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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.

Medieval-themed illustration of a young woman; representative image only
4 September, 2017 - 15:35 Charles Christian

Putting the Sex Back in Wessex: The Scandalous Reign of Queen Elgiva & Her Clash with a Demon-Fighting Bishop

The Queens of England (as in the consorts of Kings) during the early Medieval periods of English history rarely receive any coverage in the history books. Hands up anyone who can name the wife of...
Three runners. Side B of an Attic black-figured Panathenaic prize amphora (Marie-Lan Nguyen/CC BY 2.5) ) and detail of a statue of a Greek runner by Sir William Blake Richmond, in St Peter's Square, Hammersmith, London. (CC BY SA 3.0)
4 September, 2017 - 14:01 Theodoros Karasavvas

The Greatest Runner You Have Never Heard Of: The Other Famous Greek Leonidas

Thanks to Zack Snyder’s 2007 fantasy historical film, 300 , the Battle of Thermopylae has become one of the most famous battles in history, while the name Leonidas is now synonymous with the...
Tang and Shakespeare’s dramas are being blended together in a series of adaptions.
4 September, 2017 - 01:55 ancient origins

From China with Love: Tang Xianzu Was the Shakespeare of the Orient

After 400 years, Shakespeare is still rightly celebrated as a great wordsmith and playwright. But he was not the only great master of dramatic writing to die in 1616, and he is certainly not the only...
The School of Athens: Plato and Aristotle
1 September, 2017 - 15:29 Cam Rea

Aristotle is Dead, but his Ideas are Alive: Manipulating Money, and Plato’s Communism– Part II

Aristotle died. But then he returned from the grave, in a manner of speaking. The ancient Greek philosopher and scientist’s ideas remained mostly dead until the middle ages. With his rediscovered...
Aristotle, part of a wall painting, circa 1883.
30 August, 2017 - 15:26 Cam Rea

Aristotle is Dead, but his Ideas are Alive: On Private Property and Moneymaking – Part I

By Cam Rea / Classical Wisdom Aristotle died. But then he returned from the grave, in a manner of speaking. The ancient Greek philosopher and scientist’s ideas remained mostly dead until the middle...
Collage: design by Anand Balaji
28 August, 2017 - 15:36 anand balaji

Slew of Surreal Experiences tied to KV62. Carter and Tut: Masks, Mosquitoes, and Mania!

There were several exciting, strange and puzzling happenings in the run-up to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb and later. While Howard Carter wasn’t sure of the words he had used to describe his...
Assyrian attack on a town with archers and a wheeled battering ram, 865–860 BC.
27 August, 2017 - 13:56 Cam Rea

Were the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel Ever Lost?

When examining the mysteries of the 8th century BC, all one has to do is look in the Bible or an ancient history book to realize that Assyria had no outside threats. The Hittites and Egyptians were a...
Piles of clamshells (Schvin/CC BY 2.0), background: men in a Curragh, a skin boat (WilliamMurphy/CC BY-SA 2.0);Deriv.
25 August, 2017 - 15:39 jim willis

Seafarers and Shell Rings: Strange Formations on the American Coast a Hallmark of Faraway Visitors?

Just south of Awendaw, South Carolina, in the Francis Marion National Forest, is an example of a type of architectural artifact that still baffles archaeologists. For every explanation someone offers...
Native copper nugget from glacial drift, Ontonagon County, Michigan. An example of the raw material worked by the people of the Old Copper Complex.
23 August, 2017 - 15:21 Jason Jarrell

A Metal of Power and Prestige: The Ancient Copper Industry of North America

There are several criteria archaeologists look for in the quest to determine the level of cultural advancement of ancient peoples. Obviously, one of these criteria is technological advancement,...
An aerial view of the aqueduct.
21 August, 2017 - 15:27 Elyn and Gary

An Enigma Wrapped in a Mystery: The Living, Growing Aqueduct of Alicún de las Torres, Granada

Not far from the Moorish splendors of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, and close to the troglodyte cave-dwellings of the residents of Guadix, is the spectacular, living, El Toril Aqueduct. It is...
Main: Temple of Aton in Amarna (CC by SA 3.0). Inset eclipse (public domain)
20 August, 2017 - 23:10 anand balaji

Eclipse over Amarna: Beginning of the End for Akhenaten in his City of Light?

