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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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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.

: Deriv; Portrait of Gustav II of Sweden and his death on November 6, 1632.
3 December, 2016 - 02:10 Cam Rea

“Lion of the North” Gustavus Adolphus and the Thirty Years’ War: Victories and Downfall – Part II

This is the recounting of the dramatic life of the “The Golden King” and “The Lion of the North” Gustav Adolf, and the Swedish Empire during stormaktstiden – “the Great Power era”. As Gustav II Adolf...
The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)
1 December, 2016 - 13:59 Cam Rea

“Lion of the North” Gustavus Adolphus and the Thirty Years’ War: Fighting the Holy Roman Empire – Part I

On 9 December 1594, Gustav II Adolf was born. From the time of his birth until his coronation, his upbringing involved many lessons in politics, literature, military science, and physical development...
The Bold Story of Benito de Soto, One of the Last Spanish Pirates
30 November, 2016 - 21:53 Natalia Klimczak

The Bold Story of Benito de Soto, One of the Last Spanish Pirates

The history of the Spanish coast is full of legends about famous pirates. Some of them were real, and others imaginary. There were some pirates who became famous figures for the regions they came...
Detail from Chariot Race by Jean-Leon Gerome
30 November, 2016 - 14:48 Kerry Sullivan

Gaius Appuleius Diocles, The $15 Billion Athlete of the Ancient World

There is much discussion about today’s highly paid athletes, be they football stars or Olympic competitors. According to Forbes, the top five highest-paid athletes in 2016 were Cristiano Ronaldo ($88...
Cadaver Synod: The Exhumed Corpse of Pope Formosus That Was Put on Trial
30 November, 2016 - 00:47 Kerry Sullivan

Cadaver Synod: The Exhumed Corpse of Pope Formosus That Was Put on Trial

The 9 th and 10 th centuries AD were turbulent years for the papacy of Rome. Caught up in the political machinations of Europe, the Vatican saw a rapid succession of popes come and go. The situation...
Art of War: Onna Bugeisha of Japan and the Ancient Female Warrior Culture
29 November, 2016 - 02:25 MartiniF

Art of War: Onna Bugeisha of Japan and the Ancient Female Warrior Culture

The idea since ancient times that it was men solely who were engaged in war is so common that it has become somewhat of a cliché. The vision of heavily armed men has become so associated with the art...
Pre-Columbian Murals and Norse Sagas Suggest Vikings Met the Aztecs, and the Outcome Was Not Pretty
27 November, 2016 - 14:50 Clyde Winters

Pre-Columbian Murals and Norse Sagas Suggest Vikings Met the Aztecs, and the Outcome Was Not Pretty

Did the Vikings visit Pre-Columbian Mexico? The depiction of white people on Chichen Itza murals in the Temple of the Warriors probably represent Vikings - the major European navigators around the...
The Znojmo Catacombs: A Maze of Tunnels Where No Enemies Escaped Alive
26 November, 2016 - 14:49 dhwty

The Znojmo Catacombs: A Maze of Tunnels Where No Enemies Escaped Alive

The Znojmo Catacombs are a series of subterranean passageways located beneath the city of Znojmo, in the Czech Republic. The underground tunnels were built to protect and shelter people in times of...
Bloody Hunts and War Games of the Armies of Khan: The Mongol Military – Part II
26 November, 2016 - 02:03 Cam Rea

Bloody Hunts and War Games of the Armies of Khan: The Mongol Military – Part II

Mongol military organization based on decimal lines under Genghis Khan was nothing new. Other steppe peoples, like the Khitan and Jurched had been using the same system for many years beforehand...
Alcohol for the Ancients: The Oldest Drinks in the World
25 November, 2016 - 03:45 Natalia Klimczak

Alcohol for the Ancients: The Oldest Drinks in the World

Archaeological records related to ancient drinks are quite rare, but they take us to realms of ancient life which were hidden for a long time. With new technologies and chemical analysis, scientists...
Joining the Vast, Insatiable Armies of Khan: The Mongol Military – Part I
24 November, 2016 - 02:01 Cam Rea

Joining the Vast, Insatiable Armies of Khan: The Mongol Military – Part I

Genghis Khan, founder and emperor of the Mongol Empire rarely needs an introduction, but it is crucial in understanding how he gained his place in history by examining the Mongol military...
Seers, Women of Action: The Sibyls of the Ancient World
22 November, 2016 - 02:08 MartiniF

Seers, Women of Action: The Sibyls of the Ancient World

Virgil, in his Aeneid , describes Deiphobe, better known as the Sibyl of Cumae, as coming from “a hundred perforations in the rock, a hundred mouths from which the many utterances rush” (43-5, 163)...
Deriv; Inset – Cusco founder Manco Capac, First Inca, 1 of 14 Portraits of Inca Kings (Public Domain), and the incredible stone masonry of the walls of Sacsayhuamán, Cusco, Peru. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
19 November, 2016 - 02:00 Armando Mei

