All  

Store Banner Mobile

Store Banner Mobile

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.

Witches' Sabbath, 1819-1823 by Francisco Goya
2 April, 2018 - 15:37 Charles Christian

Killing with Curses: Obscure 17th Century Muggletonian Sect

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. One of the debates among fans of the ‘Potterverse’ – the fictional universe that is the setting for the Harry Potter-related novels and movies – is where did...
The laughing jester // Art museum of Stockholm, Sweden.
1 April, 2018 - 14:00 aprilholloway

Jokes and Pranks: Here is the April Fools’ Day Origin Story

Every year, people celebrate April Fools’ Day with pranks, practical jokes, and hoaxes. Merriment, cheer, and joviality reign as people poke socially sanctioned fun at one another. This day has been...
Easter procession in Bilbao, Spain
31 March, 2018 - 22:57 ancient-origins

Under the Hoods: The Brotherhoods (and Sisterhoods) of Spain’s Holy Week

“Spain is different!”. Napoleon took this view after his defeat by Spanish guerrilla warfare tactics. Generalissimo Franco’s government later made use of this slogan to promote Spain’s unique appeal...
This painted limestone relief originally depicted Kiya, but was later recarved to portray Meritaten; design by Anand Balaji (Photo credit: Merja Attia, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen); Deriv.
30 March, 2018 - 15:17 anand balaji

Quest for the Greatly Beloved Kiya: Eternal ‘Goodly Child of the Living Aten’—Part II

Not only does Akhenaten, the man and ruler, pose a conundrum to Egyptologists; but his entire family is shrouded in mystery too. Prime among them is Kiya, his obscure wife, who seems to have...
Forty days in the wilderness: Temptations of Christ, St Mark’s Basilica.
29 March, 2018 - 13:57 ancient-origins

The Surprising Truth About Fasting for Lent

M J C Warren / The Conversation The excesses of the carnival are over, the clean-up completed. And so begins the year’s traditional period of abstinence. Leading up to Christianity’s most holy day,...
Magic gate (Porta magica) in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, in Rome, Italy.
28 March, 2018 - 15:32 ashley cowie

Entering the 17th Century Argonautic Alchemical Portal

Every proper myth and legend features a door, gateway or mirror acting as portals to other dimensions of reality. In modern mythology this component features as children venturing to ‘Narnia’ through...
One of the four elegant canopic jar stoppers made of Egyptian alabaster that was discovered in a niche in Tomb 55; design by Anand Balaji
26 March, 2018 - 15:35 anand balaji

Quest for the Greatly Beloved Kiya: Her Mysterious Origins and Role in Court—Part I

Kiya, a secondary wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten is one of the most shadowy royals of the Amarna Period. Virtually nothing is known about her origin or the reasons for her disappearance. All that is...
Pavel Sapozhnikov as a 10th century Russian hermit.
25 March, 2018 - 23:09 aprilholloway

Pavel Sapozhnikov: Experiencing Life as a 10th Century Russian Hermit

2014 was certainly a year to remember for a then-24-year-old Russian man. He spent eight months of that year in a social experiment. The purpose? To experience what life was like for a 10th century...
Momia Juanita
25 March, 2018 - 18:47 dhwty

Mummy Juanita: The Sacrifice of the Inca Ice Maiden

Momia Juanita (‘Mummy Juanita’) is the name given to the mummy of a 15th century Incan girl who was discovered in Peru in 1995. She is known also as the ‘Lady of Ampato’, and the ‘Inca Ice Maiden’,...
Indus Valley Diorama by Biswarup Ganguly
23 March, 2018 - 14:11 micki pistorius

Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization: The Spirit of Saraswathi

In the Rigveda, the ancient Indian Vedic Sanskrit canonical sacred texts, a hymn is dedicated to each deity and the goddess Saraswathi is revered as a female deity with healing and the purifying...
In the estuary of Achelous Rive Treasure chest
21 March, 2018 - 14:08 ashley cowie

Captivating Great Treasure of Lima

Isla del Coco , or Cocos Island, has been visited for over 300 years by infamous pirates like ‘Benito of the Bloody Sword’ and explorers such as Sir Francis Drake. In more modern times famous...
Representative image. The Eruption of Vesuvius in December 1820 by Johann Christian Dahl
20 March, 2018 - 17:54 ancient-origins

Did a Brutal Volcanic Eruption Lead People to Abandon Their Pagan Gods and Embrace Christianity?

