All  

Store Banner Mobile

Store Banner Mobile

Famous People

In this section, we shed light on some of the most famous and infamous people known throughout history, from powerful pharaohs, to emperors and empresses, acclaimed military leaders, or just regular civilians who’ve been thrown into the spotlight for great crimes or for heroic actions, leaving an indelible mark on the world.

Was the Queen Anne’s Revenge deliberately beached by Blackbeard
17 July, 2020 - 18:51 ashley cowie

Did Blackbeard’s Pirate Legacy End With ‘Leaks' Rather Than Mistakes?

Sitting on a throne during the Golden Age of Pirates , Blackbeard , or Edward Teach (1680-1718), was an English pirate who famously terrorized the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North...
Sacred geometry deduces that certain geometrical shapes and proportions contain sacred meaning. The application of sacred geometry can be found in many civilizations around the world. Source: ekaart / Adobe Stock / Sacred Geometry Spiral (lightaspect / Adobe Stock)
11 July, 2020 - 13:57 dhwty

Sacred Geometry: Unlocking the Secret Structures of the Universe

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines geometry as “the area of mathematics relating to the study of space and the relationships between points, lines, curves, and surfaces”. This definition fits...
Detail of ‘The Maid of Orléans’ (1886) by Jan Matejko - Joan of Arc
10 July, 2020 - 19:14 dhwty

Speaking of Angels and Saints: The Story of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was a young peasant woman who lived during the last phase of the Hundred Years’ War . This war was a series of military conflicts between France and England which began in 1337 due to an...
Pythagoras advocating vegetarianism.
9 July, 2020 - 22:08 dhwty

Pythagoras: A Life Beyond Math and Science

Pythagoras is perhaps the most famous figure in the group of ancient Greek philosophers known as the Pre-Socratics. This is largely due to the Pythagorean Theorem, a mathematical theorem that is...
Catherine of Valois being presented to King Henry V of England at the Treaty of Troyes in 1420. Original print at the Rijksmuseum. Source: Rijksmuseum / CC0
9 July, 2020 - 13:56 dhwty

Catherine of Valois: Political Pawn, Dowager Queen and Life in the Shadows

Catherine of Valois was a French princess who lived during the 15 th century. Catherine is an important female figure in medieval English history, being the wife of one English king, and the mother...
The Rufus Stone in the New Forest, England, from sometime between 1890 and 1900. (Public Domain)
6 July, 2020 - 14:00 dhwty

The Rufus Stone: Memorial to William Rufus, Unpopular Norman King of England

The Rufus Stone is a memorial in the New Forest, England . The stone is alleged to mark the location where William II, the second Norman king of England, met his death. In reality, however, the exact...
Queen Elizabeth I: The Controversies and the Accomplishments
1 July, 2020 - 19:06 dhwty

Queen Elizabeth I: The Controversies and the Accomplishments

Elizabeth I was one of England’s most famous and powerful queens and an iconic figure in world history. Known also as ‘The Virgin Queen’ and ‘Good Queen Bess’, she belonged to the House of Tudor – a...
Was Jesus literate? Jesus speaking with The Twelve Apostles Source: Domenico Ghirlandaio / Public domain
27 June, 2020 - 14:02 Jack Wilkin

Ancient Texts Strongly Suggest Jesus was Literate and Multilingual

The gospels do not provide definitive evidence of the language spoken by the historical Jesus of Nazareth . There is evidence in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:41-51) that suggests Jesus, despite having...
Rollo was a Viking famed for raids on Paris and becoming ‘Duke’ of Normandy. Source: uteam2016 / Adobe Stock
25 June, 2020 - 23:01 dhwty

How Rollo the Viking Conqueror Settled in Normandy

Rollo was a well-known Viking leader who lived between the 9 th and 10 th centuries AD. He is best-known for becoming the ruler of Normandy and is therefore sometimes referred to as the first Duke of...
Omar Khayyam, ‘Earth Could Not Answer’ by Adelaide Hanscom Leeson. Source: Public Domain
23 June, 2020 - 13:56 dhwty

Omar Khayyam: Lasting Achievements of the Persian Polymath and Poet

Omar Khayyam was a Persian polymath who lived during the 11 th and 12 th centuries AD. During his time, Omar was a reputed scholar. He was especially known for his scholarly work in the fields of...
Medieval Queen. Credit: Julia Shepeleva / Adobe Stock
20 June, 2020 - 18:45 dhwty

The Life and Times of the Notorious Medieval Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine is considered to have been one of the wealthiest and most powerful women of medieval Europe during the 12 th century. For a start, Eleanor was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own...
Painting of astronomers located at the Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Source: LoggaWiggler / CC0
20 June, 2020 - 14:02 dhwty

