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he items found on Morgarten plain, possibly from an important 14th century battle.

Do these Weapons Show the True Site of the Battle of Morgarten?

Archaeologists found knives, arrows, a cavalier's spur and silver coins from what may be the site of the important 1315 AD Battle of Morgarten, during which Swiss peasants repelled an attack of...
Great temple moved in the 1960s Abu Simbel temple rescue operation.

The Great Abu Simbel Rescue: The Tale of Two Ancient Temples That Moved Up A Hill

50-years-ago almost to the day, arguably the world’s most complicated archaeological missions concluded after the entire temple complex at Abu Simbel was dismantled, block by dusty block, and rebuilt...
An ancient Egyptian ship. Sailors sent out by Pharaoh Necho II saw some of the first hints that the world is not flat.

When Sailors from Ancient Egypt Discovered the World is Not Flat, No One Listened

The first ship to sail around Africa left from Egypt sometime around 600 BC. Their only goal was to find another way to the straits of Gibraltar. But by watching the sky overhead, they discovered...
Market in Ouidah, in Benin, selling ingredients for African magic.

From South to North, Africa is the Continent of Ancient Magic

The word ‘magic’ makes us think of sleight of hand, tricks and illusion, but historically African magic was a way to achieve goals by harnessing the creative powers of nature, which were regarded and...
Child labor at Avondale Mills in Birmingham, Alabama, 1910

New Discoveries Show Child Labor is an Ancient Curse

Archaeological trends go through waves which are often inspired by the ripples of current social concerns. With many activists raising awareness of women’s and children's rights, it is almost of no...
2,400-Year-Old Healing Temple dedicated to Asclepius

2,400-Year-Old Healing Temple dedicated to Asclepius, God of Healing, Excavated in Greece

Archaeologists in Greece excavated an ancient healing temple in the acropolis of Feneos dedicated to Asclepius, god of healing, in 2015. Along with the foundations of the sacred temple, researchers...
Antique Japanese daishō, the traditional pairing of two Japanese weapons which were the symbol of the samurai, showing the traditional Japanese sword cases (koshirae) and the difference in size between the katana (bottom) and the smaller wakizashi (top).

Unknown Weapons of the Samurai: The Forgotten Warrior Arsenal from Feudal Japan

The Katana sword was considered as the Samurai soul. That is why some people treat Samurai and katana as synonymous words. It is true that a Samurai and his sword is inseparable, but believe it or...
HMS Endeavour Replica

Have Experts Finally Located the Wreck of Cook’s Ship HMS Endeavour?

Marine archaeologists are about to announce that they have solved one of the greatest maritime mysteries of all time. They believe that they have finally discovered the wreck of HMS Endeavour, the...
Stone and crystal traditions have been around for a very long time. This is a humanoid figure turned into a pendant

For 3.3 Million Years Stone and Crystal Traditions Have Shaped Our Destiny

Magpies pervade European folklore for their compulsive urge to collect sparkly things. Similarly, humans share this affinity with shiny gemstones and sparkling crystals. All over the world ancient...
This is an artist's copy of a mural at the Temple of the Murals at Bonampak, a Maya archaeological site showing examples of heavy jewelry.

New Discovery Suggests That Maya Elites Danced Wearing As Much As 25 Pounds of Jade Jewelry

A five-pound jade head pendant has been found at Ucanal, an archaeological site in what was once the Maya city of K’anwitznal. The massive jade pendant, the heaviest of its kind ever found, once hung...
Depiction of punishment in ancient Egypt

Analysis of Skeletons Reveals Harsh Punishment in Ancient Egypt

Egyptian kings and pharaohs conquered entire nations, but if a person stole so much as an animal hide he could be whipped with 100 lashes and stabbed five times in the back… and then be sent back to...
Spiky Bridge

Spiky Bridge: Tasmania’s Quirky Wall with Convict Heritage

The Spiky Bridge is a well-known feature and attraction on Tasmania’s east coast in Australia, but you could easily miss the turnoff because the view is spectacular! It’s well worth stopping along...
Trail of Tears

The Tragedies that Befell the Five Civilized Tribes that were Forced to Trek the Trail of Tears

The Five Civilized Tribes of the American Southeast tried to assimilate into the European settlers’ society to keep their lands. But the outsiders who coveted their territory didn’t seem to care if...
St Mary and All Saint, Chesterfield

The Crooked Spire: Kicked Over by the Devil?

