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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.

Face of the coffin in which the mummy of Ramesses II was found. (Credit: Petra Lether, designed by Anand Balaji)
18 January, 2018 - 19:01 anand balaji

Living God in a Wooden Box: In Whose Coffin was Ramesses II Buried?

Usermaatre Setepenre Ramesses II, the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty, was one of ancient Egypt’s longest-reigning monarchs. In an astonishing sixty-seven regnal years – the glory days of...
King Arthur monument in Tintagel, Cornwall.(left), Excalibur in Brocéliande Forest, Brittany, France.(right)
17 January, 2018 - 18:52 Anthony Murphy

Has the King Arthur Gene Been Traced?

If stories of King Arthur and his knights are based on real people their DNA markers should still be with us today. New DNA research has perhaps found the King Arthur gene. The Genetic Lead R1b-L513...
Bust of Akhenaten
17 January, 2018 - 15:15 anand balaji

The Silence of Akhenaten: Was the Pharaoh Mute, Blind or Cultic?

The enigma of Pharaoh Akhenaten has captured the imagination of the world ever since Napoleon’s savants brought him to light. Today, every scholar holds steadfast to his or her theory about the...
Mosaic with the months of the year, starting with the Roman first month March.
17 January, 2018 - 01:57 ancient-origins

Where do the names of our months come from?

Our lives run on Roman time. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and public holidays are regulated by Pope Gregory XIII’s Gregorian Calendar , which is itself a modification of Julius Caesar’s calendar...
These Norwegian children have traveled back to the Viking Age and practice archery.
16 January, 2018 - 14:01 ancient-origins

Born for Valhalla: How Viking Children Learned the Art of War

By ThorNews We know from the sagas that Viking boys were trained in the art of war. The Viking’s success in killing and oppressing everyone who stood in their way was no accident: The warrior...
Remains of an ancient Roman salt fish factory and garum factory in the archaeological underground ruins at Plaça del Rei.
15 January, 2018 - 15:26 ashley cowie

Decoding Barcelona’s Enigma of an Ancient Musical Roman Temple

While the world’s recent attention has been focused on Barcelona, as some of its people rally for Catalonian independence from Spain, few people are aware that the city is home to one of European...
Panning for gold in Kildonan. (slains-castle) Alluvial gold from Kildonan Burn, Helmsdale, Suth-erland.
13 January, 2018 - 18:56 ashley cowie

A Highland Gold Rush: The Scottish Search for Semen of the Sun

Gold was referred to by the Pre-Columbian ancient South American cultures as ‘Semen of the Sun’ and ‘Sweat of the Sun’ but in that continent, where it was so abundantly available, it held no...
Frédégonde armant les meurtriers de Sigebert (Fredegund and the assassins of Sigebert) by Emmanuel Herman Joseph Wallet
12 January, 2018 - 15:25 MartiniF

The Violent Life of Fredegund: Was She a Queen, a Murderess or a Woman Intent on Survival?

Fredegund (545 - 597 CE), the queen consort of Chilperic I - the Merovingian Frankish king of Soissons, has a reputation of being one of the most bloodthirsty and sadistic women in history. Accounts...
Venus and Mars, c 1485. Tempera and oil on poplar panel, National Gallery, London.
10 January, 2018 - 18:48 Riley Winters

Trial by Public Performance: The Impotence Trials of Pre-Revolutionary France

The impotence trials of prerevolutionary France sound a bit like a political joke. France had mostly squelched the ability for couples to divorce, and it was in the wake of this that the impotence...
Detail of a Fresco from the North wall of the Tomb of the Diver in Paestum, Italy depicting Pederastic couples at a symposium.
8 January, 2018 - 13:50 dhwty

Tyrant Killers of Athens: The Tyrannicides, Harmodius and Aristogeiton

Harmodius and Aristogeiton: the citizens of Athens knew the names of these lovers all too well in the 6th century BC. But it isn’t their love story that captured attention. These two men are...
Stalk of basil.
7 January, 2018 - 01:58 Dr Massimo Bonasorte

Sacred Plant of Eternal Love and Healing: The Mythology and Magic of Basil

In Mediterranean cuisine it is the symbol of summer and its origins are lost in the mists of time. Fragrant and delicate with its green leaves it manages to tantalize the most demanding palates, it...
Illustrations to Dante's "Divine Comedy" - "Minos" by William Blake.
6 January, 2018 - 22:57 pkoutoupis

In Search of the Mythical King Minos, Did the Legendary Ruler Really Exist?

