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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.

The Atheist Martyr: Rebellious ‘Knight’ Inspired the French Revolution
8 January, 2017 - 14:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

The Atheist Martyr: Rebellious ‘Knight’ Inspired the French Revolution

During the first half of the 18th century, the Catholic Church’s authority and religious intolerance had reached new heights in France, which in many cases led to irrationally harsh punishment for...
YouTube screenshot of what Maria Solina may have looked like
8 January, 2017 - 03:45 Natalia Klimczak

The Powerful Woman Known as Maria Solina - The Most Famous Witch of Galicia

Witchcraft has a very special place in the culture of Spanish Galicia. One of the most famous people related to the old magical traditions is Maria Soliña, a Galician witch who lived during the 17th...
Imagination vs Reality: What if Nefertiti Was Not as Lovely as We are Expected to Believe?
7 January, 2017 - 14:49 Natalia Klimczak

Imagination vs Reality: What if Nefertiti Was Not as Lovely as We are Expected to Believe?

Nefertiti is one of the most iconic persons of ancient Egypt. She is still extremely famous and faith in her great personality is visible in pretty much any book that mentions the queen. But who was...
Madyes: Master of Asia, Historical Enigma
7 January, 2017 - 02:17 Cam Rea

Madyes: Master of Asia, Historical Enigma

Madyes, the mysterious Scythian stepped onto the world stage. There is not a great deal of information about him, nor has his name turned up in any of the Assyrian tablets. Herodotus and Strabo are...
Skeletons in the Attic and Babes in the Wood: Surprising and Spooky Yuletide Traditions
5 January, 2017 - 02:21 Charles Christian

Skeletons in the Attic and Babes in the Wood: Surprising and Spooky Yuletide Traditions

Although we nowadays associate ‘Happy Holidays’ with celebrations during Advent and the run-up to Christmas Day and then on to New Year’s Eve (or Hogmanay in Scotland) not that many years ago the ‘...
Pedro Madruga: Galician VIP…and Another Name for Christopher Columbus?
4 January, 2017 - 14:46 Natalia Klimczak

Pedro Madruga: Galician VIP…and Another Name for Christopher Columbus?

Pedro Madruga is remembered as one of the most important Galicians. His life was full of adventure and also created one of the greatest mysteries of this region. According to many researchers and...
Little Emperors and Their Regents: Child Rulers & the Supportive and Destructive People Behind Them
3 January, 2017 - 02:38 MartiniF

Little Emperors and Their Regents: Child Rulers & the Supportive and Destructive People Behind Them

Some babies shake rattles and others shake up kingdoms. We hear many stories of the unhappy lives and ends of child rulers. Most recently, in 1908, Puyi became the last emperor of China at only two...
Agesilaus II, King of Sparta and Commander of Warriors
3 January, 2017 - 00:55 dhwty

Agesilaus II, King of Sparta and Commander of Warriors

Agesilaus II was a king who ruled over the ancient Greek city state of Sparta during the 4 th century BC. Agesilaus was from the Eurypontid family, one of the two royal dynasties of Sparta (the other...
The Man who Assyria Feared: Demon Gallu and King of the Universe
31 December, 2016 - 02:21 Cam Rea

The Man who Assyria Feared: Demon Gallu and King of the Universe

In 660 BCE, mighty Assyria was about to be shaken. A Scythian named Dugdammi united many nomadic tribes into a confederation. This nomadic confederation pushed at the borders of Assyria which so...
Dazzling Nebmaatre: Amenhotep III and the Age of Opulence—Part I
29 December, 2016 - 02:20 anand balaji

Dazzling Nebmaatre: Amenhotep III and the Age of Opulence—Part I

The long and glorious history of ancient Egypt gave the world an array of pharaohs whose qualities spanned the entire spectrum of human emotions and achievements: the builders, the warriors, the...
Royal Bonds: How the Mother, Wife, and Daughter of Darius III Became Family of Alexander the Great
27 December, 2016 - 14:40 Natalia Klimczak

Royal Bonds: How the Mother, Wife, and Daughter of Darius III Became Family of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great abruptly ended the reign of Darius III, and with it he saw the demise of the Achaemenid kings. However, while conquering new lands Alexander gained not only territory, but also...
Yamashita's Gold: Enormous War Treasure Hoard Remains Elusive
26 December, 2016 - 14:48 dhwty

Yamashita's Gold: Enormous War Treasure Hoard Remains Elusive

Yamashita’s Gold (known also as Yamashita’s Treasure) is the name given to the alleged war loot accumulated by the Japanese armed forces in Southeast Asia during the Second World War. This alleged...
From Papyrus to Parchment: The Imperial Library of Constantinople
26 December, 2016 - 00:45 Veronica Parkes

