By Jennifer Bain / The Conversation Seventy-five years ago, in February 1945, during the Second World War, Allied forces bombed the magnificent baroque city of Dresden, Germany, destroying most of it...
The term, ‘Big Bang’ was coined by the English astronomer and cosmologist Sir Fred Hoyle in 1949. But when he first employed it, during a BBC radio broadcast on astronomy, it was meant to be derisive...
In the autonomous region of Catalonia, Spain , archaeologists have uncovered a treasure trove of prehistoric rock art that is around 15,000 years old. The engravings were found on cave walls during a...
Cyrus II of Persia (more commonly known as Cyrus the Great and called Cyrus the Elder by the ancient Greeks) was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Although there are various ancient sources for...
Researchers investigating the date of human settlement in Australia have made an amazing discovery. They analyzed geological data in relation to the oral tradition of local Aboriginal people, and it...
The Athenian Acropolis . This rocky citadel sits alone, striking out imposingly against the backdrop of the dry, blue Mediterranean sky. Towering 490 feet (150 meters) over the modern cityscape, the...
Archaeologists working in an English town have unearthed human remains that could date back to over 2000 years ago. It is believed they are the remains of the earliest known resident of the city of...
Azerbaijan in the Caucasus has long been at the crossroads of civilizations. Its unique geology has created many astonishing features that make parts of the country appear otherworldly. One of the...
A new paper published by Cambridge University Press , presents evidence of a “heroic warrior ethos” that had spread across Northern Europe during the first millennium AD. The researchers say that...
An examination of human remains found in a cave in the Spanish Pyrenees, that date to almost 7300 years ago has provided proof of the brutality of life in the Stone Age . It is believed that the...
Israeli archeologist Dr. Aaron Greener asks “what are clay female figurines doing in Judah during the biblical period?” My non-archeologist answer is; they represent kosher (suitable for religious...
Pirates, maybe even more than mermaids and sea serpents, are the most fascinating and misunderstood entities of maritime history and while it is known today that mermaids were seals and giant...
One of the greatest atrocities committed against humanity throughout history was the slave trade which involved the enslavement of millions of men, women, and children. Many monuments have been...
The vast majority of historic structures and monuments are carefully preserved and cherished. But sometimes there are structures that are overlooked and are hiding in plain sight. This is the case...
In India , the land of an indigenous community is under threat from a mining company. A huge area of forest is going to be destroyed due to the proposed mine. This is despite the fact that the...
An ancient Egyptian board game that was similar to Ludo or backgammon is offering new insights into ancient religious beliefs. It was not only a game, but it was seen as a way for the dead to...
The Jantar Mantar refers to a group of five astronomical observatories built in India during the 18th century. The largest and best-known of these observatories is located in Jaipur , a city founded...
The Boxer at Rest is a bronze sculpture from the Hellenistic period , the most iconic ancient bronze statue in the world. When it was discovered in Rome during an excavation in the 19th century it...
Polyphemus is the cyclops found in the famous Greek mythological tale found in Homer’s Odyssey . This one-eyed beast, arguably the most famous of his kind, is presented as a man-eating monster, and...
Archaeologists stand on trial, accused of faking a collection of holy artifacts including the earliest depiction of the crucifixion of Christ. Archaeologist Eliseo Gil, geologist Óscar Escribano, and...
The Battle of Zama was a decisive battle of the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War, or the War Against Hannibal), which was fought between Rome and Carthage. The battle was won by the...
When we talk about the ancient ages of the Italian Peninsula, we often focus on Rome and the early history of its people. But the history of this crucial European region is very rich and intricate,...
In many folk tales from around the world there are accounts of a midwife who is taken by fairies to help with a birth. Apart from the overall otherworldly nature of these tales, the mode of transport...
There are many important architectural and historic sites in the Philippines dating from the four centuries of Spanish occupation . Their influence is to be found in many areas, including the Baroque...