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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.

A relief originally from the tomb of Userhat (TT47) at Thebes depicts Queen Tiye. Brussels Royal Museum.
5 February, 2018 - 15:23 anand balaji

The Golden Shrine of Queen Tiye: When and How Did It Reach the Theban Necropolis? -Part I

Among the hundreds of ancient rock-cut royal sepulchers that have been discovered in Egypt one in particular, KV55, stands out for its infinite intrigue. At some point in time, this Eighteenth...
Wasteland Viking Ship
2 February, 2018 - 15:22 ashley cowie

Christian Round Churches Hide Astronomical Secrets of the Viking Seafarers

Orkney is an archipelago in the northern isles of Scotland, annexed by Norwegian explorers in 875 AD and Christianized by King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, (960s – 1000). It was from Orkney where many...
‘Temple on Ganges in state of collapse, India, ca. 1906’ in the city of Varanasi, India. (Public Domain) Lijing Gate in Luoyang, Henan, China. (CC BY SA 2.0) Quarantal Monastery, Jericho, Palestine. (Tamar Hayardeni/CC BY 3.0) The alleged ‘Abraham house’ in Ur city, Dhi Qar, southern Iraq. (Aziz1005/CC BY 4.0) ‘The Acropolis at Athens’ (1846) by Leo von Klenze. (Public Domain) A traditional (at least for the 19th century) lebanese house on the seafront near Byblos Castle, Byblos, Lebanon. (CC BY SA 3.0)
31 January, 2018 - 14:02 Theodoros Karasavvas

11 of the Most Ancient and Continually Occupied Cities in the World

Time travel is one of the most intriguing scenarios humans have ever fantasized about, but unfortunately for those curious minds and wild dreamers out there, many modern physicists claim that outside...
Detail from a replica of the small golden shrine found in KV62 that shows Ankhesenamun and Tutankhamun; design by Anand Balaji
29 January, 2018 - 22:59 anand balaji

Inching Closer to Ankhesenamun: Is the Last Sun Queen Set to be Found? — Part II

The probable marriage of Ankhesenamun, the widow of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, to the aged vizier Aye before she vanished from the records paved the way for the old family retainer to ascend the throne of...
A diorama at the Etowah Mounds showing two stone effigies being ritually buried, next to the actual statues, seen from the rear
29 January, 2018 - 20:08 Jason Jarrell

Landscape of the Ancients: The Hopewellian Burial Mounds Lift the Veil on Prehistoric Native American Cultures

The Prehistoric Native Americans of the Hopewell culture (Middle Woodland Period) constructed burial mounds filled with precious artifacts such as shells, copper and silver items, obtained from...
Albany Bulb Sea Witch Prays to the Pink and Purple Sky.
29 January, 2018 - 18:52 ashley cowie

Untwisting the Knotted History of Sea Witches

You might have noticed that Ursula, the antagonist in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989), was a sea witch disguised as a half-human, half-octopus mythological hybrid creature . And, the antagonist of...
Detail of goddess Mut with likeness of Ankhesenamun; design by Anand Balaji
29 January, 2018 - 14:01 anand balaji

Inching Closer to Ankhesenamun: Unraveling the Radiant Child of Amarna—Part I

Ever since the discovery of KV62, the treasure-filled sepulcher of Tutankhamun, in 1922 – and even before that in 1907 when the mysterious Tomb 55 came to light – Amarna royals have always managed to...
Ninja warrior
28 January, 2018 - 18:55 ashley cowie

Ancient Psycho Secrets of Ninja Assassins

Ninjas or shinobi ("to sneak”) have become kings of popular culture and their acrobatic trained-killer antics have been featured in hundreds of movies and television series. These deadly mercenary...
‘Lucretia’ by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Lucretia’s suicide is a well-known example of suicide in ancient Rome.
27 January, 2018 - 13:57 dhwty

Petitioning for Death: Did Ancient Romans Really Ask for Permission to Commit Suicide?

Cases of suicide are known to have occurred in ancient Rome, as they have been recorded by ancient writers. But there are many questions surrounding this subject that have yet to be fully answered. A...
The Flying Carpet, a depiction of the hero of Russian folklore, Ivan Tsarevich 1880 by Viktor Vasnetsov
26 January, 2018 - 15:22 ashley cowie

Ancient Levitation – Magicians Secret Crafts Revealed

Since the dawn of its existence, mankind has developed survival skills. One of the very basic survival skills modern man does not even pay much attention to, is the need to make sense of our...
A tsunami stone.
25 January, 2018 - 01:51 dhwty

Japanese Tsunami Stones: These Centuries-Old Monuments Save Lives Today

Japan is often struck by earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. At times, these seismic activities result in tsunamis - a ‘seismic or tidal sea wave’. Although such a deadly...
Bust of Nefertiti (ca. 1370 BC – ca. 1330 BC), the Great Royal Wife (chief consort) of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten.
24 January, 2018 - 18:55 Gary Manners