The Star-Gazing Sultan and His Ulugh Beg Observatory

The Ulugh Beg Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on a hill near Samarkand, in modern day Uzbekistan. This observatory, which is often considered to be one of the finest of its kind in...
The 9th Tokugawa Japanese shogun visiting a newly built home in Edo. Source: Kobayashi Toshimitsu / Public domain
18 June, 2020 - 23:00 dhwty

The Amazing Ascent of the Japanese Shoguns from 1192 to 1867

The shoguns were the military rulers of Japan during the country’s feudal period . Although Japan had emperors, they were mere figureheads for centuries. Actual power was held by the shogun, who...
Mummy of Maiherpri
15 June, 2020 - 21:45 Natalia Klimczak

Searching for a Family: The Mysterious Mummy of Maiherpri and His Special Tomb

The mummy of Maiherpri is so well preserved that it almost looks like he is in a peaceful sleep. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings, but his life is full of secrets. The mummy was unwrapped on...
Ivan the Great tearing the khan's letter to pieces. Source: Aleksey D. Kivshenko / Public domain
12 June, 2020 - 13:58 Aleksa Vučković

The Rise of Ivan the Great and the Birth of The Russian Empire

During the medieval period, ruling over a nation as vast and powerful as Russia was never an easy task. The numerous rulers that came to its helm always experienced their ups and downs, and so this...
Viking in action. Credit: Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock
8 June, 2020 - 13:58 dhwty

The Life and Death of Sweyn Forkbeard and His Viking Empire

Sweyn I, known also as Sweyn Tiugeskaeg (which means ‘Forkbeard’), was a Viking chief who became the ruler of Denmark, Norway, and England. His byname, ‘Forkbeard’, is a reference to his long, cleft...
The epic force that was Genghis Khan.
5 June, 2020 - 21:18 dhwty

Genghis Khan: What Transformed Temujin Borjigin into an Unstoppable Force Bent on World Domination?

Genghis Khan was one of the most famous conquerors in the world history. He was the founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. Although his beginnings were obscure and seemingly insignificant...
How the German House of Hanover ruled Britain for 200 Years
1 June, 2020 - 14:01 dhwty

How the German House of Hanover ruled Britain for 200 Years

The House of Hanover (formally known as the House of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Hanover line) is a German royal house that came to rule Great Britain. The Hanoverians, as they are known, gained the British...
Do Akhenaten’s Links With Shavuot Shed New Light on Moses? – Part 2
30 May, 2020 - 23:01 Jonathon Perrin

Do Akhenaten’s Links With Shavuot Shed New Light on Moses? – Part 2

Buried beneath the themes of first fruits and wheat offerings lie deeper connections between Shavuot and Akhenaten. These are suggestive and persuasive and go far beyond delicious foods and...
The origins of the Jewish festival Shavuot’s traditions are obscure. But what if they could be linked to Pharaoh Akhenaten, offering a new view on Moses? Pictures: Representation of Moses’ famous crossing of the sea. Source: Vlastimil Šesták / Adobe stock
30 May, 2020 - 02:06 Jonathon Perrin

An Akhenaten Connection to the Harvest Festival of Shavuot - Part 1

The Jewish festival of Shavuot is taking place around the world. It is an ancient celebration of the spring harvest of grains and first fruits. It is the year’s first wheat harvest, and Jews around...
Chinese Warrior Woman
29 May, 2020 - 16:38 Natalia Klimczak

The Dramatic True Story Behind Disney's Mulan

Hua Mulan is one of the most legendary women of ancient China. Her heroic actions were first recorded in ancient texts, retold in the famous poem Ballad of Mulan , and later popularized in the 1998...
Left: Portrait of Llywelyn the Great (Hogyncymru / CC BY-SA 4.0). Right: Stain glass window depiction of Llywelyn the Great (Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 4.0).
24 May, 2020 - 18:39 dhwty

Was Llywelyn the Great Wales’ Greatest Native Ruler?

Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, more commonly known as Llywelyn the Great (or Llywelyn Fawr in Welsh) was a Welsh prince who lived between the 12 th and 13 th century. Lylwelyn is considered to be the greatest...
Scotland's Beheaded Queen, Mary Stuart, Made Immortal by Irish Digital Artist
22 May, 2020 - 13:59 ashley cowie

Scotland's Beheaded Queen, Mary Stuart, Made Immortal by Irish Digital Artist

Earlier this week I wrote an Ancient Origins news piece about Irish based artist Matt Loughrey who runs a creative visualization studio and the website mycolorfulpast.com , which bridges a gap...
Representation of Cnut the Great. Source: Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock
21 May, 2020 - 19:02 dhwty

Cnut the Great: the Myth, the Man, and the Multi-National Viking Monarch

Cnut Sweynsson, known also as Cnut the Great (sometimes spelled as Canute), was the ruler of England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden. His realm is often referred to as the North Sea Empire, or...

Pages