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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.

Nakhtpaaten may have been the first commuter, crossing ancient Amarna to his daily job as royal vizier. Illustration of an imagined ancient Egyptian city. Source: KHBandak / Adobe Stock
26 January, 2023 - 17:49 Aleksa Vučković

Walk (to Work) Like an Egyptian: Nakhtpaaten, the First Commuter

In the modern world, traveling to and from work seems to be a relatively easy thing to do. Whether by bus, car, or metro, getting to your workplace is rarely a challenge. But what about the ancient...
Beautyberries (left) have revealed insights about mint family composition. Source: Left: Tom Cardrick / Adobe Stock; Right: Public Domain
26 January, 2023 - 13:54 Nathan Falde

Ancient Medicinal Mint Has Untapped Potential, New Research Reveals

Researchers from Michigan State University recently completed a comprehensive study of the genomes of several species of mint plants , to trace their evolutionary pathways at the chemical level...
Bea De Cupere from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences with one of the mummified crocodiles. Source: Patricia Mora Riudavets / Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
20 January, 2023 - 21:59 Nathan Falde

Mummified Crocodiles Sacrificed to the Gods Uncovered in Egypt

While performing excavations at a site known as Qubbat al-Hawā in southern Egypt in 2019, archaeologists from the University of Jaén in Spain made a strange and startling discovery. They unearthed a...
The Faiyum Oasis extends for hundreds of miles, and has enabled life and civilization in the Nile River Valley. Source: Nader / Adobe Stock
20 January, 2023 - 00:52 Robbie Mitchell

Faiyum Oasis: The Heart-Shaped Hidden Garden of Egypt

In TV shows and movies, if an oasis is shown, it is usually either a mirage or some tiny pool of water next to a palm tree in the middle of the desert. We could be forgiven for thinking that all...
Scene from the funeral service for Constantine II at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. Source: YouTube Screenshot
17 January, 2023 - 21:59 Nathan Falde

European Monarchies Pay Their Respects at the Funeral of Greece's Last King

The last man to serve as King of Greece, Constantine II, passed away on January 10, 2023 in an Athens hospital from complications related to a stroke. Constantine II hadn’t served as king since the...
Minoan Bronze Age family harvesting grain. The new study posits that cousins married to protect their family farmland. Source: Nikola Nevenov / Nature
17 January, 2023 - 00:57 ashley cowie

Cousins Married to Protect Their Farmland in Bronze Age Greece

It was “customary” for cousins to marry in the Aegean Bronze Age, according to a team of archaeogeneticists studying ancient social customs. Cousin marriage is defined as the legal union of two...
Tŷ Hyll (The Ugly House) near Betws-Y-Coed, inspired by the one night house tradition Source: Steve Daniels / CC BY SA 2.0
16 January, 2023 - 21:51 Lex Leigh

The One Night House: Squatters from Welsh Folklore

The story of the one night house, or tŷ unnos, is something heard from a friend or relative. The Welsh custom is a quaint tradition with interesting roots. Oral history is keeping the concept alive,...
Sword fighters were highly skilled warriors, but these seven are legendary. Source: adimas / Adobe Stock
14 January, 2023 - 18:00 Robbie Mitchell

7 of The Most Skilled Sword Fighters in History

Besides perhaps the gun, no other weapon has been as heavily romanticized as the sword. For millennia, we’ve been using the sword to settle debates, both personal quarrels in the form of duels, and...
Mythical creatures from around the world include the legendary Griffin shown here. Source: ShiaoHuai / Adobe Stock
14 January, 2023 - 01:03 Joanna Gillan

Ten Mythical Creatures in Ancient Folklore from Around the World

Mythical creatures, legendary beasts , and supernatural, mystical, and god-like beings have fascinated us since ancient times. They have filled folklore, stories, songs, and works of art. Sometimes...
The Great Pyramid, south side. Source: © Jonathon A. Perrin
13 January, 2023 - 21:50 Jonathon Perrin

The Lost Egyptian Origins of the Superstitious Numbers 13 and 18

The superstitious numbers 13 and 18 both have a long history reaching back millennia. The first is usually regarded as unlucky, the latter, lucky – but why? What are the actual origins of these...
The latest innovation in home DNA tests uses ancient DNA to reveal unique insights into ancestry. Source: cooperr / Adobe Stock
13 January, 2023 - 17:58 Dr. Eran Elhaik

Are You Related To An Ancient VIP?

Home DNA testing has exploded in popularity in recent years, with millions of people around the world using these kits to learn more about their ancestry and genetic health risks. However, while...
January 14th, the day after St Knut’s Day, in Stockholm, Sweden is when everyone tosses out the Christmas tree but only after a good party the day before! Source: Swedense
13 January, 2023 - 13:59 Lex Leigh

St Knut’s Day: Jan 13 - The Scandinavian Fun Finale To Christmas!