Lady of Interest: Nefertiti Was no Pharaoh, Says Renowned Egyptologist

The bust of Nefertiti is one of the most iconic artifacts from ancient Egypt and the lady herself probably ranks second only to Cleopatra among the most famous queens of the Nile. As such she is...
Open Sky and a Yurt in the Orkhon Valley
24 January, 2018 - 15:24 Alicia McDermott

The Tapestry of Early Turkic Myth is Woven with Tales of Wolves, Horses and a Great Tree of Life

Turkic peoples comprise a variety of ethnic groups living in northern, eastern, central and western Asia, northwestern China and some parts of eastern Europe. Historically they were established in...
The clinker-built Gokstad ship dating back to the year 890 AD is currently on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. (Image: Museum of Cultural History, Oslo, 1938)
24 January, 2018 - 02:00 ancient-origins

Who Was the Exceptionally Powerfully Built Viking Buried in the Gokstad Ship?

By ThorNews Ever since the publication of a scientific article in 1883, “everyone” has known that the skeleton found in the magnificent Gokstad ship in Eastern Norway belonged to Olaf Geirstad-Alf,...
The Inspiration of Christopher Columbus by José María Obregón, 1856.
23 January, 2018 - 18:56 Dr. Steven L. D...

Can the Catholicism of Christopher Columbus be Questioned?

One of the great adventurers and explorers of Spain’s Golden Age of discovery was Cristoforo Colon, Christopher Columbus. His exploits, centering on the discovery of new lands across the Atlantic,...
"Ertränken im Fass oder Sack", a 1560 sketch showing ‘punishment of the sack’.
23 January, 2018 - 02:00 ancient-origins

Mythbusting Ancient Rome: Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Early Roman history is full of stories about the terrible fates that befell citizens who broke the law. When a certain Tarpeia let the enemy Sabines into Rome, she was crushed and thrown headlong...
‘End of the World’ artistic representation.
22 January, 2018 - 18:55 ashley cowie

Ancient Fears to Keep You Up at Night - The End Really, Really is Nigh

Historians often declare that at least 3500 end of world prophecies have appeared over the same number of years. And those are only the written ones! Eschatology is theology concerned with the final...
The Invitation of the Varangians: Rurik and his brothers Sineus and Truvor arrive at the lands of the Ilmen Slavs at Staraya Ladoga. Painted prior to 1913 by Viktor.M.Vasnetsov.
22 January, 2018 - 15:27 Cam Rea

Fierce in Battle, Fierce in Trading. Viking Sea States of Merchants – Part II

By the 9th century, the Scandinavian sea nomads that had tormented the British coastline, had conquered parts of the land and assimilated cultures. They established the Danelaw, territories where...
Detail of ‘Iwatake mushroom gathering at Kumano in Kishu.’
22 January, 2018 - 13:56 ashley cowie

Zombie Powder, Bird Saliva, and Rotten Shark: Would You Try These Ancient Foods?

Ancient tribal cultures all over the world partook in perilous hunting, fishing, and food gathering adventures. Hearths appear 250,000 years ago - which is the accepted archaeological estimate for...
Saint Daniel’s rock hewn house, Putna
21 January, 2018 - 13:57 dhwty

15th Century Monk Built This Stone House to Find Solitude

St. Daniel was completely devoted in his quest to contemplate spiritual and religious issues through a life of solitary contemplation. He really did not want to be disturbed in this endeavour and...
Top image: A woman in traditional Chinese dress. Source: CC0
20 January, 2018 - 18:48 dhwty

When Concubines Fought Back: The Plot to Eliminate a Mad and Sadistic Emperor

The Renyin Plot was an assassination attempt carried out on the sadistically violent Jiajing Emperor, who was the ruler of China’s Ming Dynasty during the 16th century. The assassins almost succeeded...
Venus and Anchises
20 January, 2018 - 02:01 ancient-origins

Explainer: The Gods Behind the Days of the Week

The Roman weekday ‘dies Veneris’ was named after the planet Venus, which in turn took its name from Venus, goddess of love. The origins of our days of the week lie with the Romans. The Romans named...
A depiction of a tree of life or axis mundi.
19 January, 2018 - 22:52 dhwty

The Axis Mundi: Sacred Sites Where Heaven Meets Earth

What do Mount Fuji in Japanese culture, the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, Mecca in Islam, and the Black Hills for the Sioux all have in common? They are all examples of a belief in the axis...
A Viking offers a slave girl to a Persian merchant.
19 January, 2018 - 15:32 Cam Rea

Torment of the Sea Nomads. Viking Sea States of Merchants - Part I

In the late 8th century, a group of Scandinavian sea nomads took to the sea and tormented Europe and Asia through their terrible acts of piracy. Thankfully, by the early 9th century, their piracy...

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