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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.

The Old Kingdom, or more appropriately the ‘Age of the Pyramids’, was the first period the ancient Egyptians announced themselves as a colossal civilization. Pictured: ancient Egyptian corridor with hieroglyphs on the wall. Source: boscorelli / Adobe stock
22 May, 2020 - 22:54 dhwty

The Old Kingdom of Egypt – Dynasties That Changed the World

The Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in ancient Egyptian history that spans from the 27th to the 22nd century BC. This period begins with the Third Dynasty, and ends with the Sixth Dynasty...
The Upas, or Poison-Tree, in the Island of Java by Francis Danby (1820) (Public Domain)
22 May, 2020 - 16:59 Roberto Volterri

Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree: Ducks and Lambs

There was a period in man’s history when science deeply influenced the literary production of sensitive souls, men and women of open and enlightened minds, such as that great mystic and visionary...
Scotland's Beheaded Queen, Mary Stuart, Made Immortal by Irish Digital Artist
22 May, 2020 - 13:59 ashley cowie

Scotland's Beheaded Queen, Mary Stuart, Made Immortal by Irish Digital Artist

Earlier this week I wrote an Ancient Origins news piece about Irish based artist Matt Loughrey who runs a creative visualization studio and the website mycolorfulpast.com , which bridges a gap...
Representation of Cnut the Great. Source: Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock
21 May, 2020 - 19:02 dhwty

Cnut the Great: the Myth, the Man, and the Multi-National Viking Monarch

Cnut Sweynsson, known also as Cnut the Great (sometimes spelled as Canute), was the ruler of England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden. His realm is often referred to as the North Sea Empire, or...
Archaeology shows the damaging impact of pandemic outbreaks and how the ancient Africans dealt with them. From social distancing to more extreme measures of burning settlements, what lessons can be applied today? Source: Fxquadro / Adobe stock
21 May, 2020 - 01:57 ancient-origins

Archaeology Shows How Ancient African Societies Managed Pandemics

Every so often, a pandemic emerges that dramatically alters human society. The Black Death (1347 - 1351) was one; the Spanish flu of 1918 was another. Now there’s COVID-19 . Archaeologists have long...
An opium den in 18th-century China through the eyes of a Western artist (18th Century) (Public Domain)
20 May, 2020 - 20:34 ashley cowie

The Highs And Lows Of Ancient Heroin And Cocaine

For two centuries archaeologists and anthropologists have uncovered evidence of the ritual and medicinal application of mind-altering drugs which were central components in ancient human cultures...
Stonehenge sunset (Terry/ Adobe Stock)
19 May, 2020 - 00:26 Nigel Pennick

Magical Landscapes: Monuments, Memories and Memorials

All over the world, historical records and local memory keep places alive with meaning even when the physical reminders of that meaning have been obliterated. This happens with both religious and...
The legendary Welsh dragon. Credit: warpaintcobra / Adobe Stock
16 May, 2020 - 22:55 dhwty

The Legendary Welsh Dragon that Expelled the Saxons

The Welsh Dragon is a heraldic symbol of Wales, and arguably one of the country’s most recognizable symbols. The image is most notably seen on the flag of Wales. Additionally, this symbol is also...
The Mayflower by William Halsall, (1882) (Public Domain)
15 May, 2020 - 18:31 ashley cowie

The Mayflower: England’s Doomsday Ship

Historically, before trains, planes or automobiles, sailing was the choice way to travel far distances and it was the sole method for transporting goods and supplies around the ancient world. At...
Many think of modern globalization as a corporate phenomenon, linking it to the spread of coronavirus. But in fact, archaeology evidences it began in antiquity up to 5,000 years ago. Pictured: Ptolemy’s Global map. Source: British Library
15 May, 2020 - 01:59 ancient-origins

Elephants to Electronics: The Ancient Phenomenon of Modern Globalization

Many think of globalization as a modern and corporate phenomenon , and it has been readily linked to the spread of coronavirus. But modern globalization isn’t new. Archaeological research shows it...
Ancient Indian warfare has so many epic tales of battles throughout the ages, from the Indus Valley to the Chola Empire and conflicts with Alexander the Great. Pictured: depiction of the Battle at Lanka, from the epic Ramayana. Source: Sahibdin / Public domain
14 May, 2020 - 13:47 Saurav Ranjan Datta

The Art of Indian Warfare: From the Indus Valley to the Chola Empire

As Indians, we have always been brought up on folk tales, several mythological stories with lots of battles fought with wondrous weapons. We have listened to the tales of the great Kurukshetra War...
Moses Receiving the Tablets of the Law, by Raphael, in the Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican (1518) (Public Domain)
13 May, 2020 - 21:50 jim willis