When we think of Minos, two images immediately come to mind: (1) the legendary and cruel tyrant of Crete who demanded the tribute of Athenian youths to feed to the Minotaur in the Labyrinth and (2) a...
The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher's Stone by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1771.
6 January, 2018 - 18:53 ashley cowie

Lord Kelvin’s Lost Alchemical Chamber of Secrets

In the world of historical investigation and detection, luck, is a universal component that often leads one to otherwise hidden realms. That is precisely what happened to me in 2009 while undertaking...
Main: The rough Cullinan Diamond (public domain). Inset: One of the nine stones it was cut into (public domain)
5 January, 2018 - 17:35 micki pistorius

Find of a Lifetime: 3,106-Carat Diamond Worth US $2 Billion Takes Its Place in History

Created an unimaginably distant time in the past, diamonds are the most coveted and valued of precious stones. The story of the discovery and destiny of the Cullinan diamond, to this day the largest...
Joshua’s armies depart a burning and looted Ai.
5 January, 2018 - 15:07 Cam Rea

Military Blunder and the Death of a King: Joshua’s Debacle at Ai – Part II

The battle of Ai is probably one of history’s most overlooked battles in which military trainees or cadets can learn valuable lessons. Joshua—new leader of the tribes of Israel, great military leader...
Joshua’s armies use horns of war in siege against Jericho.
3 January, 2018 - 15:27 Cam Rea

Sounding the Horns of Doom at the Battle of Jericho – Part I

Joshua was a great military leader and a controversial figure in the Bible. With Moses’ death at Mount Nebo, Joshua was elected the new leader of the tribes of Israel. Under Joshua’s leadership, the...
Statue of Saint Isidore of Seville.
2 January, 2018 - 18:59 dhwty

St. Isidore of Seville: Patron Saint of …. The Internet?!

The Catholic tradition of assigning the patronage of saints to certain places, careers, or activities is usually obvious. For example, St. Luke was a physician and he’s one of the patrons of doctors...
Illustration of Mahabharata (Public domain)
2 January, 2018 - 15:31 MartiniF

The Legend of Shikhandi, the Transgendered Warrior Who Paid the Price of Opposing Powerful Men

Chauvinism existed even in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The ancient text depicts the legendary eighteen-day bloodbath, dubbed the Kurukshetra War, where the hero/heroine’s greatest feat was not...
Bust of Aeschylus, Zappeion, Athens. (Tilemachos Efthimiadis/CC BY SA 2.0) Illustration of the death of Aeschylus.
1 January, 2018 - 23:00 Theodoros Karasavvas

Eagle Mistakes Bald Head for a Rock: The Bizarre Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Aeschylus

Aeschylus, widely regarded as the “Father of Tragedy,” was one of the first of classical Athens’ great dramatists. He raised the emerging art of tragedy to new heights of poetry and theatrical power...
‘The Slave Market’ (1886) by Gustave Boulanger.
30 December, 2017 - 14:32 Riley Winters

Skin Color Didn’t Matter to the Ancient Greeks and Romans

The term “racism” refers to a phenomenon of group hatred or bigotry based on ethnic and cultural prejudice. In the United States, the term is most often heard in conjunction with the descriptors “...
A human skeleton in space.
29 December, 2017 - 22:55 Caleb Strom

Medical Astrology: Moon Fever and Diseases Sent from the Skies

For centuries, humans have believed that the celestial realm could influence everyday life. This is the basis of astrology. The rise and fall of kingdoms and the fortunes of individuals have all been...
Ancient Egyptian relief. Design by Anand Balaji. (Image credit: Julian Tuffs);Deriv.
29 December, 2017 - 22:04 anand balaji

Amarna Era Chronological Conundrum: Accession of Neferneferuaten and Tutankhamun’s Death–Part II

With only an Amarna wine jar label from Regnal Year 17 – purported to be the last dated inscription from his reign – that makes no mention of Akhenaten by name, and the generous 59 years’ rule...
The marital prison in Biertan, Romania
29 December, 2017 - 19:16 dhwty

Locked into a Relationship: The Medieval Remedy for Divorce Still Requested in Romania

Global divorce rates are on the rise. Some people see this as a social issue. But the small Romanian village of Biertan has a unique method to remedy this problem. They follow a tradition which has...
‘The Divorce of the Empress Josephine’ (1843) by Henri Frédéric Schopin
28 December, 2017 - 13:43 dhwty

Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Divorce Laws Have Evolved, But One Country Is Holding Back

Divorce can be traced all the way back to ancient Greek and Roman societies. But the idea of marriage in these cultures was different from what is found in modern Western society, so it makes sense...

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