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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.

Psychology

Panconsciousness: A Quantum Leap To Ancestor-Simulation-Program

Panpsychism holds that the universe is a web of consciousness – an empty stage in which everything that exists has somehow come into being in order to act out the great drama of life. Panpsychism may...
A witch or a woman in a dark forest? Witch pricking was used for centuries to falsely prove a woman (or a man) was a witch!

Witch Pricking And The Devil’s Mark

A witch or not? Guilty or innocent? Witch hunting was all the craze in the late medieval period and onwards in Europe and involved some rather peculiar practices. Witch hunters of all kinds emerged...
Anna Hyatt Huntington's El Cid statue at Audubon Terrace in front of the Hispanic Society Library in New York City. Source: Brocken Inaglory / CC BY-SA 3.0

El Cid: Christian Champion or Mercenary for the Moors?

Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, more commonly known as El Cid, was an 11 th century Spanish knight, military leader and mercenary. This larger-than-life-figure is celebrated as a champion of Christianity...
A  Farmer with a drink.

Switchel: The Energy Drink of Colonial America

Before Americans had sports drinks, switchel was the beverage of choice for rehydration. Also known as haymaker’s punch, harvest drink, harvest beer, and swanky, this is a refreshing drink that was...
Hector of Troy: The Battle for Peace and the Wrath of Achilles

Hector of Troy: The Battle for Peace and the Wrath of Achilles

Homer’s epic Illiad tells the mythical story of the legendary 10-year Trojan War between the Trojans and the Greeks, which erupted after the beautiful Helen, wife of King Menelaus, was taken by Paris...
The Great Inca Emperor Pachacuti: The Famous “Earth Shaker” Of Peru

The Great Inca Emperor Pachacuti: The Famous “Earth Shaker” Of Peru

Embarking on the journey of establishing your very own empire is without a doubt a hefty and daunting task. But for the famous Inca ruler Pachacuti, it was a fated endeavor. Through ruthless conquest...
Ubiquitous Ancient Education: Training Young Minds And Bodies

Ubiquitous Ancient Education: Training Young Minds And Bodies

What was school like in the ancient world? In the pre-covid-age, the enduring general image of attending school for most pupils is one of learning in a classroom with a group of fellow students with...
The Afro-Bolivians And Their Monarchy In Bolivia: An Enigmatic Kingdom

The Afro-Bolivians And Their Monarchy In Bolivia: An Enigmatic Kingdom

Bolivia is a land full of wonders and little-known facts. The majestic nature of the mountainous Andes and the adjacent tropical forests, and the illustrious capital city of La Paz, nestled high...
Rome’s African Emperor: Septimius Severus and the Scottish Invasion

Rome’s African Emperor: Septimius Severus and the Scottish Invasion

The Libyan-born Septimius Severus has gone down in history as the first African Emperor of Rome . With a thirst for power, he ruled the Roman Empire almost 2,000 years ago, declaring himself Emperor...
The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat, John Reinhard Weguelin, 1886 ( Public Domain )

Therapies, Pseudo-Science And Bizarre Remedies Of Egyptian Medicine

Everything known about ancient Egyptian medicine comes from four different types of sources: works of art, the writings of ancient historians, palaeopathology and papyri. Medical papyri can be...
Saint Patrick: When the True Story is More Exciting than the Legend

Saint Patrick: When the True Story is More Exciting than the Legend

The 17th March marks Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, a cultural and religious holiday celebrated every year in Ireland and by Irish communities around the world. The celebration...
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the epitome of the rags to riches possibilities for Japanese samurai.    Source: Dusan Kostic / Adobe Stock

Tokugawa Ieyasu: Most Powerful Shogun and Great Unifier of Japan

Throughout the medieval history of Japan, it was the shoguns that held the real power in the country. As powerful military dictators, they were the de facto rulers of Japan, subordinate only to the...
José de Madrazo's painting of the death of Viriathus (Public Domain)

The Hillforts Of Iberia: Ruins Of Proto-Celtic Tribes Who Resisted The Romans

Dotted like an ancient matrix in western Iberia are hillforts that once belonged to the ancient Celtic peoples of Iberia . Some of these forts were dismantled, others left untouched, but they were...
Elusive Mount Sinai, Hidden In Plain Site In Egypt

Elusive Mount Sinai, Hidden In Plain Site In Egypt

Many locations have been proposed for the biblical Mount Sinai. One of the latest sites is Jebel Madhbah near Petra, and while this and the classical site for Mount Sinai are all possibilities, there...
Romanos IV Diogenes: An Ambitious Byzantine Emperor Unjustly Deposed?

Romanos IV Diogenes: An Ambitious Byzantine Emperor Unjustly Deposed?

Opportunism, ambition, intrigues - these were aspects that were always present at the courts of great empires. Rulers rose to power following these rules of the game, and they were often the reasons...
The Cinder-Tree: Origins Of The World’s Most Famous Fairy Tale Cinderella

The Cinder-Tree: Origins Of The World’s Most Famous Fairy Tale Cinderella

The Cinderella tale common in most households is one of the most pervasive narratives in human culture and across global geography. Types of this story exist as far back as 2000 BC in the Sumerian...
Cassander: Ruthless Macedon King in the Shadow of Alexander the Great

Cassander: Ruthless Macedon King in the Shadow of Alexander the Great

Cassander was a King of Macedon who lived during the 4 th century BC. He was a son of Antipater, one of Alexander the Great’s generals. During Alexander’s campaign against the Achaemenids in the East...
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...

Buccaneers’ Brimstone, Booty, Brotherhood and Betel Nut

The goal of a pirate of the West Indies was to capture his prey, with as little damage as possible, so that he could resell the vessel, including its cargo and crew. Therefore generally, the...
Ready for the Afterlife: The Mummification Process in Ancient Egypt

Ready for the Afterlife: The Mummification Process in Ancient Egypt

When it comes to ancient Egypt and its long lasting and influential civilization, plenty of its unique characteristics can seem peculiar and otherworldly. Sure, it is no secret that ancient Egypt was...
Men Playing Board Games in Alegria (1890 – 1900) (Public Domain)

Ancient Board Games Simulating War Strategies And Predicting Afterlife

Board games provide humanity with entertainment, distraction and exercise for the mind whether they are played on the ground, on the floor or on wooden boards. They have formed such a large part of...
The prison cell of Al Capone at Eastern State Penitentiary

The Final Insanity of Al Capone: Was Notorious Gangster Haunted by a Hapless Victim?

Al Capone was a notorious American gangster whose multi-million dollar Chicago operation in bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling dominated the organized crime scene for nearly a decade. At the...
Though the followers of Peisistratus, including his sons, managed to rule Athens for a long time as “tyrants,” in the end they fell to the Spartans and democracy was born!	 Source: Massimo Todaro / Adobe Stock

Peisistratus And The Peisistratids: Tyrants Of Athens Before Democracy

Peisistratus was a ruler of Athens during the 6 th century BC. Peisistratus was an absolute ruler, and seized power in Athens through trickery and force. Therefore, he is considered to be a “tyrant...
Zeb-un-Nisa: Mughal Princess and Rebel Poetess

Princess Zeb-un-Nisa: Rebel Sufi Poetess and her Gilded Garden Prison

Sitting alone in her quiet gardens, reciting verses of poetry and waiting for the end to come. This is how Princess Zeb-un-Nisa spent the final years of her life. Zeb-un-Nisa means “jewel among women...

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