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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.

Do Akhenaten’s Links with Yom Kippur Traditions Shed New Light on Moses?
17 September, 2021 - 01:54 Jonathon Perrin

Do Akhenaten’s Links with Yom Kippur Traditions Shed New Light on Moses?

The holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur, means “Day of Atonement”. Marked by confession, repentance, and forgiveness, it takes place ten days after the Jewish New Year. Its origins remain to...
The Genesis Of Modern Religions In Ancient Egypt
15 September, 2021 - 20:56 Dr Edward Bruce...

The Genesis Of Modern Religions In Ancient Egypt

It is an irony of history that the three great religions of Europe and the Middle East, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, did not originate there but rather had their genesis, like the human species...
Theodora by Giuseppe de Sanctis (Public Domain)
13 September, 2021 - 20:29 MartiniF

Sociae Mimae: Ancient Roman Actresses Doing It For Themselves

When Thespis, a Greek performer, stepped on the stage in 534 BC and became the first known man to speak words as a character in a play or a narrative, he broke the tradition where ancient Greek...
Perast, Montenegro in a colorized postcard from circa 1900, includes the Palazzo of Count Vicko Bujović. Inset; Count Vicko Bujović of Perast. Source: Public domain Inset; Radio Kotor
12 September, 2021 - 18:41 Aleksa Vučković

The Thrilling Story of the Swashbuckling Count Vicko Bujović of Perast

We raise the sails as we delve deep into the archives of Perast, a maritime jewel of Montenegro facing Boka Bay. Once a great ally of the Venetian Republic, seemingly tiny Perast has huge history and...
‘Doge Pietro Loredan Beseeching the Virgin’ (detail). Source: Public Domain
11 September, 2021 - 22:53 dhwty

The Doges of Venice: Venetian Rulers for More than a Millennium

The Doge of Venice was the highest office in the Republic of Venice. This office existed for about a millennium, from the 8th century AD till the 18th century. The title of this office traces its...
Évora at night
10 September, 2021 - 19:30 Elyn and Gary

The Temple Of Diana And The Witch Of Évora

In the World Heritage Site of Évora, the capital of Portugal's south-central Alentejo region, one of the best-preserved Roman temples in the Iberian Peninsula dominates the centre of a large plaza at...
The Sun rising over the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem’s golden Dome of the Rock. Source: Px Fuel / CC0
9 September, 2021 - 18:39 Jonathon Perrin

Secret Connections Between Yom Kippur and Pharaoh Akhenaten

As Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar approaches, this article delves into the religious traditions that are followed by millions at this time of year. But it goes further, noticing...
Grianán of Aileach (Bruno Biancardi / Adobe Stock)
8 September, 2021 - 21:08 ashley cowie

Ireland’s Tuatha Dé Danann: Descendants Of The Fallen Angels From Canaan

Rebellious, fallen angels, who were expelled from heaven to earth populate the mythologies and religious texts of the three main Abrahamic religions. However, the term ‘fallen angel’ appears neither...
The Bocksten Man is the remains of a Medieval male body found in a bog in Varberg Municipality, Sweden (CC BY-SA 2.0)
6 September, 2021 - 21:50 jim willis

Windover Bog Bodies Resetting Human Habitation Timeline In America

When anthropologists think about bog bodies, their thoughts usually turn to Ireland. Waterlogged sections of land rich in dead plant material that has, over the centuries, converted to peat, provides...
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...

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