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Millions of postcards made a mockery of Leap Day traditions which gave women the opportunity to propose to men once every four years on the 29th February. Source: Public domain

Women Have Proposed Marriage to Men on Leap Day for Hundreds of Years

Welcome to February 29th, the Leap day that comes around but once every four years! In the age of viral marriage proposals, the persistence of outdated traditions whereby men inevitably go down on...
Chimney sweep in work clothes writes the year 2024 with sparklers. Source: Werner/Adobe Stock

Surprising New Year’s Day Facts We Bet You Didn’t Know (Video)

Unveiling the intricate tapestry of New Year's celebrations, a history often overshadowed by the commonplace revelry. Contrary to the universal January 1st celebration, the roots of this global...
Representational image of ancient amazing inventions. Source: Anna / Adobe Stock

Ancient Marvels: Ten Amazing Inventions Created Before Their Time

Dating back thousands of years are numerous examples of amazing inventions and ancient technology that leave us awe-struck at the knowledge and wisdom held by people of our past. They were the result...
Celestial globe with clockwork, 1579 (Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain)

This Globe Features Mythology, Science, and Technology (Video)

Crafted in the 16th century by Gerhard Emmoser for Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, the “ Celestial Globe with Clockwork” stands as a remarkable fusion of art, science, and engineering. It incorporates...
Numa Pompilius giving the Laws to the Romans.  Source: Public Domain

Numa Pompilius: The Legendary Second King of Rome

Every great kingdom and empire have to start somewhere, right? One of history’s greatest realms was the Roman Empire, but even so, it began as a struggling city-state, supposedly led by kings. But...
Artist impression of the 4000 year old sanctuary in Tiel, made by Alexander van de Bunt	Source: Alexander van de Bunt/Municipality of Tiel/BAAC

4,000-Year-Old Stonehenge-Like Sanctuary Unearthed in the Netherlands

Archaeologists digging at an ancient site in the central Netherlands over the course of several years discovered something remarkable and unexpected. Following an analysis of excavations that have...
Representational image of a ziggurat tower structure in ancient Mesopotamia. Source: top images / Adobe Stock

Five Surprising Ways Mesopotamia Shaped the World

One of the most fascinating and accomplished civilizations in history was the fruitful region of Mesopotamia. Frequently called the “Cradle of Civilization,” Mesopotamia was home to some of the...
Neolithic stone balls in the British Museum. Source: British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Neolithic Stone Balls: The Northern Rosetta Stone?

Neolithic stone balls are mysterious petrospheres found in Scotland, Ireland, and Norway that have puzzled archaeologists for centuries. But an explanation for these objects may finally be revealed,...
The ancient Maya used their astronomical knowledge to create Mayan calendars and to predict celestial events such as solar and lunar eclipses. (James Thew / Adobe Stock)

New Evidence Reveals Full Astronomical Scope of Ancient Mayan Calendar

For years, scholars have been puzzled by the meaning of the 819-day count of the Mayan calendar in ancient glyphic texts. By examining the count over a 45-year period, researchers have discovered...
Was Stonehenge a giant calendar, or not? Source: Pawel Pajor / Adobe Stock

Disrupting Dogmatic History - Stonehenge Wasn’t a Calendar!

A study conducted by a pair of physicists has criticized past research which claimed that Stonehenge was created to function like a giant calendar. They assert that astronomical associations...
The complex Mesoamerican calendars have fascinated for centuries. New LiDar surveys provide evidence that they were used much earlier than previously thought. Source: Frenta / Adobe Stock

Lasers Map Mysteries of the Maya Calendar, Centuries Older than Thought

Renowned for their precision, vision, and place in time, Mesoamerican calendars have long been held up as an example of the early advancement of the civilizations of the indigenous people of North,...
Tzolkin section in the Dresden Codex, starting from the day 1, Manik'. (Lacambalam /CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sacred Calendars and New Years: Cycles of Time and Ages

The global holiday of a new year symbolizes all we have experienced for the duration of the year, and all our hopes and dreams for the year ahead. Such observances date back over 4,000 years, often...
Auroch bull painting in the Lascaux cave, with the four dots indicated. Source: JoJan /CC BY 4.0

21,500-Year-Old “Writing?” Not Everyone Is Buying It!