The ancient Egyptian civilization was wedded to the Sun, and yet, extant records only ever mention the solar aspect as the giver and sustainer of life that shines brightly for all eternity. Sterling...
Detail of ‘Der Parnaß’ (1497) by Andrea Mantegna.
20 August, 2017 - 18:55 Sam Bostrom

The Lost Knowledge of the Ancients: Were Humans the First? Part 6

[READ PART 5] Technology began with Hephaestus, or Vulcan, the world´s first metallurgist, according to Greek mythology. His workshop – a sparkling dwelling of bronze- was on Mount Olympus. But...
‘A maid bringing medicine and soup to her master who has a cold.’ (1857)
19 August, 2017 - 14:00 Riley Winters

Medicine Maidens: Why Did Women Become the Primary Medical Providers in Early Modern Households?

A primary female occupation in the early modern period (AD 1500-1800) was that of medicine. Though there were formal doctors—known by various titles and with various tasks detailed by their...
Ior Bock.
14 August, 2017 - 19:00 Caleb Strom

The Ior Bock Saga: Is Everything We Know about History Wrong?

There are many disagreements among scholars regarding historical events and individuals, however there is a consensus that most historians follow - a mainstream view of world history. At the same...
King Shapur of Persia Humiliating Emperor Valerian (Public Domain) Background: court of the emperor Valerian, painting circa 1450. (Public Domain); Deriv. By Martini Fisher
14 August, 2017 - 15:34 MartiniF

What Really Happened to Valerian? Was the Roman Emperor Humiliated and Skinned at the Hands of the Enemy?

The death of Valerian is traditionally known as one of the most dramatic and unfortunate of all the deaths of the Roman emperors. The widely accepted story is that Valerian wanted to end the war with...
An image of the goddess Meenakshi.
13 August, 2017 - 23:03 dhwty

Meenakshi: The Warrior Goddess Who Could Not Be Defeated by Any Man …Until She Met Shiva

Meenakshi is a goddess in the Hindu pantheon who is worshipped mainly in the southern part of India. This goddess is believed to be an avatar of the goddess Parvati, the wife of Shiva. The most...
A Chontal Maya sea craft.
12 August, 2017 - 22:52 Clyde Winters

Forgotten Voyagers: The Ancient Mexican Merchants Who Took to the Seas

“They were all young, well built and not black but fairer than the other natives I have seen in the Indies. They were handsome with fine limbs and bodies, and long straight hair cut in the Spanish...
‘Abraham and the Angels’ by Aert de Gelder
12 August, 2017 - 19:03 Nils Ekblad

Is There a Natural Explanation For The Unnatural Ages in Genesis?

Is there any significance to the puzzling ages of the antediluvian patriarchs in the fifth chapter of Genesis? And why do these numbers differ between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint? These...
The Lost Knowledge of the Ancients: Were Humans the First? Part 4
11 August, 2017 - 19:04 Sam Bostrom

The Lost Knowledge of the Ancients: Were Humans the First?

Archaeologists and historians have produced a number of curious finds which still await a logical explanation. The story of man will appear in a different light if the answers are ever found. If the...
Detail of portrait from 1807 showing a young man in ‘sunglasses.’
11 August, 2017 - 13:58 Riley Winters

Sunglasses: A History of Protective, Stylish, and Popular Eyewear

I never leave my house without a pair of sunglasses. Usually, there are also pairs in my purse, in my car, and in a coat that I keep in the trunk. In fact, I am both proud and ashamed to admit that I...
KV62 wall, tomb. Design by Anand Balaji
10 August, 2017 - 15:22 anand balaji

Final Pieces of the Jigsaw: Are Khufu, Nefertiti & Ankhesenamun Set to Yield Their Secrets?

Over the past two years, the world of Egyptology has been a hotbed of excitement. The thrill-a-minute roller-coaster ride of announcements from the Land of the Pharaohs became the focal point right...
‘La Doncella’ (the Maiden), one of the mummified ‘Children of Llullaillaco’ in Salta province, Argentina.
10 August, 2017 - 01:59 aprilholloway

Analysis Shows Children were Given Drugs and Alcohol before Ritual Sacrifice 500 Years Ago

The remarkably preserved mummified remains of three children were found on the summit of Volcan Llullaillaco in Argentina over a decade ago. The ‘Maiden’ was 13 years old when she met her demise and...
It’s Driving Them Out of Their Minds: The First Big Poisoning in Ancient Rome
9 August, 2017 - 18:45 Carly Silver

It’s Driving Them Out of Their Minds: The First Big Poisoning in Ancient Rome

There were quite a few methods of offing rivals available to criminals in ancient Rome, but poisoning became a popular one by the early imperial period. Perhaps the first widespread ring wreaking...
Images from the manuscript ‘Seventy-Two Specimens of Castes in India.
5 August, 2017 - 19:00 aprilholloway

The Controversial Indian Caste System Has Been Dividing India for 2000 Years

A study of genetic populations in India suggests the Indian caste system, a traditional method of social organization into a hierarchy of hereditary groups, has been prevalent in the South Asian...

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