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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.

Pitcairn Island Map
27 July, 2018 - 00:05 Joanna Gillan

Real-Life Lord of the Flies: The Strange and Violent History of Pitcairn Island

Pitcairn Island is a place so remote, and with a history so bizarre, that until recently it was viewed almost as myth rather than reality. But the events that took place on this tiny island in the...
Herodotus and Thucydides
26 July, 2018 - 19:00 Ben Potter

Thucydides Versus Herodotus: Who Was the Real Father of History?

By Ben Potter / Classical Wisdom There has been a great deal of focus on the differences between Herodotus and Thucydides. Both men have been granted the 'father of history' accolade, but...
‘Half-Length Portrait of a Roman Woman’ (1862/1866) by Anselm Feuerbach. (Public Domain) Background: Sepulchral inscription of Allia Potestas (1st–4th century AT), found on a marble tablet in Via Pinciana, Rome, Italy in 1912.
25 July, 2018 - 23:05 ancient-origins

The Eye-opening Epitaph of Allia Potestas and her Perugian Ménage à Trois

The epitaph of Allia Potestas gives an intriguing insight into the sexual mores of the ancient Romans. The tombstone of this ex-slave from the town of Perugia contains fascinating details about her...
This collage shows the Valley of the Kings, statuettes of funerary deities and the Antechamber of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
25 July, 2018 - 15:36 anand balaji

When the Falcon Had Flown: Understanding the Process of Stocking Pharaonic Tombs – Part I

Given their overwhelming belief in the Afterlife, did ancient Egyptian royalty organize their tombs in advance of their eventual demise; or were preparations made post mortem? Although we do not...
Representative image of a Viking King
23 July, 2018 - 18:49 ancient-origins

Defeat Was Not an Option: Viking King Herlaug and His Men Choose to be Buried Alive Instead

BY THORNEWS The year is 871 AD, and King Herlaug of the Namdalen district in Central Norway fulfills his last wish: instead of surrendering to King Harald Fairhair, he and eleven of his men choose to...
Red flowers apparently left as an offering for the volcano goddess Pele at the edge of the Halema'uma'u Crater in the Kilauea caldera at Volcanoes National Park on the Island of Hawaii
23 July, 2018 - 15:34 MartiniF

Passions of Pele: The Hawaiian Goddess of Fire

Kilauea, one of earth’s most active volcanoes located on the island of Hawaii, is believed to be inhabited by a family of gods. One member of the family has become the most visible of all the old...
Saladin and Guy de Lusignan after battle of Hattin in 1187.
22 July, 2018 - 18:59 ancient-origins

Understanding the Crusades from an Islamic Perspective

What if the Crusades’ history was told from an Arab perspective? In fact, in 2016 al-Jazeera TV did just that. It released a four-episode documentary on the Crusades, and the trailer introduced the...
The Thinker in The Gates of Hell at the Musée Rodin.
21 July, 2018 - 18:54 Van Bryan

How Should You Lead Your Life? Greek Philosophers May Have the Answer

It is human nature to wonder how best to live our lives. No doubt you have lost sleep over this notion, perhaps staring at the ceiling contemplating the very nature of your existence and what is the...
Sirkap is the ancient remains that have been recovered after excavation in Taxila
21 July, 2018 - 15:40 micki pistorius

Where Greek Meets Indian: Sirkap, an Ancient City in Pakistan

When Alexander the Great invaded the Far East, his armies were awed by the strange cultures, exotic animals and unknown religions of India. Alexander promoted a fusion of cultures and his successors...
The Mars lies at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where it sank during a naval battle in 1564. Composite photograph by Tomasz Stachura, Ocean Discovery
21 July, 2018 - 01:13 dhwty

New Finds at the Well-Preserved Wreck of the Formidable Warship Mars

Mars, which is also known as Makalös (a Swedish word that may be translated as ‘peerless’ or ‘matchless’), was a 16th century warship. Named after the Roman god of war, Mars was one of the largest...
Ancient Egyptian men undergoing circumcision.
19 July, 2018 - 18:52 Caleb Strom

The Cutting Truth about Circumcision: It Was All About Rites and Religion

When was circumcision first practiced? How did it evolve? Why was it practiced? The earliest literary evidence of the practice of circumcision goes back to ancient Egypt. There are many hypotheses...
The Golfers by Charles Lee
19 July, 2018 - 14:17 lizleafloor

Ancient Pedigree of the Open Championship: Golf’s Long History and Hidden Beginnings