Every culture has its own unique holidays and traditions, but one of the most interesting cultural holidays is St Knut’s Day. St Knut’s Day, also known as the Feast of St Knut, is a traditional...
Roland the Farter’s flatulence was seemingly so impressive that it garnered a gift of land from King Henry I. Painting of The Court Jester by John Watson Nicol, 1895 Source: Public Domain
10 January, 2023 - 00:54 Sahir

Roland the Farter: Medieval England’s Celebrity Flatulist

A manor in Suffolk and a whopping 30 acres (12 hectares) of land was given to a person who was renowned for his ability to gas, quite literally, at the behest of King Henry II. Roland le Petour, also...
The complex Mesoamerican calendars have fascinated for centuries. New LiDar surveys provide evidence that they were used much earlier than previously thought. Source: Frenta / Adobe Stock
8 January, 2023 - 17:51 Sahir

Lasers Map Mysteries of the Maya Calendar, Centuries Older than Thought

Renowned for their precision, vision, and place in time, Mesoamerican calendars have long been held up as an example of the early advancement of the civilizations of the indigenous people of North,...
The abandoned city of Craco, Italy. Source: Tupungato / Adobe Stock
7 January, 2023 - 17:53 Joanna Gillan

14 Stunning Pictures of Ancient Ghost Towns

Whether the result of war, famine, disaster, or an empire’s downfall, hundreds of ancient and medieval towns and cities across the world have become deserted . Many of them remain today as abandoned...
Some of these ancient medical treatments will make you understand how the ‘mad doctor’ trope got started. Source: vchalup / Adobe Stock
7 January, 2023 - 14:00 Lex Leigh

Murderous Medicine: Six Strange and Horrifying Ancient Medical Treatments

The medical field has advanced significantly compared to where it was fifty years ago, let alone over 1,000 years ago. Although modern technology has allowed us to understand more about the human...
Tzolkin section in the Dresden Codex, starting from the day 1, Manik'. (Lacambalam /CC BY-SA 4.0)
7 January, 2023 - 00:57 Marie D. Jones ...

Sacred Calendars and New Years: Cycles of Time and Ages

The global holiday of a new year symbolizes all we have experienced for the duration of the year, and all our hopes and dreams for the year ahead. Such observances date back over 4,000 years, often...
A Byzantine depiction of the Three Wise Men (526 AD) from the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy. Source: Nina-no / CC BY-SA 2.5
6 January, 2023 - 13:56 dhwty

The Feast of Epiphany: Who Were The Three Kings and Where Did They Come From?

In Western Christianity, the feast of Epiphany, also known as Three Kings’ Day, is celebrated annually on the 6th January to commemorate the visit of the Magi , wise men, or kings from the East to...
Massacres have been a near constant in human history. Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting The Triumph of Death, circa 1562. Source: Public Domain
4 January, 2023 - 21:56 Robbie Mitchell

The Stories Behind Seven of the Worst Massacres in Ancient History

We all know that the ancient world was a violent place, but we often don’t appreciate just how violent it was. The world was in a near-constant state of bloodshed and warfare. Massacres and mass...
This capacocha victim, a boy recovered from Cerro El Plomo in 1954, was the first finding of its kind to be the subject of scientific studies. Pictured with excavated grave goods: a female silver statuette, gold llamas and spondylus shell, a chuspa stuffed with coca leaves, scrotum and animal intestine bags with clippings of nails, hair and teeth, and a silver bracelet. Source: Jisa39 / CC BY SA 4.0
4 January, 2023 - 13:52 Robbie Mitchell

Capacocha: Ritualized Child Sacrifice in the Inca Empire

The Inca were an impressive people. From the 1400s to 1532, they created an empire so large it spread from modern Ecuador to central Chile. Master builders that rivaled the ancient Egyptians, their...
Hyperinflation is commonly caused by rapidly printing currency, and the Yuan dynasty printed non-stop to fund war. Shown: Bills from the Xuantong era (1909-1911) Source: Public Domain
4 January, 2023 - 00:59 Sahir

Did the Yuan Dynasty's Use of Paper Money Cause Hyperinflation?

Although China’s pre-revolution hyperinflation during the 1940s is the one that one often hears about, there is a less-documented hyperinflation that occurred in ancient China. The first civilization...
The plague of Athens killed between 25-33% of the ancient city’s population, yet what happened is still a mystery. This oil painting by Michael Sweerts, circa 1652, is called “Plague in an Ancient City,” and some scholars interpret it as a depiction of the Athenian plague that broke out in 430 B.C. Source: Public Domain
3 January, 2023 - 13:59 Sahir

The Plague of Athens Killed Over a Quarter of the City's Population

Pandemics and plagues seem to be the flavor of this decade, occurring at regular intervals throughout history. Some pandemics have been nipped in the bud due to effective collective action or by...
Toasting with champagne and sparklers is a New Year’s tradition, or is it a ritual? Source: Valerii/Adobe Stock
3 January, 2023 - 01:00 ancient origins

Why Rituals Have Been Crucial for Humans Throughout History

By Michelle Langley /The Conversation Each December, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, among others, take over our thoughts and our wallets as we participate in ceremonies our ancestors have practiced...
Many child monarchs were commanding empires before they could walk or talk! Source: liyasov / Adobe Stock
2 January, 2023 - 13:58 Robbie Mitchell

7 Child Monarchs from History and How They Changed the World

When we think of a king or queen, more often than not we conjure an image of someone who is a little… advanced in years. But the truth is, not all monarchs have to wait as long as King Charles, who...

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