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The Magi with baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Source: Henry Siddons Mowbray / Public domain

Was the Magi’s Mission History or Myth?

In just twelve short verses the Gospel of Matthew records the visit of the mysterious Magi to pay homage to the baby Jesus. The allure of mystical wizards from exotic lands captured the imagination...
Chinese Bronze Mirror (CC BY-SA 1.0)

Unraveling the Miracle of Chinese Magic Mirrors

An ancient oriental miracle, far removed from the religious sphere, and from the western concept of ‘miracle,’ manifested around first century AD China to those who 'had faith', where explanations...
Representation of Homo Erectus. Source: crimson

New Study Reveals Where Homo erectus Took Their Final Stand

Between 117,000 and 108,000 years the end was nigh for the hominins we call Homo erectus . They were the first of our ancestors to stand tall and walk upright, but even this ancient human species...
One of the tombs found by the grave of the Griffin Warrior at Pylos includes a gold pendant featuring the likeness of Hathor, an Egyptian goddess who was a protector of the dead. Source: UC Classics

Gold Lined Tombs Unearthed Beside Griffin Warrior

Archaeologists from America's University of Cincinnati’s classics department are readdressing what is known of early Greek history based on their once-in-a-lifetime discovery of two treasure-filled...
Tintagel Castle

Tintagel Castle: Arthurian Legend Mixes with True History

Tintagel Castle is a site of castle ruins located on Tintagel Island; a peninsula connected to the North Cornwall coast in England by a narrow strip of land. This castle was an important stronghold...
The claim that Merit Ptah is the first known female physician has been called into question.    Source: Freesurf / Adobe Stock

Earliest Known Female Physician Likely Never Existed

Merit Ptah is often called the first woman doctor. Now, a researcher calls it a case of mistaken identity. For decades, an ancient Egyptian known as Merit Ptah has been celebrated as the first female...
Pyramid Kukulkan, Chichén Itza, Mexico, Maya archeological site.      Source: IRStone / Adobe Stock

Chichén Itzá is At least 400 Years Older Than Believed

The world-famous ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá, with its sprawling ruins shadowed by its steep iconic pyramid was founded at least 400 years earlier than previously thought. Dr Guillermo de Anda...
The Minoan cup, shown here next to a modern throwaway container that washed up in the Pacific.    Source: Trustees of the British Museum

3500-Year-Old Minoan Cup Proves Ancients Weren’t Green Either

A disposable Minoan cup forged by the early Mediterranean civilization will be displayed in a “stunning showcase,” which evaporates the cultural myth that ‘single-use’ crockery is a modern creation...
Artistic reconstruction of ‘Lola, based on the information from the DNA found in the birch tar. Source: Tom Björklund / Nature

Chewing Gum Reveals Look of Neolithic Scandinavian

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have succeeded in extracting a complete human genome from a thousands-of-years old “chewing gum”. According to the researchers, it is a new untapped...
View over Mount Athos from the balcony of Pantokratoros monastery, on the north side of Agion Oros.          Source: Skoikopoulos / CC BY-SA 3.0

Female Remains Found at Strictly Male-only Greek Monastery

An examination of some bones has surprised many experts in Greece. They were found on Mount Athos, which is a male-only area, populated exclusively by monks. Some of the bones seem to be female...
The Roman Theatre, Amman, Jordan

Amman, One of the Finest Roman Theatres in the World

The Kingdom of Jordan has many historical sites. Many different civilizations have flourished in the area since ancient times. One of the most important and largest heritage sites is the Roman...
Venetian Carnival Mask of Golden Sun and Silver Moon by allasimacheva. (Adobe Stock)

Moon Tear Hunters and the Quest for Ancient Silver

When the American author, diplomat, inventor, physicist and politician, Benjamin Franklyn, said: “ Genius without education is like silver in the mine , ” he encapsulated an ancient thirst shared by...
Minoan Monkey art in Akrotiri, Greece. Source: ZDE / CC BY-SA 3.0