A group of 21,500-year-old painted “dots and lines” are at the center of an academic debate as to whether they are a form of proto writing. While multiple researchers claim they represent “an ancient...
This ancient Aztec observatory has allowed researchers to discern how the Mexico told time and planned their agricultural calendar. Source: Ben Meissner

Aztec Observatory Temple Reveals Ancient Calendar Secrets

Archaeologists in Mexico have always wondered how sky watchers tracked the sun over time to maintain their farming calendar. Now, a new paper demonstrates how Mexica temples were used, with entire...
Top Image: The Sabbath Rest by Samuel Hirszenberg (1894)

Honor The Sabbath Day - The Birth Of The Week

To the Hebrew prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea, the Psalms and the Book of Kings , the Sabbath signified the Full Moon, whereas for Jews in the days of ancient Rome it came to mean one day out of a...
The Fajada Butte Sun Dagger in Chaco Canyon in New Mexico is a spiral petroglyph that is lit up with brilliant streaks of focused Sunlight at key moments in the year.	Source: YouTube screenshot / Mystery History

Connecting Heaven and Earth: The Sun Dagger of Fajada Butte, New Mexico

Near the entrance to Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA is an imposing butte that had sacred significance to the ancestral Pueblo culture, who inhabited Chaco Canyon up until about 1150 AD. On Fajada...
The Salar de Uyuni landscape in Bolivia. Source: subbotsky / Adobe Stock

The Gods and an Ancient Andean Calendar at the Salar de Uyuni

Within the Bolivia 2020 Pre-Expedition developed in February 2020 by the Akakor Geographical Exploring team under the direction of Lorenzo Epis, the imposing Salar de Uyuni and surrounding areas in...
Earliest Maya Calendar Fragment Found in Guatemala

Earliest Maya Calendar Fragment Found in Guatemala

A new study published in the journal Science Advances has announced the discovery of the earliest known use of the Maya calendar. This discovery of the glyph “7 Deer” on mural fragments from deep...
Darvill’s Stonehenge solar calendar theory is fascinating and the author of this article put it to the test!		Source: Author provided

Putting Darvill’s Stonehenge Solar Calendar Theory To the Test!

When an academic heavyweight with the credentials of a professor of archaeology proposes a new theory about Stonehenge, the media takes immediate notice. Such is the current excitement raised by...
A new research study has “proven” the Stonehenge solar calendar theory, and reveals that the solar calendar concept was likely “imported” from Egypt.		Source: Vic / Adobe Stock

Stonehenge Solar Calendar Theory “Proven” by Study

Many scholars have suspected that the monuments of Stonehenge were carefully arranged to function as some type of calendar. Proof of this concept has been hard to come by, however, as even the most...
The gilded side of the Trundholm Sun Chariot. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

The Astronomy of the Trundholm Sun Chariot

The famous Trundholm Sun Chariot is a bronze and gold artifact pulled out of a bog in Denmark in 1902. Said to belong to the Nordic Bronze Age (c. 1700 to 500 BC), the so-called chariot consists of a...
Prehistoric Calendar Revealed at Stonehenge

More Than Summer Solstice - Prehistoric Calendar Revealed at Stonehenge

As the Summer Solstice for the northern hemisphere has come around, the craving to celebrate at the world-famous Stonehenge Neolithic site has again proven irresistible to crowds of people wishing to...
Yazilikaya, Hittite sanctuary and astronomical observatory

Yazılıkaya: 3200-Year-Old Temple Reflects Hittite Views on Time and the Cosmos

Yazılıkaya is a 3,200-year-old building that was known to have been central in religious ceremonies in the capital city of the ancient Hittite Empire . But according to a team of researchers, it...
The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci

It’s March 25 – Happy Medieval New Year!

March 25 this year will fly by for most of us as just another day in the Gregorian calendar. But the date was far more significant in the past. For over a millennium across Europe and beyond this was...

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