economy

traditional craftsman creates silver money

13 December, 2020 - 13:09 ashley cowie

Desperate, The Tribes of Israel Turned to "Fake Silver"

Iron Age silver forgeries have been identified by a team of Israeli researchers. This might illustrate the economic hardships of the Tribes of Israel and their decision to make fake silver...

Painting titled ‘Free Women of Color with their Children and Servants in a Landscape.’ Life changed for American women as the eighteenth century progressed. Source: Public Domain

11 August, 2020 - 23:08 Anthony Ruggiero

Culturally Misunderstood: The Struggles and Advances of Early American Women

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw a series of transitions in life in America, as many, particularly women, strove to find their identities in patriarchal society. Early American women were...

Researchers have solved the mystery of the origins of the best Roman glass. Source: cascoly2 /Adobe Stock

6 August, 2020 - 14:05 Ed Whelan

Scientists Prove Rome’s Ancient Glass Was Not From Rome!

Many of the Roman elite enjoyed notoriously luxurious lifestyles. For example, Senators and nobles liked to drink from transparent glasses which were of the highest quality. The origin of the best...

The Roman economy represents an ancient economy that was large and powerful enough to create an empire that spanned the Mediterranean and lasted several centuries. Source: Manuel Gross / Adobe Stock

23 July, 2020 - 18:58 Caleb Strom

Following the Boom and Bust of the Roman Economy

The Roman Empire is ironically known for both its greatness and its weaknesses. The Roman economy is no exception. The Roman economy represents an ancient economy that was large and powerful enough...

Medieval town of Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Source: Gaschwald / Adobe Stock

10 May, 2020 - 01:55 ancient-origins

Medieval Europe’s Waves of Plague Also Required an Economic Action Plan

Kriston R. Rennie / The Conversation The Black Death (1347-51) devastated European society. Writing four decades after the event, the English monk and chronicler, Thomas Walsingham, remarked that “so...

The famous Lions Gate into the hill fortress where Mycenaean armies originated.

18 July, 2019 - 19:26 Riley Winters

The Fall of a Civilization: The Mysterious Collapse of the Mycenaean Bronze Age

"In most cases, collapse results from multiple, 'cascading' stress factors—politico-economic, demographic, and sociocultural as well as environmental…relational aspects, arguing that factors such as...

The hoard of copper axe and axe hammer heads from the 5th millennium BC is said to be Europe’s largest Chalcolithic find of its kind.

12 January, 2019 - 12:26 Ed Whelan

27 Pounds of Copper Age Axe and Hammer Heads is the Largest European Hoard of its Kind

Ancient societies’ ability to manufacture metal objects was critical in the development of civilization. This is why any finds of metallic goods or tools from the prehistoric past is so important for...

A Mayan lord sits before an individual with a container of frothed chocolate.

28 June, 2018 - 22:55 Ed Whelan

Failed Crops Caused Economic Crash for Mayan Chocolate Currency

An academic study has made a remarkable claim about the role of chocolate in ancient Mayan society. An archaeologist is arguing that chocolate was used as money by the ancient Maya. That is right,...

Remains of the house of scribe Butehamun at Medinet Habu, design by Anand Balaji.

8 September, 2017 - 15:30 anand balaji

The Hunt for Herihor: Butehamun and the Death of the Royal Necropolis–Part II

Sometime around Regnal Year 17 or 19 of Pharaoh Ramesses XI matters took a turn for the worse, due in no small measure to civil unrest and a failing economy. The northern and southern parts of the...

The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War that took place on 2 August 216 BC in Apulia, in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage, under Hannibal, surrounded and decisively defeated a larger army of the Roman Republic

16 August, 2017 - 13:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

Analysis of Roman Coins Proves Roman Empire Got Rich on Iberian Silver

An analysis of Roman coins has revealed information about the defeat of the Carthaginian General Hannibal and the rise of the Roman Empire . The scientists who examined them suggest that the defeat...

Roman tax collector calculating someone's taxes on an abacus

2 August, 2017 - 19:00 Theodoros Karasavvas

Can You Imagine a Taxation System Where the Wealthy Competed to Pay the Highest Taxes? It Really Happened!

