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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.

Bao Zheng in Beijing opera (Shizhao/ CC BY 3.0)

Judge Bao, the Chinese Sherlock Holmes Who Became a Legend

How did a humble government official during the reign of Emperor Renzong (AD 1010 – 1063) of the Northern Song dynasty of China, become a legend, and achieve immortality in Chinese operas as a god...
Portrait of Juan Ponce de León.

The Fake Story of Juan Ponce de León and the Fountain of Youth

Juan Ponce de León was one of the first Europeans known to have set foot on what is today the United States of America. This was due to his expedition to the area now known as Florida (the first one...
Kappa at the Lumber Yard in Fukagawa / kappa repulsed by stench by Yoshitoshi  (1839–1892). Famous Places and Humorous Images of Modern Life in Tokyo  (Public Domain)

Monstrous Demons of Asian Folklore

Every village, town and city in the world has its array of monsters and mythological creatures, many of whom that have sprung from thousands of years of folkloric traditions. And while dragons are...
The scene at Victoria Hall, the grief-stricken parents having to identify the bodies of their children. Source: wearsideonline / Public Domain

The Deadly Victoria Hall Stampede Tragedy

The Victoria Hall Stampede was a tragedy that occurred in Sunderland, in the northeast of England, in 1883. The unfortunate incident happened in a concert hall at the end of a children’s...
On the left, the heretic Dominican friar Campanello, (Public Domain), strange torches, mysterious melodies and curious perfumes (anarhja ) and on the right, a very worried Pope Urban VIII (Public Domain) (Image Deriv: compiled by Dr. Roberto Volterri)

The Folly of Pope Urban VIII and the Banning of Astrological Prophesies of Papal Fates

A 17th century Pope so feared the astrological prediction that he would exchange his life as pontiff in the Urbs Aeterna or eternal city of Rome for the everlasting life, on a day coinciding with a...
Alexander on horse at the battle of Issos. Alexander Sarcophagus, Istanbul Archaeological Museum. (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Herodotus’ Fish-Eating Horses and Founding Myth of the Macedon Royal Lineage

In Greece, Alexander the Great is coveted as a national hero; the cluster of royal tombs discovered in 1977 at the archaeological site of Vergina , which is thought have housed Alexander’s father,...
Putting a Price on Marriage: The Long-standing Custom of Dowries

Putting a Price on Marriage: The Long-standing Custom of Dowries

A dowry is an ancient custom that requires the transfer of parental property to a daughter at her marriage , rather than at her father’s death. It is a tradition in which emotion does not play a role...
Leonidas at Thermopylae by Jacques-Louis David (1814) Louvre Museum (Public Domain)

The Greatest History Movie Blunders Ever Made

Hollywood producers and directors have never once been praised for rigorously sticking to the facts and whether it's a medieval epic or a modern war film they generally fail when it comes to relaying...
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the emperor's ceremony of enthronement to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

A New Japanese Emperor Takes To The Chrysanthemum Throne

The Chrysanthemum Throne is the throne of the Emperor of Japan and a metonym referring to the Japanese monarchy itself. The Japanese imperial family has recently been in the news, due to the...
Constellation Map. (DarkWorkX/Pixabay)

Prehistoric Zodiacal Dating Code Revealed At Göbekli Tepe

Archaeologists agree, Göbekli Tepe changes everything. This hilltop sanctuary in southern Turkey, probably the World’s first megalithic temple, is like a time capsule that dates back nearly 13,000...
Morning Prayers

The Essenes: The Mystery Holy Men Behind the Dead Sea Scrolls?

The Essenes were a Jewish sect that flourished around the end of the Second Temple Period, i.e. between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. The main source of information regarding this...
Representative image of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, Struck Fear in Viking Hearts

Aethelflaed, also known as the Lady of the Mercians, was an Anglo-Saxon ruler of Mercia who lived between the 9th and 10th centuries AD. When Aethelflaed was still a child, the Vikings controlled a...
Everything is distinct in the shaman’s secret world. Source: Ammit /Adobe Stock

The Shaman’s Secret World: Living in Light and Darkness

Shamanism is described in Shamanism, Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy as a every ancient coherent system of esoteric beliefs and practices that attempt to organize and explain the interrelationship...
The Trials and Tribulations of BM 22542 (1889,0731)

The Trials and Tribulations of BM 22542 (1889,0731)

Spies have code names, so who was the mysterious BM 22542 (1889,0731), of Egyptian origin, that caused the deaths of many, sabotaged ships including the Titanic and Lusitania and disrupted the London...
Detail of a Manicheanism scene.

Manichaeism: The Ancient Religion that Rivaled Christianity

Manichaeism is a multi-faceted religion that was founded by Iranian prophet Mani. After a revelation with the angel Eltaum, Mani prepared for 12 years to proclaim himself to the people. Manichaeism...
Mermaid (DarkWorkX/Pixabay)

Sirenas, Songstresses of the Philippine Seas

In 1493, Christopher Columbus claimed to have spotted a few mermaids and left decidedly unimpressed, writing that they: “were not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look...
The Greek motto gnōthi sauton (know thyself, nosce te ipsum) combines with the image to convey the famous warning: Respice post te; hominem te esse memento; memento mori. (Look behind; remember that you are mortal; remember death.)(Public Domain)

Know Thyself: The Science of Uncovering the Ancients’ Origins

"Know thyself!" These words were inscribed in the court of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. They were later quoted and expanded by Socrates, the Greek philosopher. He used them to highlight the fact...
Towers of Silence, Iran (delbars / Adobe Stock)

Achaemenid Religion: Lighting the Spirit of Ancient Persia

The Achaemenid Persian Empire is historically important for the Western world because of the influence of the Persian civilization on both the ancient Greeks and the ancient Jews. Because of this...
Paquiquineo - a chief’s son converted to Christianity. Source: jozefklopacka / Adobe Stock.

Paquiquineo: Brave Traitor or Freedom Fighter?

In 1561, a Native American from Virginia by the name of Paquiquineo was invited, in some accounts kidnapped, to Spain where he met the king and eventually was sent back to the Americas to assist the...

The Myth of National Socialism: How the Nazis Distorted the Nordic Past

National Socialism is one of the most unusual and documented regressus ad uterum historical events in modern times. It’s a unique case in history when a modern political party returned to its...
Mammoth hunt, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, Japan (CC BY-SA 2.5)

Did the Pre-Clovis Cultures in America Originate from Japan?

One of the most contentious issue in American, if not world archaeology is the validity of the ‘Clovis first’ theory, which is based on the argument that humans first came into America with the...
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix (1830), celebrates the French Revolution (Louvre Museum).    Source: Public Domain

The French Revolution and Birth of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity

The French Revolution is often considered to be one of the most significant events not only in the history of France and Europe, but also in the world. This revolution is known also as the Revolution...
An ancient fresco of Macedonian soldiers from the tomb of Agios Athanasios, Thessaloniki, Greece, 4th century BC (Public Domain)

The Floating Warhorses of Alexander the Great: The Menacing Mount of the Macedonians

The rider must have a firm seat when going at full speed over all sort of ground and must also be able to use his weapons well on horseback. ( Xenophon, On Horsemanship , 8) When Philip II came to...
Ancient tsunamis destroyed and killed. Source: Kevin Carden / Adobe Stock.

Creating Waves, Destroying Lives: Ancient Tsunamis That Left Their Mark

The catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of late 2004 claimed up to 300,000 lives in the space of 24 hours. In 2011, the Japanese tsunami claimed another 20,000 lives. Prior to these events, few...

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