In his work De Die Natali (The Birthday Book), written in 238 AD, Censorinus, a Roman grammarian and author, discusses the concept of the Great Year in Chapter XVIII. He writes “The 1461st year by...
In Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula lies a site which was once central to Maya sacrificial rituals—the sacred cenote of Chichen Itza. This natural sinkhole harbors secrets of human sacrifice and religious...
The Circus Maximus , a sprawling amphitheater nestled between the Palatine Palace and the Aventine Hill, epitomized the grandeur of ancient Roman entertainment . Originally a venue for celebratory...
New information relating to Roman construction techniques is emerging from the ongoing excavations at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. In the rooms of the ancient domus in Region IX, insula 10...
In the realm of maritime warfare , understanding the disparity between a Pirate and a Privateer was crucial. While both engaged in seizing ships at sea, their legal standing set them apart...
A Bronze Age site in England, housing a ‘richly decorated Roman villa’ from a later period, has revealed a bounty of artifacts and architectural evidence, which includes aisled buildings adorned with...
Abydos is one of the oldest ancient Egyptian cities (3,100 – 332 BC) and is one of the most important archaeological sites in all of Egypt. Many ancient temples and tombs can be found there, offering...
Across the expansive chronicles of human history, the pursuit of beauty and adornment has been a deeply ingrained aspect of our collective identity. Dating back to prehistoric times, early humans...
The examination of skeletal remains from cemeteries on Sweden's Baltic Sea island of Gotland has revealed evidence of Viking body modification among the Norse people, shedding light on practices...
The Celtic Otherworld has always been a mystery; a strange, mysterious, and elusive place. What is not always appreciated is the extent to which the Celtic Otherworld, especially the magic Island of...
Egyptian history is replete with tales of pharaonic cruelty, and among the most notorious are the 5 cruelest pharaohs who left an indelible mark on the sands of time. In the First Dynasty, rulers...
In June of 1344, Pope Clement VI moved to reorganize the Knights of France in a series of six letters sent to Jean, Duke of Normandy, the son of King Philip VI of France. The pope proposed that the...
If you've ever stood in awe beneath the towering 14-meter (46 ft) high Ishtar Gate at Berlin’s Pergamon Museum, you might have questioned how on Earth this Babylonian marvel came to be there—6,000 km...
When we consider the history of Pre-Roman Britain, the Catuvellauni truly stand out as a formidable and enigmatic tribe whose legacy echoes through the ages. Nestled in the heart of Ancient Britannia...
The year 536 AD stands as an abyss of despair in human history, marked by an unprecedented convergence of calamities that wrought havoc on civilizations worldwide. Byzantine accounts speak of a...
The history of cartography traces humanity's relentless quest to understand and depict the world around us. From ancient civilizations sketching rudimentary maps to modern digital cartography, this...
Almost everyone has heard about Fabergé eggs, thanks to their making headlines as they fetch exorbitant prices at auction. In one case, in 2007, the famed Rothschild Clock Egg was sold by Christie’s...
A new find amidst the ruins of the historic city of Philippi: a rare head of Apollo, carved in marble and crowned by a wreath of leaves, has been unearthed. dated to the 2nd or early 3rd century AD,...
The Durotriges, an ancient Celtic tribe inhabiting what is now modern-day Dorset, Somerset, and Devon in southwestern Britain, were a very important ancient tribe of British history. Their legacy...
A remarkable discovery has been made in eastern Poland. Archaeologists have unearthed a copper axe in Poland’s Hrubieszów district which looks for all the world like it belongs to the ancient...
Recent genetic research provides compelling insights into the intimate interactions between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens , challenging previous assumptions about their isolated existence. DNA...
Taking advantage of extraordinary advances in the study of ancient DNA, researchers from Fudan and Xiamen Universities in China completed a detailed facial reconstruction of a Chinese emperor who...
The year is 1216 and King John of England, made famous as the usurper who faced off against Robin Hood, faces open rebellion from his nobles across much of the country. The ailing king is forced to...
The high priests of the Inca Empire of ancient Peru used their sacred texts, known as the Codes of Sacred Geography, to build sacred community centers ( wakas ) along 42 long-distance ceque lines...