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Ed Whelan

My name is Edward Whelan and I graduated with a PhD in history in 2008. Between 2010-2012 I worked in the Limerick City Archives. I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. At present I am a full-time freelance writer and researcher and live in Gillogue, County Clare.

I am from Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. I have a lifelong love of history and have been fascinated by the subject from an early age. I attended the University of Maynooth 2003-2008 and studied history and classical studies. I obtained a BA from Maynooth and was admitted to the History PhD program. Based on my BA results I was awarded two scholarships and during my post-graduate studies I worked as a tutor.

History

Member for: 6 years 2 weeks

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The Holy Saviour Church in Chora. Credit: Yordan Rusev / Adobe Stock

22 August, 2020 - 14:06 Ed Whelan

Turkey Converts ANOTHER Former Byzantine Church into a Mosque

Just one month after announcing that the world-famous Hagia Sophia, originally a Byzantine cathedral, would be converted back into a mosque , Turkish President Erdogan has inflamed tensions yet again...

Agra fort, or Red fort, Delhi, India. Source: Lukas

22 August, 2020 - 01:51 Ed Whelan

The Mighty Red Fort of New Delhi, a Symbol of Mughal Power and Wealth

For various reason, buildings and structures become symbols of nations, for example the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the pyramids in Egypt, and the Red Fort in New Delhi, India. Also known as Lal Qalʿah,...

Some of the finds from the Northgate construction site, Chester, near the site of an important Roman legion camp. Source: Oxford Archaeology

21 August, 2020 - 18:00 Ed Whelan

New Finds Made Near Famous Roman Legion Base in Britain

Archaeologists have made some impressive new finds at an important Roman site in Britain. The finds are in an area that was once part of a large, Roman legionary camp and barracks. These discoveries...

Ancient Maya sculptures with discernible faces and contexts from different archaeological sites. Source: Science Advances

21 August, 2020 - 13:59 Ed Whelan

Study of Maya Statues Shows That Facial Expressions Are Universal

Researchers have developed a unique experiment to determine the universality of certain emotional expression in the human face. It has long been debated by experts whether emotional expressions can...

One of the ancient Egyptian animal mummies (Andrea Izzotti /Adobe Stock) scanned in the study was a cat. (Nature)

21 August, 2020 - 01:54 Ed Whelan

Scans Reveal Cruelty Behind Ancient Egyptian Animal Mummies

Ancient Egypt is famous for its mummies of pharaohs, however, the ancient Egyptians mummified animals as well as people. In 2020, new non-invasive technology was used to digitally unwrap three animal...

The Garden Tomb, rock tomb in Jerusalem, Israel Source: valenizi / Adobe Stock

20 August, 2020 - 02:01 Ed Whelan

Could the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem be the Site of Jesus’ Resurrection?

Jerusalem is an ancient city, founded as the City of David in 1010 BC, but there is evidence of settlements going back to 4500 BC. It has been conquered more than 40 times by various nations,...

View along the length of a mustatil structure, note researchers at far end for scale. The image shows the character of these structures as two platforms connected by low walls. Source: Huw Groucutt / Max Planck Institute

19 August, 2020 - 18:39 Ed Whelan

More Ancient Mysterious Stone Structures Found in Saudi Arabia

The pre-Islamic history of Saudi Arabia has been little researched, and it is only in recent years that archaeologists have begun to investigate the country’s vast deserts . Experts have found over...

The oldest known signed Sumerian tablet that was recently auctioned for a fortune in England. Source: Bloomsbury Auctions

18 August, 2020 - 18:51 Ed Whelan

Ancient Sumerian Tablet with ‘First Signature’ Sells for a Fortune

A signed Sumerian tablet that is over 5000 years old, from ancient Mesopotamia , has been sold at auction. This extremely historic artifact is believed to have one of the first-ever signatures and...

Oxburgh Hall where the trove of 15th century treasures were recently discovered in the attic. Source: Martin Pettitt / CC BY-SA 2.0

17 August, 2020 - 22:57 Ed Whelan

15th Century Treasures Revealed in British Stately Home Attic

In Britain, an attic in a historic home has revealed a trove of 15th century treasures. The rare items were uncovered during the recent COVID-19 lockdown and were discovered thanks to the hard work...

Ancient pig figurines found in Polant Credit: PAP / Grzegorz Momot

16 August, 2020 - 18:52 Ed Whelan

3,500-Year-Old Pig Figurines Found in Ancient Polish Stronghold

Archaeologists working on a prehistoric settlement in Poland have discovered two tiny pig figurines, miraculously found intact after 3,500 years. The ancient relics can help experts to better...

Saimyoji Temple contains remarkable Buddhist art. (Yuta1127 /Adobe Stock) Insert: One of the paintings revealed with infrared imagery. (Noriaki Ajima)

15 August, 2020 - 19:07 Ed Whelan

Buddhist Art Found Hidden from the Naked Eye in Japanese Temple

Technology has allowed researchers many more insights into the past in recent years and helped several surprising discoveries to be made. Now, experts in Japan have used infrared camera technology to...

Polish archaeologists in Egypt looking for ancient evidence relating to the importance and role played by Egyptian deserts in early Egyptian civilization. Source: E. Kuciewicz / Science in Poland

14 August, 2020 - 21:41 Ed Whelan

How Deserts Played A Key Role in the Building of Egypt

Egyptian deserts surrounded the ancient civilization of Egypt, and for many they were feared as places of danger and chaos. However, the Egyptians were also very dependent upon these desert regions...

View over Swaziland from the mouth of Border Cave. Source: (Public Domain)

14 August, 2020 - 16:17 Ed Whelan

Newly Discovered ‘Oldest Bed’ Found in South African Cave

In 2020, archaeologists in South Africa announced that they had evidence of the oldest bed ever found. They believed that they had discovered bedding material dating from an incredible 200,000 years...

Jami Masjid, a major tourist attraction at Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park - Gujarat, India Source: Leonid Andronov / Adobe Stock

14 August, 2020 - 01:53 Ed Whelan

Champaner-Pavagadh, the Essence of Religious Harmony

India is home to many amazing archaeological sites and architectural wonders. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park contains the remains of a city and amazing structures from many different cultures...

Medieval sword drawn from Lednica Lake, Poland Source: Nicolaus Copernicus University

12 August, 2020 - 18:28 Ed Whelan

Medieval Sword Found Preserved in Polish Lake is Over 1000 Years Old!

Polish archaeologists have found a rare medieval sword and other artifacts from the period at the bottom of a lake in Poland . This important artifact has been dated and is over 1000 years old. The...

A rainbow at Botallack Mines in West Cornwall. Source: Chris / Adobe Stock

12 August, 2020 - 01:45 Ed Whelan

Botallack Mine, Clinging to the Cliffs of the Wild Tin Coast

Cornwall, in south-west England, has a distinctive regional character. Much of the landscape was transformed in the 18th and early 19th centuries as a result of the rapid growth of copper and tin...

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