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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.

Representation of a powerful wife of a Turkish Sultan
7 May, 2020 - 21:05 Natalia Klimczak

Kosem Sultan - The Last Influential Female Ruler of the Ottoman Empire

Kosem Sultan was a woman who refused to be just another widow on the Ottoman court - instead she became a real ruler of the empire. Her decisions made such an impact, that after her death noblemen in...
Sarcophagus of Tutankhamun with close up on the crook and flail. Source: Public Domain
7 May, 2020 - 19:14 Michelle Freson

Why Did the Humble Crook and Flail Symbolism Appeal to the Pharaohs?

Kings and queens, monarchs, emperors and rulers all over the world, through time immemorial, have had the responsibility of leading their people and defending their kingdoms. Monarchs are viewed as...
(Image: ©Alistair Coombs. Scorpius constellation Arote/AdobeStock;Deriv.)
7 May, 2020 - 00:32 jim willis

Göbekli Tepe: Enoch’s ‘Art of Building’ Hidden in the Bowels of the Earth

From its initial discovery in 1994, ancient Anatolia's Göbekli Tepe has closely guarded a mysterious secret. Although the secret has been scrutinized and probed in great detail, the answer still...
Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind the Obelisks
6 May, 2020 - 19:58 Kerry Sullivan

Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind Three Awe-Inspiring Obelisks

Cleopatra’s Needle is the name shared by three ancient Egyptian obelisks – one in New York City, one in London, and one in Paris. However, each comes from a different Egyptian site and none may have...
The Achaean League unified the city states. Source: matiasdelcarmine / Adobe Stock.
6 May, 2020 - 14:03 dhwty

The Achaean League’s Struggle and Beginnings of Federalism

The Achaean League was a confederation of Greek city states based on the Peloponnese Peninsula. There were, as a matter of fact, two Achaean Leagues in Greece’s history. The original Achaean League...
A 17th century painting of Heraclitus, by Johannes Moreelse.
5 May, 2020 - 19:17 dhwty

Heraclitus: Eminent Doctrines of a Pre-Socratic Riddler who Loved Conflict

Heraclitus of Ephesus was a Pre-Socratic philosopher who lived during the 6th century BC. He wrote a book which recorded his controversial philosophical thoughts. This book, which was deposited in...
The Plague in Rome by Jules Elie Delaunay (1869) Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Public Domain)
5 May, 2020 - 01:01 victor labate

Diseases and Pandemics in Ancient Rome

During antiquity, Rome was an international metropolis, a melting pot bustling with people from all four corners of the empire. The city had impressive marble structures towering over overcrowded...
Entrance to the Luxor Temple at sunset showing the obelisk and statues of pharaohs
4 May, 2020 - 14:02 dhwty

Luxor Temple: The Sacred Sanctuary With An Eternal Legacy

Luxor Temple is one of the most famous temple complexes in Egypt. This temple complex is situated on the east bank of the Nile River, in Luxor, the main city of Upper Egypt’s fourth nome. Luxor...
The Founding of Australia (public domain)
4 May, 2020 - 01:53 ancient-origins

Botany and The Colonization of Australia in 1770

James Cook and his companions aboard the Endeavour landed at a harbour on Australia’s southeast coast in April of 1770. Cook named the place Botany Bay for “the great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and...
Lion hunt. Mosaic from Pella (ancient Macedonia), late 4th century BC, depicting Alexander the Great and Craterus. Housed in the Pella Museum. Image: Public Domain
2 May, 2020 - 18:51 B. B. Wagner

Alexander the Great: God of Youth and Ambition?

Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), was a Macedonian king who ruled over an expansive empire that reached from Greece to the Gandharan regions of Pakistan...
Orestes Pursued by the Furies by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1862) (Public Domain)
2 May, 2020 - 01:30 MartiniF

Aristophanes and Euripides: The Comedy and Tragedy of Fifth Century BC Greek Women

Euripides (circa 480 – 406 BC) was the last of the three great tragedians of Classical Greece - the other two being Aeschylus, the ‘Father of Tragedy’ who, among many others wrote Agamemnon (458 BC)...
Research shows that Egypt’s pyramids and other megaliths worldwide are able to collect and focus electromagnetic energy. Could this be linked to accessing genetic memory and savant-like abilities? Pictured: a representation of the power of the mind. Source: agsandrew / Adobe stock
1 May, 2020 - 22:48 Freddie Levy

