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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.

Some of the animal species that held a special place in ancient folklore: Horse (Pixabay License), dog (Pixabay License), hedgehog (Pixabay License), squirrel (Pixabay License), baboon (Pixabay License), cat (Pixabay License).
20 July, 2019 - 22:30 ancient-origins

8 of the Most Popular Animal Species in the Ancient World

Animals far outnumber us on the planet. And while humans have domesticated some of them for work or food, others have been observed, admired, feared, and revered from afar. For many ancient cultures...
Circe and her swine by Briton Rivière (1896)(Public Domain)
19 July, 2019 - 15:32 Roberto Volterri

Searching for the Lost Location of the Isle of Circe, Enchantress of Odysseus

"They breathe slight auras into the night while the moon shines in the sky, and everything Under the tremulous light the sea sparks. They then shave the nearby coasts of the land of Circe, where the...
The famous Lions Gate into the hill fortress where Mycenaean armies originated.
18 July, 2019 - 19:26 Riley Winters

The Fall of a Civilization: The Mysterious Collapse of the Mycenaean Bronze Age

"In most cases, collapse results from multiple, 'cascading' stress factors—politico-economic, demographic, and sociocultural as well as environmental…relational aspects, arguing that factors such as...
The fear of being buried alive is taphophobia. (Sergey Nivens / Adobe Stock.)
18 July, 2019 - 18:52 Aleksa Vučković

Saved by the Bell - The Surprising History of Safety Coffins

Modern medicine is full of wonders and lifesaving, revolutionary methods - many of which are taken for granted. But if we were to look back in time, we’d quickly realize that even death was uncertain...
Ovid among the Scythians (1862 ) by Eugene Delacroix) (Public Domain)
18 July, 2019 - 03:53 MartiniF

Scythian Priesthood of Fierce Fighting Eunuch Shamans of the Snake Goddess

The Scythian goddess Argimpasa was half-human, half-snake with a priesthood of powerful shamans, who despite their self-inflicted castration, seemed to still personify the reputation of fierce...
Nuraghe Is Paras - Isili - an archeological site of Isili, a town in the historical region of Sarcidano, province of South Sardinia built in the 15-14th century (Andrea / Adobe Stock)
16 July, 2019 - 00:30 Freddy Silva

Were the Anunnaki the Architects of the Towers and Tombs of the Giants of Sardinia?

Sardinia is one of the most geologically ancient lands in Europe , inhabited during the Upper Paleolithic, home to a Nuragic civilization that left nothing behind by way of writing. Folklore paint...
Were the first rulers deities, mythical, or appointed by the gods? Source: tomertu / Adobe Stock.
14 July, 2019 - 01:53 Caleb Strom

‘First Kings’ Myths From Around the World: How Do They Compare?

Monarchs have always played a very important role in how their subjects form their cultural identity. Egypt, China, and the Sumerian city-states are examples of some of the oldest monarchies. The...
Red Square in Moscow by Fyodor Alekseyev (–1824)(Public Domain)
12 July, 2019 - 15:41 ashley cowie

Russia’s Wealth of Archaeological Wonders

The treasures and ancient mysteries of Russia provide evidence of vital stages in not only human evolution, but the very origins of life on planet earth. Although archaeology was practiced in the...
7th century Tang dynasty painting of envoys from the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla (Public Domain)
11 July, 2019 - 03:16 MartiniF

The Age-Old Bone-Rank Caste System of the Korean Kingdom of Silla

In several cultures one’s social standing was determined by one’s birth, which included or precluded certain privileges and even determined the cutlery one was allowed to use. Such was the caste...
Catacomb Saint - Saint Gratian. Source: Xenophon / CC BY-SA 4.0.
10 July, 2019 - 19:08 Aleksa Vučković

A Beauty in Darkness: The Hidden Secrets of the Catacomb Saints

Death was always a source of mystery for people around the world. But what happens when we erase that invisible border and make the dead a thing to worship? Never too far from every major turn of...
Detail of a hurdy gurdy
10 July, 2019 - 18:07 dhwty

Hurdy Gurdy Man: Rock Star of the Medieval Music Scene

The hurdy gurdy is a musical instrument, or more precisely, a string instrument, that traces its origin to the Middle Ages of Europe. The hurdy gurdy was initially used to play sacred music, before...
Roman Market Scene by Johannes Lingelbach (1653) (Public Domain)
9 July, 2019 - 00:47 Roberto Volterri

Mussolini’s Quincussis: Was the Ancient Roman Coin a Fake?