Minoan Monkey Business: Fresco Links Greek Island With Asia

Experts studying ancient Minoan monkey paintings on a Greek island have made a discovery that provides new knowledge of the trade network of the archaic civilization. Analysis of a depiction of a...
Reconstruction of the “Mithraeum of Colored Marbles.” The ‘spelaeum’, the most important room in the Mithraeum, is shown on the bottom level.            Source: G Albertini / Live Science

Dazzling Temple to Cult God Mithras Uncovered in Italy

A 1600-year-old temple in which the ancient god Mithras was worshipped has been discovered beneath Roman ruins in Ostia, Italy. A magnificent ancient building, which is being described as the ‘...
The spread of the Ostrogothic Kindom, The Goths at the Battle of Mons Lactarius.

Ostrogothic Kingdom – The Rise and Fall of the Eastern Goths

The early medieval and early AD history of Europe saw many emerging nations, and plenty of migrations as well. Tribes were restless, axes sharpened, and old kingdoms were growing weak. And in such...
The two drilled 8,500-year-old human teeth found at Çatalhöyük in Turkey. Source: Scott D. Haddow / University of Copenhagen

8,500-Year-Old Human Teeth Jewelry Unearthed in Turkey

At a prehistoric archaeological site in Turkey , researchers have discovered two 8,500-year-old human teeth , which had been used as pendants in a necklace or bracelet. Researchers have never...
Group of Moai statues at the quarry of Rano Raraku, Easter Island.    Source: thomaslusth / Adobe Stock

Easter Island’s Moai Enigma Finally Solved?

Rapa Nui (or Easter Island , as it is commonly known) is home to the enigmatic Moai , stone monoliths that have stood watch over the island landscape for hundreds of years. Their existence is a...
Top image: Pelasgos is said to be the father of the Pelasgians. Source: Fxquadro / Adobe Stock.

Pelasgos and The Mysterious Pelasgians of the Aegean

Pelasgos was a mythical ruler of ancient Greece . He is said to have been the progenitor of the Pelasgians (or Pelasgi), who are a mysterious people, as little is known for certain about them. Their...
Native American hunter. Credit: Daniel / Adobe Stock

Stash of Paleoindian Artifacts Found at 12,000-Year-Old Connecticut Site

A site uncovered in the American state of Connecticut soon began revealing evidence about its earliest inhabitants . Some 15,000 artifacts related to a Paleoindian community were uncovered and they...
The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus. Source: The British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Mathematics of the Pharaohs: The Rhind Papyrus and Ancient Egyptian Math

Western civilization has always had a fascination with the civilization which grew up along the Nile River around 3,000 BC. Greek intellectuals, such as Thales, visited Egypt and were enamored by the...
St Augustine of Canterbury preaches to Aethelberht of Kent during Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England 	Photo source: James William Edmund Doyle / Public domain

How Anglo-Saxon England Made the Radical Change to Christianity

The Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England began towards the end of the 6 th century AD, and by the end of the succeeding century, all the kings of Anglo-Saxon England were Christian, at least...
Representative image of Gautamiputra Satakarni a ruler of the Satavahana dynasty. Source: Pranjal / Adobe Stock.

Gautamiputra Satakarni: Warrior King of the Satavahana Dynasty

In India as in various parts of the world, from the time of the Vedic culture of around 1,500 BC, the royal dynasties have always held the names of their fathers when a new king succeeded to the...
Medea by Artemisia Gentileschi (1620)(Public Domain)

Medea, Murderous Mother or Defiant Defender of the Oikos?

In his Argonautica , ancient Greek author Apollonius of Rhodes provides a rather romantic introduction of Medea as a young woman desperately in love. Unfortunately, this introduction quickly takes on...
Representation of Harald Fairhair, the first King of Norway. Source: Fotokvadrat / Adobe Stock.

The Story of Harald Fairhair, First King of Norway

The early history of Norway, and Scandinavia in general, is characterized by powerful seafarers, traders, and warriors and by rich heathen mythologies and ambitious chieftains . The fierce sons of...

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