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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.

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...
Gladiators fighting
15 July, 2020 - 22:05 dhwty

Gladiators: Ancient Romans Loved Their Deadly Games

The ancient Romans were known for many things – their engineering marvels, road networks, and the establishment of Roman law. They were, however, also renowned for their war-like nature. After all,...
A view of Gunung Padang, fifth terrace (© Beeyan / Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0)
15 July, 2020 - 21:34 davidchildress

The Mystery of Gunung Padang, Java and the Cham

Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital and largest city, is a sprawling mass of cars, trucks, motorcycles and street vendors that can take hours to drive through. Jakarta is the gateway to the small town of...
The Acropolis of Athens by Leo von Klenze (1846) (Public Domain)
13 July, 2020 - 20:35 Robin Waterfield

The Birth Of Greekness And The Great Land Grab

During the Archaic period in the eighth century BC, a tipping point was reached in Greece. Perhaps as a result of better nutrition and of changes in marriage practices, so that women married younger...
The Battle of Trafalgar, oil on canvas by John Christian Schetky, c. 1841. Source: Yale Center for British Art / Public Domain
12 July, 2020 - 23:03 Aleksa Vučković

The Battle of Trafalgar and the Deafening Thunder of English Cannons

There have been crucial periods in the modern history of Europe that shaped its future and dictated the destinies of many nations. Sadly, these periods were often marked by wars and conflicts in...
Sacred geometry deduces that certain geometrical shapes and proportions contain sacred meaning. The application of sacred geometry can be found in many civilizations around the world. Source: ekaart / Adobe Stock / Sacred Geometry Spiral (lightaspect / Adobe Stock)
11 July, 2020 - 13:57 dhwty

Sacred Geometry: Unlocking the Secret Structures of the Universe

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines geometry as “the area of mathematics relating to the study of space and the relationships between points, lines, curves, and surfaces”. This definition fits...
Detail of ‘The Maid of Orléans’ (1886) by Jan Matejko - Joan of Arc
10 July, 2020 - 19:14 dhwty

Speaking of Angels and Saints: The Story of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was a young peasant woman who lived during the last phase of the Hundred Years’ War . This war was a series of military conflicts between France and England which began in 1337 due to an...
The Phantom Time Hypothesis questions the motives and outcomes of Pope Gregory XIII's commission to reform the Julian calendar in 1582 Source: Scipio Turaminus / Public domain
10 July, 2020 - 18:35 B. B. Wagner

The Phantom Time Hypothesis: The Greatest Fiction Ever Written?

Most researchers and scholars alike praise the importance of studying history. “The Phantom Time Hypothesis” contradicts the reliability of written history and asks key questions. What if it turned...
Pythagoras advocating vegetarianism.
9 July, 2020 - 22:08 dhwty

Pythagoras: A Life Beyond Math and Science

Pythagoras is perhaps the most famous figure in the group of ancient Greek philosophers known as the Pre-Socratics. This is largely due to the Pythagorean Theorem, a mathematical theorem that is...
Catherine of Valois being presented to King Henry V of England at the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. Original print at the Rijksmuseum. Source: Rijksmuseum / CC0
9 July, 2020 - 13:56 dhwty

Catherine of Valois: Political Pawn, Dowager Queen and Life in the Shadows

Catherine of Valois was a French princess who lived during the 15 th century. Catherine is an important female figure in medieval English history, being the wife of one English king, and the mother...
Diorama showing trephination in Neolithic times (Wellcome Images / CC BY-SA 4.0)
8 July, 2020 - 18:50 ashley cowie

True Civilization Sites Predating the Neolithic Revolution

The beginnings of what archaeologists often call ‘true civilization’ are most often attributed to the Neolithic Revolution, which began at different places around the world from around 10,000 BC. It...
Holyrood Palace
7 July, 2020 - 23:31 Natalia Klimczak

Holyrood Palace: Royal Residence and Haunted House

Holyrood palace is a 12th century haunted palace that remains one of the most important residences of the British Royal Family. It fascinates visitors with its beauty and sometimes overwhelms them...
Scene from the tomb of Queen Eurydice, Vergina, Greece (c 340BC) (Public Domain)
6 July, 2020 - 22:23 MartiniF

Macedonian Game of Thrones Eurydice The Matriarch and Eurydice the Rebel

Eucleia, the ancient Greek female personification of glory and good repute, is the youngest of the Charites. She was the daughter of Hephaestus and Aglaea, the goddess of splendor and adoration...
The Rufus Stone in the New Forest, England, from sometime between 1890 and 1900. (Public Domain)
6 July, 2020 - 14:00 dhwty

The Rufus Stone: Memorial to William Rufus, Unpopular Norman King of England

The Rufus Stone is a memorial in the New Forest, England . The stone is alleged to mark the location where William II, the second Norman king of England, met his death. In reality, however, the exact...
Artist’s reconstruction of Lutetia by Dassault Systemes (YouTube screenshot)
5 July, 2020 - 23:02 dhwty

Ancient Lutetia: The Roman Roots of Paris

Over two millennia ago, France’s capital, Paris, was inhabited by Celtic Gauls who called their city Parisii. But then the Romans came and set up camp. They renamed their city Lutetia, meaning ‘place...

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