Saint Mary and All Saints, an Anglican parish church in Chesterfield, England is better known locally as The Crooked Spire for one very obvious reason: the spire, which was added in about 1362,...
Roman Goddess Anna Perenna

The Ides of March, Celebration of Roman Goddess Anna Perenna

The assassination of Julius Caesar on the 15th of March 44 BC was a turning point in Roman history. Centuries later, the expression ‘Beware the Ides of March’ was found in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar...
Creek beadwork. Beads and wampum were important in ritual and as currency among Native American groups. Wampum is made of sea shells.

Creek Tribes Were Decimated by Disease but Thrived Through Skin Trade

The Native American Creek (Muscogee) tribes of the Southeast were actually an allied nation that came into existence in relatively recent history so they would be united in peace. The Creek included...
The island of Es Vedra

The Legendary Isle of Es Vedra: Atlantis, The Odyssey and a Magnetic Attraction for UFO Sightings

Es Vedra is a small island situated off the Spanish island of Ibiza. Unlike Ibiza, which is a popular tourist destination, Es Vedra is uninhabited. This is one of the factors contributing to the...
The Bodhisattva Gautama (Buddha-to-be) undertaking extreme asceticism before his enlightenment.

Asceticism Across the Faiths: Many People in the Major World Religions Have Done it

Asceticism is a way of life marked by the voluntary abstinence from worldly pleasures. This way of life is most often associated with religion and spirituality, and its practitioners usually aim to...
Three different Jewish people giving Selichot prayers at the Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

Can Jewish People be a Nation, and a Religion, and a Race?

Although Jewish people usually, but not always, share a common gene pool, they are not a race because any non-Jew who converts to Judaism will be recognized as being Jewish by all those rabbis who...
Napoleon Bonaparte before the Sphinx, (circa 1868) by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Hearst Castle.

Napoleon’s Amazing Foresight: Savants, Soldiers and Science

In 1798 the French general, Napoleon Bonaparte, led an expedition to Egypt vowing to annex the country and halt the military and commercial march of the British. But a little over three years later,...
A diprotodon (Peter Trusler) in the Australian outback.

Diprotodon: The Massive Marsupial that Roamed Australia 5.3 Million Years Ago

Today, Australia contains many wild and wondrous animals, and not much has changed over the past millions of years. The diprotodon is an animal that roamed Australia 5.3 million years ago. It was the...
General Tom Thumb

'The Wee-est Little Man That Ever There Was': Who Was the Real Tom Thumb?

General Tom Thumb (or simply Tom Thumb) was the stage name of Charles Sherwood Stratton, a circus performer who lived during the 19th century. The name adopted by Stratton is an obvious reference to...
John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan, the new Chief of Clan Buchanan.

After Life-Long Search, Detective Finds Lost Chief of Scottish Clan: ‘The Buchanan’ is its First Chief in 337 Years

After over three centuries without ancestral leadership, the Clan Buchanan welcomes John Michael Baillie-Hamilton Buchanan, 60, who owns Cambusmore Estate near Callander, as the official head of the...
‘Crossing the River Styx’ (circa 1520-1524) by Joachim Patinir. Many ancient people imagined the edges of the earth as strange and magical places.

What Did Ancient Civilizations Believe Lay at The Edges of the Earth?

The first civilizations didn’t have satellites in the sky, mapping every inch of the world in real time. They only knew the parts of the world they’d seen. Everything beyond that, they had to imagine...

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