Memories of the largest lava flood in the history of Iceland, recorded in an apocalyptic medieval poem, were used to drive the island's conversion to Christianity, new research suggests. A team of...
The Combat of the Thirty (26-27 March 1351) (French: Combat des Trente) by Octave Penguilly L'Haridon - Musée des Beaux-Arts de Quimper.
20 March, 2018 - 12:55 dhwty

The Combat of the Thirty: A Contest of the Finest

The Combat of the Thirty is an episode in the War of the Breton Succession, which in turn was part of the Hundred Years’ War. This combat, which took place on March 26/27, 1351, was fought between 30...
Sarah Bernhardt in Theodora (1902) by Georges Jules Victor Clairin (1843-1919)
19 March, 2018 - 14:15 MartiniF

Sex and the Roman Empire: Scandalous Literature about Empresses Euphemia and Theodora

Both Empress Euphemia and the succeeding empress Theodora transformed from sinners to Saints and although 5th to 6th century Roman society may have been more lenient, due to the empresses’ charity...
‘God Speed’ (1900) by Edmund Leighton. (Deriv.)
18 March, 2018 - 17:45 dhwty

How to Be A Chivalrous Knight in Shining Armor: Follow the Code!

The chivalry of a Medieval knight is indisputable, right? I mean, they had a Code of Chivalry and everything. But wait, not all knights were chivalrous, nor did they have a universally agreed upon...
Tauriel daughter of Mirkwood from Lord of the Rings
18 March, 2018 - 12:55 ancient-origins

How to Invent a Tolkien-Style Language: Ancient Languages Inspire Modern Movies

The success of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies brought the languages that JRR Tolkien invented for the Elves to the attention of a much wider public. There are now numerous...
Medieval teaching scene.
17 March, 2018 - 21:56 ancient-origins

In Medieval Britain, If You Wanted to Get Ahead, You Had to Speak French

The study of modern languages in British secondary schools is in steep decline. The number of students taking French and German GCSE has more than halved in the last 16 years. But as the UK prepares...
'Meeting of Mary and Elisabeth’ by Marx Reichlich. (Deriv.)
17 March, 2018 - 17:53 dhwty

Bizarre Methods of Baby Detection: A Short History of the Pregnancy Test

From the dawn of time, people have been trying to figure out ways to detect early pregnancy before physical signs begin to show. Whilst you may be familiar with the hCG pregnancy strip test that is...
Buffalo Hunt: A Numerous Group by George Catlin 1844.
16 March, 2018 - 14:20 ancient-origins

The Social Impact of the Bow and Arrow on Prehistoric America

A new technology in weaponry, the introduction of the bow and arrow, might have led to the collapse of the prehistoric, American Hopewellian Culture somewhere between 450 to 500 AD. A socio-spiritual...
Foreigners accompany a triumphal procession of the King; design by Anand Balaji (Photo credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York); Deriv.
16 March, 2018 - 12:58 anand balaji

Echoes of Eternal Egyptian Art: Effulgence and Beyond at Amarna—Part II

Egypt witnessed religious and cultural upheaval on an unimaginable scale when Pharaoh Akhenaten assumed the reins of power and declared the Aten as the supreme god. One of the noteworthy...
Village Doctor Looking at a Urine Sample (1640s) by David Teniers the Younger.
14 March, 2018 - 18:00 dhwty

The Urine Wheel and Uroscopy: What Your Wee Could Tell a Medieval Doctor

In modern medicine, urine samples are routinely examined in laboratories to obtain clinical information about a patient. This procedure, known as urinalysis, developed from an older medical process...
The Callanish Stones on the isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides (Western Isles), Scotland
14 March, 2018 - 14:27 ashley cowie

The Mystery of the Stone Monuments in Northern Scotland: Domains of Ancient Lunar Astronomers?

Erected 7,000-years-ago, 20 unique standing stone monuments in the remote north of Scotland mystify archaeologists, because they are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. By conducting a research...
Ancient Greek warriors with armor and weapons.
12 March, 2018 - 18:00 Riley Winters

Weapons Control in Ancient Greece: When an Accident was Deadly

Weapons control is a hot topic in the United States. With the recent shooting in Florida in February 2018, discussions of gun control are at an all-time high. Yet this discussion is not limited to...
An overall view of the central Valley of the Kings.
12 March, 2018 - 14:06 anand balaji

Pharaohs and Flash Floods: Was Tutankhamun’s Tomb Saved by an Act of Nature?

The death of Pharaoh Akhenaten in Regnal Year 17 was a powerful body-blow to the promotion of his fledgling religion, Atenism. Evacuated from their original communal crypt at Amarna, the royal dead...

Pages