The Golden Stick: Cuzco’s Divine Foundation Myth and The Scientific Connections

Tahuantinsuyo, in ancient Quechua language, is the name indicating the Inca Empire, one of the largest of the South American continent, much more than the Aztec and Maya Empire. In 1532 BC, the Inca...
Humanoid figures, Kimberley, Australia.
17 November, 2016 - 02:09 nrushton

Shamanic Explorations of Supernatural Realms: Cave Art - The Earliest Folklore

“The neuropsychological and ethnographic evidence that I have adduced strongly suggests that, in these subterranean images, we have an ancient and unusually explicit expression of a complex shamanic...
Sky Burial: Tibet’s Ancient Tradition for Honoring the Dead
15 November, 2016 - 14:48 marinasohma

Sky Burial: Tibet’s Ancient Tradition for Honoring the Dead

The tradition of Sky burials, which is also known by the name of ‘Celestial burial’, is particularly associated with the Tibetan culture, although it has existed in other civilizations throughout...
The Time When Alexander the Great was ‘Defeated’
15 November, 2016 - 00:45 Theodoros Karasavvas

The Time When Alexander the Great was ‘Defeated’

Alexander the Great is widely known as one of the greatest military generals and conquerors of all time, and his name became synonymous with greatness and invincibility throughout the ages. Alexander...
Gone Without a Trace? Searching for the Tomb of the Famous Artist Diego Velazquez
13 November, 2016 - 21:45 Natalia Klimczak

Gone Without a Trace? Searching for the Tomb of the Famous Artist Diego Velazquez

Diego Velázquez was a standout artist amongst iconic Spanish painters and his artwork is famous around the world. As a painter in the court of King Phillip IV of Spain, Velázquez is best known for...
White Buffalo Calf Woman – Healer, Teacher, and Inspirational Spirit for the Lakota People
13 November, 2016 - 14:54 Natalia Klimczak

White Buffalo Calf Woman – Healer, Teacher, and Inspirational Spirit for the Lakota People

Goddess cults have existed in every part of the world. The myths and legends of the Lakota people discuss a powerful female figure in the stories of White Buffalo Calf Woman. She is a supernatural...
Unearthing the Ancient Roots of Vegetarianism
13 November, 2016 - 03:58 Natalia Klimczak

Unearthing the Ancient Roots of Vegetarianism

The vegetarian diet has become very popular around the world over the last decades. However, the history of this lifestyle and its foundation on the respect for animal life and the planet has its...
Sparta: An Ancient City of Fierce and Courageous Citizen Soldiers
12 November, 2016 - 21:50 Caleb Strom

Sparta: An Ancient City of Fierce and Courageous Citizen Soldiers

The ancient Greek city-state of Sparta is famous for being a city almost entirely dedicated to the art of war. Non-war and non-politics related tasks were left to slaves so that male citizens could...
The Moora Mystery: What Happened When a Girl Stepped into the Moor 2,500 Years Ago?
12 November, 2016 - 14:35 Kayla Roy

The Moora Mystery: What Happened When a Girl Stepped into the Moor 2,500 Years Ago?

Back in 2000, peat harvesters near Uchte, Germany thought they had unearthed a buried tragedy. Mangled inside of the blades of a peat harvesting machine were pieces of human bone and tissue. They...
The Egyptian Judicial System: Robust Pillar of Empire
12 November, 2016 - 01:59 anand balaji

The Egyptian Judicial System: Robust Pillar of Empire

Down the millennia, right from the hoary Narmer Palette to the grand reliefs on the walls of the magnificent temples of Ramesses II and that of later rulers; Egyptian artistic canon depicted the...
Dezful Bridge: The Oldest Usable Bridge in The World Was Built by 70,000 Roman Prisoners
11 November, 2016 - 21:51 marinasohma

Dezful Bridge: The Oldest Usable Bridge in The World Was Built by 70,000 Roman Prisoners

The city of Dezful, located in present-day southern Iran, once belonged to the ancient and powerful Persian Empire. One of its most iconic landmarks, the Dezful bridge, is the oldest still-standing...
Did the Templars Hide the Ark of the Covenant? Unraveling the Cove-Jones Cipher
9 November, 2016 - 13:59 Graham Phillips

Did the Templars Hide the Ark of the Covenant? Unraveling the Cove-Jones Cipher

On October 25th this year, the Vatican released a document that had remained in its secret archives for seven hundred years. It is the report of the official Church investigation into the activities...

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