Can you imagine a progressive tax system that motivates the wealthiest members of society to voluntarily pay large amounts of tax instead of implementing tax avoidance schemes, as is currently the...

Sirakawa-go, Ogimachi Gassho Village, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

3 April, 2017 - 01:51 marinasohma

Historic Houses for the Silkworm! The Grand Attics of the Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

Located in the central Gifu Prefecture, not very far from Tokyo or Kyoto, a beautiful example of traditional Japanese architecture survives in the villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. Some of the...

Statue of The Roman Emperor Nero by Claudio Valenti, Anzio (anc. Antium) Italy.

27 March, 2017 - 15:31 MartiniF

Lost History of a Mad Man? Revealing the Surprisingly Compassionate Side of Nero, One of the “Worst” Ancient Roman Emperors

For centuries, the Roman emperor Nero has been well chronicled for his cruelty. Stories about his madness include divorcing his first wife before having her beheaded and then bringing her head to...

8 March, 2017 - 15:30 Cam Rea

The Man Who Wished to Own the World – Eannatum: The First Conqueror? Part II

Eannatum’s tour of Elam, Urua, and Umma paid off. He controlled provinces and regions rich with resources. He had metal to produce weapons and fertile fields to grow food—both of which were used to...

19 January, 2017 - 03:48 dhwty

Trading in the Bronze Age: Living the High Life in the Great City of Ugarit

Ugarit is an ancient city located on the coast of Syria. The ruins of this site are in the form of a tell (or mound) known as Ras Shamra, and are situated 10 km (6.2 miles) to the north of Latakia,...

16 December, 2016 - 00:58 Natalia Klimczak

Fast Money: The Egyptian Economy, Monetary System, and Horrendous Taxes

The ancient Egyptians created a sophisticated economic system thousands of years ago. Although they may seem far removed from modern life, their inventions in the monetary realm provided the basis...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Is This the Real Reason Why Pirates Wore Eyepatches?

Between 1700 and 1725, the Caribbean was a relatively lawless place with numerous merchant ships traversing the high seas with no authorities to protect them. These factors helped to make this period the golden age of piracy. It turns out that many common beliefs about pirates are not true.

The Real Story of the ‘Bearded God’ Named Quetzalcoatl

The Sumerian King List still puzzles historians after more than a century of research

Craniums and Controversies of the Chachapoya Cloud Warriors

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

The Last of the Siberian Unicorns: What Happened to the Mammoth-Sized One-Horned Beasts of Legend?

Human Origins

Silhouettes (Public Domain) in front of blood cells (Public Domain) and a gene.

Rh-Negative Blood: An Exotic Bloodline or Random Mutation?

Most people who have the Rh blood type are Rh-positive. There are also instances, however, where people are Rh-Negative. Health problems may occur for the unborn child of a mother with Rh-Negative blood when the baby is Rh-Positive.

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Return of the Ancient Gods: The Resurgence of Paganism

The Torah: Its History, Use, and Continued Purpose

Ancient Technology

Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword?

The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. Apart from the basic knowledge of it having been forged in the 15th century AD, measuring 3.77 meters (12.37 ft.) in length, and weighing as much as 14.5 kg (31.97 lbs.), this impressive sword is shrouded in mystery.

Egyptian Blue – The Oldest Known Artificial Pigment

Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt

150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time?

Ancient Places

The Great Berber Kingdom of Numidia in the Shadow of Rome

The ancient Romans placed a lot of the world under their heel and into their sphere of influence. Numerous cultures, nations, and civilizations fell in their wake.

Ancient Pyramids in an Icy Landscape: Was There an Ancient Civilization in Antarctica?

Enigmatic Carvings on Underwater Ruins in China Mystify Investigators

Has the Function of the Great Pyramid of Giza Finally Come to Light?

Ancient Lutetia: The Roman Roots of Paris

Who Destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria?

Opinion

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

Paleo rock art from around the world ranges in style, method, and age, and includes cave paintings, petroglyphs, pictographs, polished and engraved stones such as effigies, stone sculptures, and portable ceremonial objects.

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

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