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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.

Mummy portrait, an ancient Egyptian style of post mortem portrait, of a woman from Egypt now housed in the Landesmuseum Württemberg Stuttgard. Source: CC BY-SA 4.0
12 November, 2021 - 00:57 Aleksa Vučković

Preserving Memories Through Time: The History of Post Mortem Portraits

People and cultures around the world have always understood death - the unavoidable part of everyone’s existence – in a multitude of ways. Some saw it as a gateway to a new life, while others viewed...
David and Jonathan.
11 November, 2021 - 00:50 Caleb Strom

David and Jonathan: A Secret Biblical Bromance?

The deep, emotional relationship that bonded David and Jonathan is related in the books of Samuel. The two are said to have formed a covenant of friendship, even though their situation essentially...
Samson and Delilah (1887) by Jose Etxenagusia (Public Domain)
10 November, 2021 - 20:54 Mary Naples

The Bible’s Bedeviling Bad Girls: Delilah, Jezebel And Salome

It should come as no surprise to most that the biblical writers were unfair to the gentler sex. After all, ever since Eve bit into the forbidden apple, the Good Book has been long obsessed with the...
“Litany of Ra” scene in the tomb of King Merenptah (KV8), Valley of the Kings, Luxor; design by Anand Balaji
10 November, 2021 - 00:59 anand balaji

Echoes of Eternal Egyptian Art: Masters of Form and Finesse—Part I

The ancient Egyptians were pioneers of various forms of art and architecture. Down the millennia, the world has been left awestruck by the design and purpose of their grandiose monuments, their...
The super painful initiation rite of the Sateré-Mawé people, one of the oldest native tribes of Brazil, involved wearing gloves full of stinging Bullet Ants. (Mongabay)
9 November, 2021 - 21:57 Aleksa Vučković

The 5 Most Terrifying Initiation Rites in History

Being a full-fledged member of any society was an important thing in many of the world’s oldest cultures. To be a part of the community, of the tribe, or the family, is one of the strongest human...
Hothouse Earth cycles, as proven by Harvard University's latest study, are extreme in heat and in rain with one following the other. Our near future will not be so extreme, but similarities are already apparent in droughts and deluges in many regions of planet Earth. Source: Günter Albers / Adobe Stock
9 November, 2021 - 17:57 Sahir

Extreme Heat Followed by Downpours Once Characterized ‘Hothouse Earth’

New research has found that the so-called hothouse Earth periods in our planet’s remote past were actually periods of extreme hot dry temperatures, hotter than today by 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit (17...
Even Viking warriors used body modification to stand out. Source: Fotokvadrat / Adobe Stock
9 November, 2021 - 13:57 Aleksa Vučković

From Tattoos to Elongated Skulls: A History of Body Modification

Since emergence of humankind, people have been fascinated by art. They began by painting intricate pieces upon cave walls, and then carved statuettes and symbols out of stone and antler. Soon after,...
Composite image of Osiris and his protective sisters Isis and Nephthys, overlain by Akhenaten’s face, all overlying the Ark and the winged cherubim, from Moses and Joshua Bowing before the Ark, gouache on board, by James Tissot, 1896-1902. Now in the Jewish Museum, New York. Author created.
8 November, 2021 - 20:39 Jonathon Perrin

Was the Ark Of The Covenant A Coffin – Secret Link To Osiris God Of The Dead

Why does the Bible refer to the Ark of the Covenant as a coffin ? Was someone buried in it? Was it a symbolic coffin, or even God’s coffin? The Bible describes the Ark as a sacred chest of wood and...
Medieval steel armor and iron gloved hands were products of Iron Age Europe. Source: Atmosphere / Adobe Stock
8 November, 2021 - 13:57 dhwty

Iron Age Europe: 2000 Years Of Change Rolls Across The Continent

The Iron Age is the name given to the third and last division of the Three Age System. The beginning and the end of the Iron Age varies according to region. Indeed, even in Europe, the Iron Age...
King Penda of Mercia. Source: breakermaximus / Adobe Stock
7 November, 2021 - 17:57 Meagan Dickerson

King Penda of Mercia: Militant Heathen or Visionary Statesman?

In his seminal work entitled Anglo-Saxon England published in 1943, Sir Frank Stenton states that “the overthrow of Penda meant the end of militant heathenism and the development of civilization in...
Another viewpoint of the Knossos palace at Heraklion, Crete, which is part of the extensive Knossos Palace ruins that are full of details relating to the great Minoan civilization of the Aegean Sea. ( vladimircaribb / Adobe Stock)
5 November, 2021 - 15:52 micki pistorius

Majestic Minoan Knossos: Palace Or Funeral Parlor

Before 1900, the general knowledge about an ancient civilization on Crete was limited to the Greek mythology of King Minos and the heroic Theseus, prince of Athens, who slayed the minotaur in the...
The La Tene culture Laténium landing stage in Hauterive on Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Source: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra / CC BY 2.0
5 November, 2021 - 13:58 Aleksa Vučković

