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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.

10 Must-Have Toys for Ancient Kids
21 December, 2020 - 14:04 lizleafloor

10 Must-Have Toys for Ancient Kids

Do you think that today’s mad-dash grab for the hottest toys is just a phenomenon of modern times? Not necessarily. In the past as in the present, where we find children, we find toys, as shown by...
View over Swaziland from the mouth of Border Cave. (Public Domain)
18 December, 2020 - 23:19 Pieter

Ancient Mining In South Africa: Specularite Of Enoch’s Shining Gods

Bronze was a prized metal in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is an alloy of copper and tin and its production requires smelters at temperatures above 1 500 degrees Celsius. It is unlikely to have...
Painting entitled ‘Saturnalia’ (1783) by Antoine Callet.
17 December, 2020 - 21:58 dhwty

Saturnalia: The December Festival of Joy and Merriment in Ancient Rome

Saturnalia was a festival celebrated by the ancient Romans. Originally, this celebration was held annually for a day on the 17th of December, but the festival was so popular that it was extended to a...
16 December, 2020 - 19:47 MartiniF

Octavian’s Trolling and Propaganda Against Mark Antony

In 1493, the invention of the Gutenberg printing press dramatically amplified the gathering and dissemination of news. However, this innovation came with a dark side as it later delivered the Great...
Frankincense may soon disappear
16 December, 2020 - 18:01 dhwty

Frankincense: An Ancient Wonder Cure on the Verge of Extinction

Frankincense is famous for being one of the three gifts presented by the Magi to baby Jesus (the other two being gold and myrrh). Several thousand years ago, people knew how to use frankincense to...
10 Of The Most Famous Pirates, Male And Female, Who Ruled The Seas!
15 December, 2020 - 17:27 lizleafloor

10 Of The Most Famous Pirates, Male And Female, Who Ruled The Seas!

There was a Golden Age of Piracy, and that’s not just figurative. It was literally true! Men and women made untold fortunes in gold, silver, jewels, and goods while riding the high seas and bringing...
Eustace the Monk: Talented Pirate For The French And The English
14 December, 2020 - 18:02 dhwty

Eustace the Monk: Talented Pirate For The French And The English

Eustace the Monk was a notorious pirate who operated in the English Channel during the early 13th century AD. As indicated by his title, Eustace had been a monk, though he was also involved in other...
The Invisible History of Military Camouflage
14 December, 2020 - 17:18 ashley cowie

The Invisible History of Military Camouflage

For at least 150,000 years, if not much longer, small groups of human hunters adorned themselves with the skins, horns and oils of the beasts they tracked to better conceal their presence and to...
Ancient Muslim man
13 December, 2020 - 21:19 Aleksa Vučković

Ismail al-Jazari: Medieval Muslim Inventor and "Father of Robotics"

The medieval period saw the rise of many new inventions all around the world. Emerging out of the so-called Dark Ages, many prominent scholars and learned minds came up with new inventions to make...
Tiara of Saitaphernes postcard
12 December, 2020 - 09:04 dhwty

The Tiara of Saitaphernes: Wow Antique? Fake? Fine Art? Find Out

Some objects are especially prized because the story about them is so precious. The Tiara of Saitaphernes is certainly one of these “priceless” objects and its story is long and surprising. The Tiara...
The Zeno Map And Travels Of the 14th-Century Venetian Zeno Brothers
11 December, 2020 - 19:47 Pierluigi Tombetti

The Zeno Map And Travels Of the 14th-Century Venetian Zeno Brothers

A century before Columbus , at the zenith of Venice's splendour, two brothers, Nicolò and Antonio Zeno embarked an extraordinary journey to the far north following Viking trade routes on the shores...
Orthostats Of Çayönü Tepesi, Nevalı Çori And Göbekli Tepe
9 December, 2020 - 22:45 Andrew Collins

Orthostats Of Çayönü Tepesi, Nevalı Çori And Göbekli Tepe

One day in October 1994 Professor Klaus Schmidt, an archaeologist working with the German Archaeological Institute and the University of Heidelberg, made the trek out to a bleak limestone plateau,...
The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age
9 December, 2020 - 19:42 Vincent Ongkowidjojo

