China held that since one's hair is a gift from one's parents it is to be treated with utmost respect. This rule applies to men and women alike. Haircuts were therefore...
Mosaic of the baptism of Jesus Christ by Saint John the Baptist in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2016. Source: Adam Ján Figeľ / Adobe stock
20 March, 2020 - 13:10 Caleb Strom

Jewish Prophet and Christian Saint – Who Was John the Baptist?

John the Baptist was a Jewish preacher and prophet who is believed to have been a forerunner to Jesus Christ . In the Book of Matthew in the Greek New Testament, John is depicted as another Elijah...
The minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Source: robnaw / Adobe Stock.
20 March, 2020 - 00:57 dhwty

Minarets: The Lighthouses of Spiritual Calling

The minaret is one of the most recognizable elements of Islamic religious architecture. Essentially, the minaret is a tower attached to a mosque. In the past, the minaret served mainly as the from...
1780 map of the Mascarenes; Reunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues (Public Domain)
19 March, 2020 - 00:10 ashley cowie

Treasure Hunters Seeking Hide-Outs of Mascarene Pirates

In 1512 Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, identified a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar as the Mascarene islands (modern-day Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues). The...
Oneiromancy, dream divination, was very important in ancient Mesopotamia
17 March, 2020 - 18:40 dhwty

Oneiromancy: Dream Predictions in Ancient Mesopotamia

Oneiromancy is a form of divination in which dreams are interpreted in order to predict the future. This form of divination was practiced in many parts of the world, including the ancient...
Elegant Gathering in the Apricot Garden (1437) Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)
17 March, 2020 - 02:25 jim willis

Lessons from the Masters Siddharta, K’Ung Ch’iu and the Old Man

One version of an old story has it that when Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born, a local priest visited the family compound and prophesied that the young man would grow up to be either an emperor or...
Ancient skulls bearing evidence of trephination - a telltale hole surgically cut into the cranium - found in Peru. Source: University of Miami
16 March, 2020 - 18:05 dhwty

Trephination: The Oldest Evidenced Surgery Still in Use Today?

Trephination (known also as trepanning, trepanation, trephining, or making a burr hole), is a surgical procedure, which involves the drilling of a hole in the skull of a living person. Trephination...

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