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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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History

From the powerful civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley, to the fearsome yet sophisticated society of the Vikings, the ancient world was a surprising and challenging place. Here we feature some of the most seminal and influential events and people throughout history, that have helped shape the world we know today.

Alaric entering Athens
26 September, 2018 - 02:21 dhwty

King Alaric: His Famous Sacking of Rome, Secretive Burial, and Lost Treasure

The Sack of Rome in 410 AD by the Visigoths is often regarded as an event that marked the beginning of the end of the Western Roman Empire. The man responsible for the second sacking of Rome (the...
This is an untitled ledger drawing in pencil and colored pencil by a Lakota tribe artist and leader named Black Hawk, born ca. 1832. This work also appears in Janet Catherine Berlo's ‘Spirit Beings and Sun Dancers: Black Hawk's Vision of the Lakota World.’
25 September, 2018 - 02:00 Mark Miller

Lakota Tribes Inhabited Two Rich Wildernesses, Both were Stolen, But The People Resisted

The Lakota tribe of the Sioux people are vivid in the world’s imagination as buffalo hunters and warriors who fought the U.S. Calvary from horseback in feather bonnets on the Great Plains and Wild...
Sacking of Rome in 1527 by Johannes Lingelbach (17th century) 14,000 mercenaries under George von Frundsberg joined the Duke of Bourbon and the Constable of France, Charles III, to lead them towards Rome.
24 September, 2018 - 15:31 Cam Rea

Soldiers for Sale: Mercenaries from Ancient Times to Medieval Times

Mercenaries are soldiers who are paid for their martial services from the pocket of their employer and from the spoils obtained in war. Most mercenaries once fought in professional armies before...
Tuscarora tribe Heroes Monument.
24 September, 2018 - 02:01 Mark Miller

The Tuscarora Tribe Endured Violence and Upheaval, But Some Have Survived to Tell Their Story

The Tuscarora tribe numbered an estimated 25,000 in some 24 villages, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia and North Carolina to the Shenandoah River and the Appalachian Mountains. Their...
An ancient Egyptian ship. Sailors sent out by Pharaoh Necho II saw some of the first hints that the world is not flat.
21 September, 2018 - 18:53 Mark Oliver

When Sailors from Ancient Egypt Discovered the World is Not Flat, No One Listened

The first ship to sail around Africa left from Egypt sometime around 600 BC. Their only goal was to find another way to the straits of Gibraltar. But by watching the sky overhead, they discovered...
Market in Ouidah, in Benin, selling ingredients for African magic.
21 September, 2018 - 15:39 ashley cowie

From South to North, Africa is the Continent of Ancient Magic

The word ‘magic’ makes us think of sleight of hand, tricks and illusion, but historically African magic was a way to achieve goals by harnessing the creative powers of nature, which were regarded and...
Stone and crystal traditions have been around for a very long time. This is a humanoid figure turned into a pendant
20 September, 2018 - 19:10 ashley cowie

For 3.3 Million Years Stone and Crystal Traditions Have Shaped Our Destiny

Magpies pervade European folklore for their compulsive urge to collect sparkly things. Similarly, humans share this affinity with shiny gemstones and sparkling crystals. All over the world ancient...
This is an artist's copy of a mural at the Temple of the Murals at Bonampak, a Maya archaeological site showing examples of heavy jewelry.
20 September, 2018 - 13:59 Mark Oliver

New Discovery Suggests That Maya Elites Danced Wearing As Much As 25 Pounds of Jade Jewelry

A five-pound jade head pendant has been found at Ucanal, an archaeological site in what was once the Maya city of K’anwitznal. The massive jade pendant, the heaviest of its kind ever found, once hung...
Trail of Tears
19 September, 2018 - 23:04 Mark Miller

The Tragedies that Befell the Five Civilized Tribes that were Forced to Trek the Trail of Tears

The Five Civilized Tribes of the American Southeast tried to assimilate into the European settlers’ society to keep their lands. But the outsiders who coveted their territory didn’t seem to care if...
Roman Goddess Anna Perenna
19 September, 2018 - 16:36 MartiniF

The Ides of March, Celebration of Roman Goddess Anna Perenna

The assassination of Julius Caesar on the 15th of March 44 BC was a turning point in Roman history. Centuries later, the expression ‘Beware the Ides of March’ was found in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar...
Creek beadwork. Beads and wampum were important in ritual and as currency among Native American groups. Wampum is made of sea shells.
19 September, 2018 - 02:01 Mark Miller

Creek Tribes Were Decimated by Disease but Thrived Through Skin Trade

The Native American Creek (Muscogee) tribes of the Southeast were actually an allied nation that came into existence in relatively recent history so they would be united in peace. The Creek included...
The Bodhisattva Gautama (Buddha-to-be) undertaking extreme asceticism before his enlightenment.
18 September, 2018 - 13:50 dhwty

Asceticism Across the Faiths: Many People in the Major World Religions Have Done it

Asceticism is a way of life marked by the voluntary abstinence from worldly pleasures. This way of life is most often associated with religion and spirituality, and its practitioners usually aim to...
Napoleon Bonaparte before the Sphinx, (circa 1868) by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Hearst Castle.
17 September, 2018 - 20:23 anand balaji

Napoleon’s Amazing Foresight: Savants, Soldiers and Science

In 1798 the French general, Napoleon Bonaparte, led an expedition to Egypt vowing to annex the country and halt the military and commercial march of the British. But a little over three years later,...
General Tom Thumb
16 September, 2018 - 22:44 dhwty

'The Wee-est Little Man That Ever There Was': Who Was the Real Tom Thumb?