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

The existence of mystery schools in the Viking Age (800-1200 CE) is deduced from myth and folklore. The poems of the Edda display the structure and content of cultic texts used within the framework...
Artist's impression of Teuta, Queen of the Illyrian Ardiaei tribe
9 December, 2020 - 00:09 dhwty

The Fierce Queen of the Illyrians: Teuta the Untameable

Following the defeat of Carthage in the First Punic War in 241 BC, the Roman Republic became a dominant naval power in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, Rome’s control of the seas was not absolute. To...
Fall of Tenochtitlan - Spanish Conquest of Mexico
8 December, 2020 - 00:57 dhwty

The Fall of Tenochtitlan - Truly the End of the Aztec Empire?

The fall of Tenochtitlan is an important event in the history of the Americas as it marks the end of the Aztec Empire. This event took place on August 13, 1521 and was the result of a three-month...
An invocation to I-em-hetep, the Egyptian deity of medicine by Ernest Board. (Wellcome Images/ CC BY-SA 4.0)
7 December, 2020 - 21:09 Chris Morgan

Medicine Of The Gods: Egyptian Secret Book Of The Physician

As in many other areas of endeavor, the Egyptians had a very good reputation for their medical skills - diplomatic letters often made requests for remedies, including the seemingly miraculous, when...
Babylonian Talmud is More Detailed On The Birth Of Jesus Than The Bible
6 December, 2020 - 17:53 Robert W. Weber

Babylonian Talmud is More Detailed On The Birth Of Jesus Than The Bible

For historians, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, the Talmud is in many ways the perfect primary source, a first-hand account with a direct connection to Judaism. Through the Talmud, we can learn...
Cerro Gordo Standing Sentinel Over Teotihuacan
4 December, 2020 - 21:16 Marco M. Vigato

Cerro Gordo Standing Sentinel Over Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan was by the fifth century AD the largest city in the American continent and one of the largest and most populous in the western hemisphere. Often called the ‘Rome of America’, its cultural...
The Rising Of The Revenant: Medieval Zombies As Ostension
2 December, 2020 - 12:43 Charles Christian

The Rising Of The Revenant: Medieval Zombies As Ostension

During the mid-to-latter years of the 12th century respected chroniclers working in cathedrals and monasteries across England began writing, in all seriousness, about corpses rising from their graves...
Marcus Tullius Cicero: Family Man, Friend and Father
30 November, 2020 - 20:28 MartiniF

Marcus Tullius Cicero: Family Man, Friend and Father

In modern times, Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 BC) is remembered as the greatest Roman orator. A prolific thinker, his writings include books on rhetoric, orations, philosophical and political...
Strongbow’s Gamble: Richard de Clare and the Norman Invasion of Ireland
30 November, 2020 - 13:55 Aleksa Vučković

Strongbow’s Gamble: Richard de Clare and the Norman Invasion of Ireland

In early medieval history – especially English history – landed gentry and aristocracy played a significant role in the political and social development. Following the Norman invasion of England by...
The Story of Eliza Hamilton: The Woman Behind a Great Man
28 November, 2020 - 14:02 dhwty

The Story of Eliza Hamilton: The Woman Behind a Great Man

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton was an American socialite and philanthropist who lived between the 18th and 19th centuries. She is perhaps best-known for being the wife of Alexander Hamilton, one of the...
Groom of the Stool: Was The King’s Toilet Guy The Worst Job Ever?
27 November, 2020 - 18:00 dhwty

Groom of the Stool: Was The King’s Toilet Guy The Worst Job Ever?

Some jobs are a dream and others literally stink! But the most stinky job of all, believe it or not, was actually a very powerful position because it put you right next to the king! The Groom of the...
Parallels Between The Jewish Fall Festival And Akhenaten’s Royal Jubilee
27 November, 2020 - 15:22 Jonathon Perrin

Parallels Between The Jewish Fall Festival And Akhenaten’s Royal Jubilee

A deep mystery haunts the origins and rituals of the Jewish Fall Festivals: Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Sukkot . Representing more than individual holidays, these...

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