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Reconstruction of the Piltdown Man hoax hominin by Cicero Moraes et al.	Source: (© Cicero Moraes et al.)

Hoax Hominin ‘Piltdown Man’ Could Equally Be ‘Piltdown Woman’

The Piltdown Man scandal is arguably the greatest scientific fraud ever perpetrated in the UK, with faked fossils being claimed as evidence of our earliest ancestor. It is highly likely that an...
Roman Emperor Elagabalus bust, with a modern photo realistic reconstruction of his likeness based on this. Source: Left, © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro/CC BY-SA 4.0 ; Right, Daniel Voshart/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Roman Emperor Elagabalus Assigned Transgender By A British Museum

The third-century AD ruler, Elagabalus, has been declared transgender by a British Museum, which is set to relabel its display to accommodate the change. The decision has been taken by the North...
Some of Japan’s fiercest Samurai were women. Source: Abdulcell / Adobe Stock.

Some of Japan’s Fiercest Samurai Were Women (Video)

In ancient Japan , where the art of battle was predominantly a male domain, a remarkable shift in tradition unfolded, highlighting the tenacity of women in the face of adversity. Takeko Nakano and...
Chinese female warriors in the Shang Dynasty. Source: YouTube Screenshot / Smithsonian Channel.

The All-Female Shang-Era Troops Led by Queen Fu Hao (Video)

In ancient times, during the Shang Dynasty , there existed an extraordinary force led by the remarkable Queen Fu Hao . This troop, composed primarily of skilled soldiers, occasionally reinforced by...
Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of ancient wine jars in Queen Merneith’s tomb. Source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

5,000-Year-Old Wine Jars Unearthed at Queen Merneith's Tomb

An important discovery at Umm Al-Qaab in Abydos, promises to add to the story of Queen Merneith, an Egyptian consort and regent, who could have also been the first or second queen of Egypt. A joint...
Capstones at the Bryher burial site in the Isles of Scilly, where the tomb of the female warrior was discovered. Source: Isles of Scilly Museum Association

Curious 2,000-Year-Old Isles of Scilly Burial Mystery Solved

On one of the small and lightly populated Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall in southwestern England, archaeologists uncovered a unique stone-lined burial chamber in 1999. The grave goods...
CGI of a prehistoric woman hunting big game. Source: nsit0108/Adobe Stock

Study Shows Prehistoric “Man Hunter, Woman Gatherer” View Is Grossly Inaccurate

For a long time, it has been believed that prehistoric men played the role of hunters while women took on the role of gatherers. However, a recent study uncovers that both men and women in hunter-...
Women have been banned from the paradisiacal Mount Athos for over 1,000 years. Source: Alexey Achepovsky / Adobe Stock

For 1,000 Years, Monks of Mt Athos Have Banned Women and Female Animals!

Believe it or not, but beside men’s toilets, gentlemen’s clubs and certain temples, there is actually an entire peninsula in northern Greece, now a semiautonomous republic of Eastern Orthodox monks,...
Two skeletons known as The Lovers of Valdaro (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Activist Group Tells Archaeologists Not to Assume Gender of Ancient Skeletons

Self-declared “anarchist archaeologists” are warning archaeologists not to assume the gender or race of ancient skeletons because they see the categorization of sexes as discriminatory to the dead...
Queen Christina of Sweden kept a specially made tiny flea cannon to ward of tiny intruders. Source: Public domain

Queen Christina of Sweden Kept an Itty-Bitty Flea Cannon by Her Bed

If you haven’t heard of the renegade 17th century Queen Christina of Sweden, you’re in for a treat. Remembered for breaking gender norms and abdicating the throne to avoid marriage, Queen Christina...
The Urdubegis were female warriors tasked with protecting the Mughal emperor and his harem. Representational image. Source: Public domain

Urdubegis: The Forgotten Female Fighters of the Mughal Empire

When we think of the empowerment of women, we usually think about Western culture. Nevertheless, the East has had its fair share of female role models. While Islam has historically given men the role...
Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of England

Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of England

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of the infamous King Henry VIII. Known for her failure to produce a male heir, she was the mother of Mary, later Queen Mary I of England. Catherine would spend...
Female Ruler Sporting Rare Diadem Unearthed at Bronze Age Palace

Female Ruler Sporting Rare Diadem Unearthed at Bronze Age Palace

Archaeologists from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have discovered Western Europe’s first Bronze Age palace in Murcia, Spain. The site also holds a unique burial including a probable female...
Killer Queens: 5 of Ancient History’s Most Outstanding Female Rulers

Killer Queens: 5 of Ancient History’s Most Outstanding Female Rulers

True leadership knows no gender and despite societal condemnation or restrictions of the gods, powerful women have risen to the challenge and stepped up to take the reins of governance firmly in...
The Lady of Baza, a famous example of Iberian sculpture by the Bastetani, has long been a source of contention. Source: Juan Aunión / Adobe Stock

The Lady of Baza and the Battle to Take Her Home

The Lady of Baza, a statue unearthed in Baza, has long been a subject of contention. Discovered in 1971, it was swiftly removed and taken to Madrid where it has been kept at the National Museum of...
Ice Age Figurines and the Sanctity of Prehistoric Obesity

Ice Age Figurines and the Sanctity of Prehistoric Obesity

While we all know too much icing can lead to obesity, a new study now says too much “Ice Age” can too, linking the famous Ice Age Venus figurines with a widespread prehistoric desire for “female...
Ching Shih – from Prostitute to Infamous Female Pirate Lord

Ching Shih – From Prostitute to Infamous Female Pirate

Ching Shih (or Zheng Shi) was a Chinese prostitute who became a powerful female pirate, controlling the infamous Red Flag Fleet. The fleet grew under her command, with expanding reserves of loot, and...
Discovery of 9,000-Year-Old Female Hunter in Peru Is Rewriting History

Discovery of 9,000-Year-Old Female Hunter in Peru Is Rewriting History

A grave in Peru has been shown to contain the world’s oldest female hunter. This news is potentially explosive. It may change our understanding of gender relations in the ancient Americas and even...
The female pope Joan

Pope Joan: The Female Pope Whose Gender was Revealed When She Gave Birth in a Procession

The origins of the Papacy are traditionally traced to St. Peter, one of the original disciples of Jesus. The current pope, Francis I, is the 265th successor of St. Peter. Needless to say, all 266...
A Woman’s Best Friend: The Herstory of Dog Domestication

A Woman’s Best Friend: The Herstory of Dog Domestication

The Grimaldi Goddess clay figurine, unearthed at the Neolithic settlement of Çatal Hüyük in Turkey, dates back to about 6000 BC. It depicts an obese woman giving birth while seated upon a throne...
Ancient history podcasts bring the past to the present

The Top Ten Ancient History Podcasts You May Not Have Heard

There are podcasts on every subject these days. Even the ancient world has been brought into the modern one through this medium. If you are looking for another way to learn about the past, check out...
In the face of all the odds, the lives of Empress Nur Jahan and Queen Elizabeth I continue to inspire generations of women, as their strength turned them into feminist icons ahead of their time. Source: Left - Public domain. Right - Public domain.

Empress Nur Jahan and Queen Elizabeth I: Female Icons Ahead of Their Time

Our world has numerous examples of kings who have left a significant impact upon the lives of their people. As the saying goes, “behind every powerful man is an extraordinary woman.” Queen Elizabeth...
Chinese Warrior Woman

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...
Researchers are challenging historic gender archetypes, revealing many “battle scars” on skeletal remains pointing to the existence of warrior women. Pictured: skeletons of two people buried in an ancient tomb in Mongolia include a woman (left) who may have been a horse-riding, bow-and-arrow-wielding warrior, scientists say. Source: Christine Lee / California State University

Are Skeletal Wounds On Hunter-Gatherer Women Battle Scars Or Execution Marks?

Historic gender archetypes of hunter-gatherer women are being challenged by a team of researchers whose new study presents further evidence of “warrior women” in prehistory. Traditional...

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