The Open Championship may be the oldest tournament in golf, but it is a very recent addition to the sport’s long and colorful history. Golf is a sport with ancient origins that has endured into our...
Statue of Queen Ankhnes-meryre II and Her Son, Pepy II. (Brooklyn Museum) Background: Papyrus with ancient Egyptian writing.
19 July, 2018 - 14:01 Mark Oliver

Explorer Rushes Back to Collect Pygmy Prize After Child Pharaoh’s Golden Letter

Harkhuf the Explorer, while traveling through Nubia, received an urgent message from the Pharaoh himself. “Come to the Palace at once!” the king’s letter read. “Drop everything!” This was unusual...
Barter, Bills and Banknotes: The 5,000 Year History of Money
18 July, 2018 - 22:37 Theodoros Karasavvas

From Barter to Bitcoins: The 5,000 Year History of Money

Money has come a long way in 5,000 years. While people once bartered for the items they desired, today people are buying and trading in cryptocurrencies like the bitcoin. In ancient times, people did...
Silbury Hill on the left, is the largest prehistoric mound in Europe.
18 July, 2018 - 16:50 ashley cowie

The Mythologized Legacy of the North American Mounds

Ancient landscapes the world over were once encrusted with earthen mounds, variously called cairns, tumulus, barrows, burial mounds and kurgans. In England, Silbury Hill near Avebury in the English...
Amiternum funerary procession relief.
16 July, 2018 - 22:58 Mark Oliver

Mimes, Paid Grievers, and Masks: The Insane Theatrics of Ancient Roman Funerals

Two thousand years ago, funerals weren’t the quiet, somber affairs we have today. They were loud, boisterous shows that started with a massive procession of people parading down the streets, pounding...
Scilly’s Northern Islands
16 July, 2018 - 15:23 Charles Christian

The Ancient Trackways of Britain’s Ley-Lines Steered Bronze Age Tin Miners

The Great St Michael and St Mary Alignment (or ‘corridor of incidence’) is probably the most famous ley-line in Britain, if not the world. Running for 350-miles across the country in a north-east to...
The Ancient Roots of Doomsday Prophecies
15 July, 2018 - 21:38 Riley Winters

How it Ends: The Ancient Roots of Doomsday Prophecies and End of the World Beliefs

Hollywood’s obsession with the End of Times is not over yet – Armageddon, Deep Impact, Doomsday, Legion, Thor: Ragnarok and 28 Days Later, are just a few of the blockbusters, out of hundreds, that...
Marble theater mask depicting a woman from a popular Roman tragedy Pompeii 1st century AD.
14 July, 2018 - 19:17 Mark Oliver

A Failed #MeToo Moment: Just How Horrible Being An Ancient Roman Actress Could Be

When an actress in ancient Rome was brutally gang-raped by a group of young men who’d come to see her show, she started a very public battle for justice. The story of her fight and her failure is...
Medea with her children. The children became the focus of a hero cult in ancient Greece.
14 July, 2018 - 13:27 Carly Silver

Baby, Baby, Baby: Why Did the Ancient Greeks Turn Dead Children into Heroes?

When we use the term “hero” today while discussing Greek mythological figures, it usually designates a man whose superhuman exploits and semi-divine parentage make him a person of legend. But in real...
Miniature depicting Ehud murdering King Eglon by Rudolf von Ems (1350 to 1375)
13 July, 2018 - 16:58 Cam Rea

How Did the Benjamites Manage to Overthrow the Mighty Moabites: Ehud the Deliverer

After forty years had passed after settling in the promised land of Canaan, the Israelites found themselves dealing with an old adversary. Chushan-Rishathaim, the ‘twice-evil Kushite, king of Aram-...
Magnificent columns in the form of Toltec warriors in Tula
13 July, 2018 - 01:55 dhwty

Toltecs: Fierce Warriors Who Changed the Face of Mesoamerica for Good

The Toltec culture was a pre-Columbian culture that dominated the area of what is today central Mexico from the 10 th to the 12 th centuries AD. They ruled the region from their capital of Tollan (...
Ingreso al Kalasasaya, Tiwanaku, Bolivia
11 July, 2018 - 16:30 ashley cowie

Unearthing the Lost Meridian of Tiwanaku’s Temple Builders

The Tiwanaku Empire (300 to 1150 AD) preceded the Inca Empire; and by 400 AD Tiwanaku rose the become the most influential of a number of city states in the region. It was the center for regional...
Detail of ‘God creating the Sun, the Moon and the Stars’ by Jan Brueghel the Younger.
10 July, 2018 - 20:51 Caleb Strom

Is the Universe Only 6,000 years old? Young Earth Creationists Say Yes!

Although most mainstream scientists and most of the developed world now accept the theory of evolution and the scientifically established age of Earth and the universe, there is still a group of...

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