Scientists are perplexed at the origins and provenance of two very ancient and unusual Roman coins that turned up like a bad penny in the 20th century. A Quincussis - the correct scientific name of...
Medieval knight riding into battle. Credit: rudall30 / Adobe Stock
7 July, 2019 - 23:02 Aleksa Vučković

The Dramatic History of the Normans: A Tale of Medieval Conquest

History is full of stories that will grip you like a modern page-turner novel, but only a few can do it as easily as the tale of the Normans. Proud and fearsome, these Viking descendants were key...
Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. Source: dbvirago / Adobe Stock.
7 July, 2019 - 01:40 Sarah P Young

Pompeii: The Ancient Roman City Frozen in Time

In the Campania region of Italy near the modern day city of Naples , there was once a prosperous Roman city - Pompeii. As a thriving center for trade, the inhabitants of the city were a mixture of...
A man practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM includes some ancient remedies that can treat illnesses effectively. Source: DragonImages /Adobe Stock
6 July, 2019 - 23:05 ancient-origins

11 Ancient Remedies that Effectively Treat Modern Ailments

With innovations appearing in our lives seemingly every day it seems that new breakthroughs in science are the only ones we trust. New is always considered better. With this prevalent thinking those...
The Tuatha Dé Danann as depicted in John Duncan's "Riders of the Sidhe" (1911) (Public Domain)
6 July, 2019 - 00:29 ashley cowie

Irish Poets Uncover the Kabbalah in Celtic Creation Myths

In the early ninth century an Irish warrior-priest Cormac mac Cuilennáin, who would become king, wrote Sanas Cormaic in which he presented the ancient creation myths of the Celts . In the early 20th...
Temple of Edfu illustration by artist David Roberts.
5 July, 2019 - 23:14 Morgan Smith

The Grand Architect: The Sacred Link Between Architecture and the Divine Across Ancient Cultures

In 1892, architect W.R. Lethaby wrote: “The main purpose and burden of sacred architecture - and all architecture, temple, tomb, or palace, was sacred in the early days - is…inextricably bound up...
What Went Wrong? The Real Story of the Battle of Thermopylae
4 July, 2019 - 18:04 nickospoulianos

What Went Wrong? The Real Story of the Battle of Thermopylae

In 480 BC, an enormous Persian army under the chief command of Emperor Xerxes (son of Darius the Great) campaigned against Thessaly in central Greece. Mainly they fought against the southern mostly...
Roman Forum. Ruins of Roman Forum in Rome, Italy during sunrise. (twindesigner / Adobe Stock)
3 July, 2019 - 23:52 Roberto Volterri

Italian Renaissance Paintings of UFO’s Hidden in Plain Sight

One day in early August in the fourth century AD, something strange happened in Rome . Those who were outside braving the heat, walking on the Esquiline Hill would have glanced at the sky to notice a...
(Image: ©Alistair Coombs. Scorpius constellation Arote/AdobeStock;Deriv.)
1 July, 2019 - 15:47 Alistair

The Cosmic Scorpion Evident in Ancient Cultures

Scorpions have inhabited the Earth for over 400 million years. They were one of the first seabed evolved creatures to climb out of oceans onto land. Although older than the dinosaurs and despite many...
The Strange Story of the Black Prince of Canterbury
29 June, 2019 - 01:44 Natalia Klimczak

The Strange Story of the Black Prince of Canterbury

Visitors can find the tomb of Edward of Woodstock, also known as the Black Prince, in the famous Canterbury cathedral. The 14th Century prince was the eldest son of King Edward III and Philippa of...
The Mystery of Mount Heredom, Masonic Seat of Scotland
28 June, 2019 - 17:38 ashley cowie

The Mystery of Mount Heredom, Masonic Seat of Scotland

Every country in the world has a handful of mountains which demand central roles in tales of lost treasures and mysteries of a supernatural nature, but only Scotland can claim to have a mountain so...
A yin yang symbol.
27 June, 2019 - 00:28 Kerry Sullivan

The Yin Yang Symbol: A Philosophy of Chaos and Harmony

The complementary nature of Yin and Yang are perhaps best illustrated by the iconic black-and-white yin-yang symbol. Yet, the philosophy behind the concept can apply to many things. The ancient...
Are Shamir and Pito the answer to how people performed ancient stonework? Are they the “green chisel” gifted from the gods? Source: Anjocreatif / Adobe.
26 June, 2019 - 23:02 Lia Mangolini

Melting Stone With Plants: Was the Mythical 'Green Chisel' A Real Ancient Tool?

Archaeology is not an exact science. It is full of doubts, uncertainties, surprises, and unanswered questions. One of its unsolved mysteries concerns the methods of ancient stone work, which is lost...

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