General Tom Thumb (or simply Tom Thumb) was the stage name of Charles Sherwood Stratton, a circus performer who lived during the 19th century. The name adopted by Stratton is an obvious reference to...
Life-size Dorset masks. (500-1000 AD) The masks were carved from driftwood and painted. They also once had fur moustaches and eyebrows attached with pegs. Scholars believe that the masks were probably used by shamans in rituals to cure illness, control the weather, or to aid in hunts.
15 September, 2018 - 03:49 Alicia McDermott

Preserved in Legends and Ice: What Led to the Extinction of the Dorset Culture?

Before the Inuit’s ancestors conquered the Arctic region of what we now call Canada and Greenland, there is evidence of another remarkable Paleo-Eskimo culture– the Dorset. Soon after the arrival of...
Joseph Erb’s painting “Petition” recalls the role of creation figures as observers in the transcription of Cherokee Indian history.
15 September, 2018 - 01:53 Mark Miller

Strength, Unity, and Pride: Cherokee Indians Triumphed Over Adversity

The story of the Native American Cherokee tribes is a sad one. But in the end the Cherokee found a way to survive after being decimated by war and disease and being forced to live far from their...
Arcus Argentariorum, Rome.
14 September, 2018 - 23:02 Alexander Meddings

Arch Enemies: Family Feuds and Damnatio Memoriae on Rome’s Arcus Argentariorum

In the Eternal City every monument tells a story. The Colosseum, funded from the sack of Jerusalem, stands as a potent symbol of Rome’s imperial might and, to many, its savagery. The architecturally...
List of Musical Instruments in Sumerian Cuneiform
14 September, 2018 - 16:09 Edmund Marriage

Translating Archaic Sumerian Cuneiform: Pinpointing Eden, or Kharsag, Garden of the Gods

Translating cuneiform as a historical source is still nowhere near an exact science, and what we find amongst so many specialists is a reliance on interpretations of the latest Akkadian versions of...
pache Indian tribes were known as good fighters and strategists. Some fought the encroachment of Europeans onto their lands, and others tried to get along with them. They did not have horses until shortly after the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 1500s, but once they adopted them they became great horsemen.
13 September, 2018 - 14:08 Mark Miller

At Peace or in War, the Apache Indian Tribes Have Been a Proud People

The Apache Indian tribes believed in a time when there were many birds, beasts and monsters but no sun. The night showed no stars nor moon. The world existed in darkness. It was too dangerous for all...
Forgotten Kings and Queens: The Lost Gypsy Dynasty of Scotland
12 September, 2018 - 19:01 ashley cowie

Forgotten Kings and Queens: The Lost Gypsy Dynasty of Scotland

We have all heard of Scotland’s legendary 14th century King Robert the Bruce and the powerful Stewart dynasty of the 16th and 17th centuries; these two families dominate Scottish history. But did you...
Roman citizens enjoyed many privileges. “The Consummation The Course of the Empire” by Cole Thomas
12 September, 2018 - 15:54 ancient-origins

In a World Without Technology, How Did a Roman Citizen Identify Himself?

In ancient Rome, ID-cards, passports and other modern forms of identification did not exist. How could a Roman citizen identify himself in a world without pictures, computers or biometrics? Ancient...
The Ba’Aka pygmies are on the brink of extinction.
10 September, 2018 - 17:27 Willem Daffue

Hidden in History, Exposed to Modern Epidemics, the Lost Tribe of Ba’Aka Pygmies May Face Extinction

Deep in the rain forests of darkest Africa close to the Equator, in the Central African Republic, the Ba’Aka tribe – formerly known as pygmies - have lived for more than 40,000 years. Elusive, hiding...
An igloo or house of made of snow for winter dwelling
9 September, 2018 - 13:58 ancient-origins

Survival of the Inuit in a Harsh and Unforgiving World

The native people of the circumpolar region, the Inuit or Inupiat as they are called in the West, lived in sub-zero temperatures for much the year but survived and even thrived. Their diet consisted...
God Speed’ (1900) by Edmund Leighton. William the Conqueror’s parents may not have been exactly like this knight and lady, but their love story is an interesting one!
8 September, 2018 - 18:54 Carly Silver

William the Conqueror’s Parents: The Story of Robert the Bonk-erer and Herleva

What would you say if the mom of one of the most notorious kings of the Middle Ages was actually an embalmer’s daughter? Well, such an idea is actually not that far-fetched, especially because even...

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