How the Ancients Accessed Genetic Memory and Savant-Like Abilities

The concept known as “genetic memory” is much less studied and far more controversial than what we know as “regular” memory. Whilst there are a multitude of other examples in animals (see: Gallagher...
Danevirke wall defended the Danes in the north from the Germanic and Slav tribes. Source: khosrork / Adobe Stock
30 April, 2020 - 02:04 Aleksa Vučković

From the Vikings to WWII, the Danevirke Wall Has Seen it All

All through classical history, imposing and long walls, ramparts, and fortifications played a significant role in securing the borders of nations and kingdoms from all sorts of incursions and attacks...
The Milky Way is important in Australian Aboriginal astronomy
30 April, 2020 - 00:44 dhwty

Looking to the Stars of Australian Aboriginal Astronomy

Astronomy played an important role in many ancient societies. Through this natural science, the ancients were able to make calendars, navigate during the night, and even explore the nature of the...
The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession by Lucas de Heere (1572) National Museum Cardiff (Public Domain)
29 April, 2020 - 19:27 ashley cowie

Things: Old Viking Parliaments, Courts And Community Assemblies

Ancient governmental terminology such as monarchy, oligarchy and democracy have been used for more than 2,000 years and have Greek and Roman origin, but in Early Germanic societies, right up to the...
Portrait of Catherine the Great of Russia (1729-1796) (cropped) by Fydor Rokotov Source: Public Domain
29 April, 2020 - 02:01 Aleksa Vučković

Destined for Glory: The Reign of Empress Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great takes up a rare role in the history of Russian rulers and Emperors. In many ways she was a woman of firsts, as well as being the country’s longest ruling female leader. From the...
Mesoamerican ball game players
28 April, 2020 - 20:11 Bryan Hill

Danger on the Court: The Deadly Ancient Mesoamerican Ball Game

The Mesoamerican ball game is the oldest known team sport in the world. It was practiced by ancient Pre-Columbian cultures of Central America and played almost a millennium before the establishment...
The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession by Lucas de Heere (1572) National Museum Cardiff (Public Domain)
27 April, 2020 - 20:49 ashley cowie

History Repeats Itself On The Television Screen

Even if school’s history class was a bit of a drudge, historical movies and television series delivered the same old stories with much more passion and intrigue than tweed wearing professors...
Depiction of Rasputin in the Basement of the Jusupov Palace on the Moika in St. Petersburg. (Allan Fetherolf / adobe stock)
24 April, 2020 - 18:50 Alessandra Filiaci

Rasputin: The Rise And Fall Of The Charismatic Thaumaturge

Gregorij Efimovich Rasputin was a country man with course manners and an immoderate passion for women and wine, a charismatic personality, a mystic with healing abilities and the scapegoat for the...
Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens, (1616) (Public Domain)
22 April, 2020 - 23:59 Aaronne Colagrossi

Ancient Sharks and Crocodiles’ Nemesis: Man

Since ancient times, people have feared sharks and crocodiles. But how long have these two species actually been on earth and how did they evolve? Crocodiles and sharks have one thing in common: the...
Armenian Alphabet Monument. Source: Rita Willaert / CC BY 2.0
22 April, 2020 - 18:55 dhwty

The Armenian Alphabet, A Vision From God

The Armenian alphabet is the script developed for the writing of the Armenian language. This alphabetic writing system was developed during the 5th century AD and is still in use today. The Armenian...
Left: Hohenzollern Castle in the Swabian Alps - Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. (Leonid Andronov / Adobe stock). Right: Crest of the House of Hohenzollern. (Public domain)
22 April, 2020 - 02:01 Aleksa Vučković

The House of Hohenzollern – The Rise and Fall of German Emperors

In the history of the European Middle Ages, noble families and powerful feudal lords always played a very important role. The wealthier, influential aristocratic families rose to great heights and...
Representation of a mystery school. Source: leks_052 / Adobe stock
21 April, 2020 - 19:01 Nicola Bizzi

Initiation to Secrecy: Unravelling the Truth Behind Mystery Schools

As the great Irish esotericist John Heron Lepper wrote, one could say that the existence of secret or closed societies [namely mystery schools] – in which certain teachings or practices are passed on...
Portrait of Peter the Great. Source: Themadchopper / Public Domain.
21 April, 2020 - 02:02 dhwty

The Great and Not So Great Deeds of Peter the Great

Peter I (more commonly known as Peter the Great) was a ruler of the Tsardom of Russia (the Russian Empire from 1721) who lived between the 17th and 18th centuries. He is often considered to be one of...

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