Christmas and mistletoe: have you ever simply asked yourself … why? I have studied plant parasites like mistletoe for almost ten years, and I’m here to tell you that the answer is absolutely...
Animal teeth and bones excavated by archaeologists from the ancient Navan Hill Fort site in modern-day County Armagh suggest the location was an ancient center for ritual gatherings. Each of the pig...
A new study has revealed a fascinating insight into the pattern of violent deaths of Roman emperors. Researchers have been able to create a statistical model of the life expectancy of the rulers of...
It’s sort of like the evil eye , but in reverse: the good eye, brought on by an application of lead-based kohl makeup that was unknowingly poisonous to ancient Egyptians but also had anti-microbial...
A recently published scientific study adopting new technologies has revealed how a lightning strike 5,000 years ago might have inspired Neolithic builders to construct the iconic Callanish Stone...
In 1924, a 3-year-old child’s skull found in South Africa forever changed how people think about human origins. The Taung Child, our first encounter with an ancient group of proto-humans or hominins...
The ‘repentant prostitute’ or the ‘penitent whore’, this view of Mary Magdalene was cemented in Western ecclesiastical tradition by Gregory the Great in his sermons in the sixth Century, conflating...
The Renaissance refers to the period in European history between the 14 th and 17 th centuries. As a historical era, the Renaissance was preceded by the Middle Ages, and succeeded by the early modern...
Royal Street of New Orleans’ French Quarter is one of the oldest parts of the city, well-known and liked for the many antique shops, galleries, and sights. It remains a window into the real soul of...
Our fascination with ghostly tales around Christmas time goes back thousands of years and is rooted in ancient celebrations of the winter solstice. In the depths of winter, pagan traditions included...
A researcher studying an ancient Assyrian cuneiform tablet has found an image of a demon. The demon was believed to have been the cause of epilepsy. The tablet was used to treat health conditions,...
Eleven 1000-year-old graves containing skeletons from the Moche civilization have been found in Peru. Some have been mutilated with their feet removed and tattoos imprinted on their skulls. Two...
An international team of archaeologists has found a massive statue of the god Horus , according to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. It was discovered during restoration work on a major temple...
Historians down the ages have examined the ebb and flow of populations in ancient societies. But most of these examinations have tended to focus on male dominated events – the wars, the politics, and...
Tomorrow, 22 December, the Irish will celebrate the Winter Solstice as they did thousands of years ago – at Newgrange, a 5,000-year-old megalithic monument into which the sun shines at sunrise on the...
In Israel, archaeologists have found evidence of what could be the oldest sea defense wall. The Neolithic wall is up to 7000 years old and was built by a community as they battled against rising sea...
Lycaon was a king of Arcadia mentioned in Greek mythology. He is believed to have lived in the period before the Great Deluge, and therefore was a contemporary of two other legendary kings, Deucalion...
François Lévêque / The Conversation A few hundred years ago, who would have dreamed that the humble Christmas tree would one day be an immense global success? Certainly not Martin Luther, who is said...
The word ‘wizard’ is derived from the Middle English word ‘wys’ (meaning wise) and the suffix ‘-ard.’ Therefore, a wizard was basically a wise man, up until around the middle of the 16th century AD...
Archaeologists in Israel may have uncovered a link to the lost Ark of the Covenant, which has been the subject of so many books and movies. They have possibly uncovered a temple with a stone where...
That is the gods’ work, spinning threads of death through the lives of mortal men, and all to make a song for those to come. Homer The ancient Greek world was steeped in superstition and...
Marine archaeologists may have found artifacts linked to the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. They have discovered anchors on the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico. These finds are believed to have belonged to...
British experts investigating a 400-year-old damaged painting have made an amazing discovery. Beneath the artwork they found a painting that apparently dates to the medieval period. It is of a...
Traditional fishermen have made a unique discovery, they have found a medieval fishing basket that is up to 700-years-old stuck in some silt, in a British estuary. It has been preserved in the clay...