From Papyrus to Parchment: The Imperial Library of Constantinople

Many years after the destruction of the great libraries of the ancient world, such as the libraries of Pergamum and Alexandria, the Imperial Library of Constantinople preserved precious Ancient Greek...
The Roman Origins of Our Modern Calendar - Influenced by Popes, Generals, Emperors and Gods
24 December, 2016 - 02:23 victor labate

The Roman Origins of Our Modern Calendar - Influenced by Popes, Generals, Emperors and Gods

The most widely used calendar around the world today is called the Gregorian calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th century CE and was a modification of an ancient Roman...
Standing in the Shadow of Alexander the Great: Cleopatra of Macedon and Her Life of Danger
23 December, 2016 - 21:51 Natalia Klimczak

Standing in the Shadow of Alexander the Great: Cleopatra of Macedon and Her Life of Danger

Cleopatra of Macedon stood in the shadow of her more famous brother, Alexander the Great. In fact, she was one of his three known sisters, apart from Cynane and Thessalonica. However, Cleopatra was...
Queen, Warrior, and a Symbol of a Forgotten Dynasty – The Powerful Matriarch Ahhotep
23 December, 2016 - 14:49 Natalia Klimczak

Queen, Warrior, and a Symbol of a Forgotten Dynasty – The Powerful Matriarch Ahhotep

A few surviving records show that Ahhotep was a woman who was stronger, braver, and a more powerful ruler than the average man. Her thrilling story starts in the Egyptian Middle Kingdom and ends in...
Harking Back: The Ancient Pagan Festivities in our Christmas Rituals
23 December, 2016 - 03:56 ancient-origins

Harking Back: The Ancient Pagan Festivities in our Christmas Rituals

When we think of the Romans, gift-giving, carol-singing and celebrating the birth of Christ don’t immediately present themselves. Waging wars, general oppression and a never-ending desire to rule the...
‘Festa di Pales, o L'estate’ by Joseph-Benoît Suvée
22 December, 2016 - 03:55 ancient-origins

The Busy Romans Needed a Mid-Winter Break Too … and it Lasted for 24 days

In the Doctor Who Christmas Special from 2010, Michael Gambon’s Scrooge-like character remarks that across different cultures and worlds people come together to mark the midpoint of winter. It is, he...
A Star in the Imperial Shadows, and Dutiful Son of a Roman Emperor: Castor, or Drusus the Younger
22 December, 2016 - 02:24 MartiniF

A Star in the Imperial Shadows, and Dutiful Son of a Roman Emperor: Castor, or Drusus the Younger

The people of ancient Rome knew of a tragic hero Drusus (Drusus the Elder), the younger brother of Tiberius who died in a campaign. But there was another, younger and lesser known, Drusus in Tiberius...
Cannibalism in Scotland: The Dark Legend of Sawney Bean
21 December, 2016 - 21:51 dhwty

Cannibalism in Scotland: The Dark Legend of Sawney Bean

Sawney Bean is a legendary figure from Scotland, who is said to have been a prolific cannibal. Together with his equally cannibalistic family, Sawney Bean murdered and robbed unfortunate victims from...
The Holly and the Ivy: How Pagan Practices Found Their Way into Christmas
20 December, 2016 - 03:48 ancient-origins

The Holly and the Ivy: How Pagan Practices Found Their Way into Christmas

Every year, almost without thinking about it, we incorporate certain plant species into out Christmas celebrations. The most obvious is the Christmas tree, linked historically in England to Prince...
Why Ghosts Haunt England at Christmas but Steer Clear of America
19 December, 2016 - 03:45 ancient-origins

Why Ghosts Haunt England at Christmas but Steer Clear of America

A few years ago, the Downton Abbey Christmas special featured a ouija board which communicated a message from a dead character. American reviewers were extremely puzzled by this incursion of the...
Can Astronomy Explain the Biblical Star of Bethlehem?
18 December, 2016 - 00:58 ancient-origins

Can Astronomy Explain the Biblical Star of Bethlehem?

To understand the Star of Bethlehem, we need to think like the three wise men. Motivated by this “star in the east,” they first traveled to Jerusalem and told King Herod the prophecy that a new ruler...
What Star is This? The Pagan Origins of Christmas Symbols
17 December, 2016 - 02:09 Marie D. Jones ...

What Star is This? The Pagan Origins of Christmas Symbols

Rooted in the cyclical pagan year, Christmas can be linked back to the celebration of the Winter Solstice around December 21st, a time when the night was at its longest, and the coming of the “light...

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