How the Great La Tene Culture Changed Iron Age Europe

Speaking of the Iron Age, most people first think of wild barbarian tribes wielding their crude swords and tools made from iron. But the truth is often very far from this. This important age in world...
Mount Shasta's Mysteries. (Image: © 2021 D.W. Naef)
4 November, 2021 - 17:46 D.W. Naef

The Earth-Energy Hotspot Of Mount Shasta

Ever since prehistoric times spiritual seekers have acknowledged Mount Shasta, in Siskiyou County, California, as a sacred mountain. Could the unique geology and location of Mount Shasta have...
Detail; Byzantine Alexander Romance, Venice, 14th century.
4 November, 2021 - 13:02 David Grant

Fact or Fiction? The Obscure Origins of the Greek Alexander Romance

The Greek Alexander Romance , often referred to as a ‘pseudo-Callisthenes’ production, is in one form or another one of the most influential and widely read books of all time; it has birthed a whole...
Monk chronicler writes an ancient manuscript. Source: Nejron Photo / Adobe Stock
4 November, 2021 - 00:59 Aleksa Vučković

How Did it All Begin? The Rich Origins of the English Language

Language is a universal tool for every person in this world. It is the connecting link between nations, ethnicities, and people sharing a common background. The world of language is colorful and...
Balaam and the Angel, who is said to be the evil angel or Jewish Satan Mastema, by the painter Gustav Jaeger. Source: Gustav Jäger/ Public domain
2 November, 2021 - 18:00 Caleb Strom

The Jewish Satan Mastema and the Cosmic War Against God

The earliest Jewish accounts did not have a clear Satan figure, but one of the earliest to be named was Mastema. Mastema is portrayed as the adversary of God. Mastema has his origin in the Jewish...
Do you have royal genes? Source: master1305 / Adobe Stock
2 November, 2021 - 14:00 Nathan Falde

Do You Have Royal Genes? Almost Certainly, Statisticians Say

For the past 18 seasons, viewers of the BBC television show “Who Do You Think You Are?” have been watching with interest as guests from all walks of life discover surprising facts about their genetic...
Tracing The Footprints Of The Philistines To Minoan Knossos On Crete
1 November, 2021 - 13:43 micki pistorius

Tracing The Footprints Of The Philistines To Minoan Knossos On Crete

The year 1185 BC heralded a diaspora of the so-called Sea Peoples to the south-western coast of the Levantine. From the west they came in ships via the Mediterranean Sea and from the north they...
Detail of ‘The Battle of Pavia’ (1528-1531) by Bernard van Orley and William Dermoyen.
31 October, 2021 - 21:53 Riley Winters

The Battle of Pavia: Paving the Political Roads of Rival Rulers with Blood

February 24, 1525. A day that is not marked in infamy but in the blood of France. On this date, the Battle of Pavia occurred – the decisive event in a longstanding war and rivalry, and the crushing...
31 October, 2021 - 18:00 Laura Tabone

The Evil Eye in the Mediterranean: How to Avert Accidental Envy

The ancient Mediterranean belief of the evil eye still has its adherents today. Those who have the “eye” are thought to give bad luck unintentionally to anything or anyone that they are envious of...
Pazzi chapel, Santa Croce Florence, stills stands, but after the Pazzi Conspiracy against the Medici family, the Pazzis were banished and had to change their name. Source: adisa / Adobe Stock
30 October, 2021 - 23:00 dhwty

The Pazzi Conspiracy: How A Florentine Family Failed And Was Banished

The Pazzi Conspiracy was a plot during the 15th century to overthrow the Medici family, who controlled Florence at the time. The conspirators, led by the Pazzi family, aimed to achieve their goal by...
Ezekiel’s vision The Valley of Dry Bones: loswl / CC BY-SA 2.0 .
29 October, 2021 - 19:54 Michelle Freson

Seeking The Ten Lost Tribes Of Israel, Finding DNA

The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel have been considered lost for over 3,000 years, but recent evidence demonstrates that they were not lost, they had merely been scattered around the world and had...
A 16th century German man named Peter Stumpp was allegedly a werewolf!
28 October, 2021 - 00:09 ashley cowie

Germany’s Brutal Werewolf Belt and The Gut-Wrenching Execution of Peter Stumpp

Fans of the supernatural may have noticed a curious line in William Peter Blatty’s book The Exorcist. While talking about Satanism: "Well, there's William Stumpf, for example…a German in the...
Compilation of the overall appearance of the statue based on Greek and Roman statuettes of the Sun-God and corresponding reconstruction of the 120m (393 ft) tall tower, designed by ©Andrew Michael Chugg
27 October, 2021 - 17:11 Andrew Michael Chugg

The Pharos Lighthouse Of Alexandria – Second Sun And Seventh Wonder Of The Ancient World

The Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria was constructed in the first two decades of the third century BC and it may have been nominated as one of the world’s Seven Wonders as early as the middle of the...

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