The Bible Code: Hidden Messages From Another Realm

Human beings seem to have a natural tendency to look for order and symmetry even in chaos. They find animals pictured in passing clouds, faces in sunbeams striking window panes, and human figures in...
The Maya goddess Ix Chel wearing a coiled snake headdress
12 May, 2020 - 20:20 lennie

Ix Chel’s Coiled Snake Headdress: Sacred Symbol of Maya Women

The coiled snake headdress is a significant artifact connected with Maya women, both ancient and modern. Images of ancient Maya women wearing this distinctive headdress have been found carved on...
The Greek philosopher Diogenes was a famous pupil of the founder of Cynicism, Antisthenes. Source: Public Domain
12 May, 2020 - 19:07 Aleksa Vučković

Antisthenes and the Cynics: How to Live a Pure and Honest Life

One of the unique philosophical teachings of ancient Greece was Cynicism – a moral and virtuous teaching that really emphasized the pursuit of a pure, honest life. Today we are going to take an in-...
Homunculus (Mpj29 /CC BY-SA 4.0)
11 May, 2020 - 18:26 Roberto Volterri

Ancient Alchemists and Modern Scientists: In Search of Creating the Homunculus

To mimic the Creator and create life ex nihilo – almost from nothing – has been the ambition of some men, none more so than Philip Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim (1493 - 1541), a 16th-century...
Representation of Vikings in South America. Source: Nejron Photo / Adobe stock
10 May, 2020 - 22:58 Geoffrey Brooks

Were Vikings in South America Over 400 Years Before Columbus?

Here is presented the widely dismissed account that probably sometime in the mid-11th century, Danish Vikings from Schleswig and the Danelaw (as ascertained from runic rock inscriptions) arrived at...
Medieval town of Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Source: Gaschwald / Adobe Stock
10 May, 2020 - 01:55 ancient-origins

Medieval Europe’s Waves of Plague Also Required an Economic Action Plan

Kriston R. Rennie / The Conversation The Black Death (1347-51) devastated European society. Writing four decades after the event, the English monk and chronicler, Thomas Walsingham, remarked that “so...
Scone Palace Front side (Ingo Mehling/ CC BY-SA 4.0)
8 May, 2020 - 22:41 ashley cowie

Sacred Moots: Scone of Scotland and Tara Hill of Ireland

While the Medieval Norse world was judicially controlled by circular open-air assemblies called Things , at mounds called thingstead or thingstow , early Medieval Britain was peppered with moot ,...
Representation of a powerful wife of a Turkish Sultan
7 May, 2020 - 21:05 Natalia Klimczak

Kosem Sultan - The Last Influential Female Ruler of the Ottoman Empire

Kosem Sultan was a woman who refused to be just another widow on the Ottoman court - instead she became a real ruler of the empire. Her decisions made such an impact, that after her death noblemen in...
Sarcophagus of Tutankhamun with close up on the crook and flail. Source: Public Domain
7 May, 2020 - 19:14 Michelle Freson

Why Did the Humble Crook and Flail Symbolism Appeal to the Pharaohs?

Kings and queens, monarchs, emperors and rulers all over the world, through time immemorial, have had the responsibility of leading their people and defending their kingdoms. Monarchs are viewed as...
(Image: ©Alistair Coombs. Scorpius constellation Arote/AdobeStock;Deriv.)
7 May, 2020 - 00:32 jim willis

Göbekli Tepe: Enoch’s ‘Art of Building’ Hidden in the Bowels of the Earth

From its initial discovery in 1994, ancient Anatolia's Göbekli Tepe has closely guarded a mysterious secret. Although the secret has been scrutinized and probed in great detail, the answer still...
Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind the Obelisks
6 May, 2020 - 19:58 Kerry Sullivan

Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind Three Awe-Inspiring Obelisks

Cleopatra’s Needle is the name shared by three ancient Egyptian obelisks – one in New York City, one in London, and one in Paris. However, each comes from a different Egyptian site and none may have...
The Achaean League unified the city states. Source: matiasdelcarmine / Adobe Stock.
6 May, 2020 - 14:03 dhwty

The Achaean League’s Struggle and Beginnings of Federalism

The Achaean League was a confederation of Greek city states based on the Peloponnese Peninsula. There were, as a matter of fact, two Achaean Leagues in Greece’s history. The original Achaean League...
A 17th century painting of Heraclitus, by Johannes Moreelse.
5 May, 2020 - 19:17 dhwty

Heraclitus: Eminent Doctrines of a Pre-Socratic Riddler who Loved Conflict

Heraclitus of Ephesus was a Pre-Socratic philosopher who lived during the 6th century BC. He wrote a book which recorded his controversial philosophical thoughts. This book, which was deposited in...

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