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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.

Mosaic of the ‘bikini girls’ from the Villa Romana del Casale, Piazza Armerina, Sicily.
2 October, 2015 - 21:50 dhwty

When it Came to Ancient Undergarments Less Was Often More

Undergarments are an essential part of today’s society. They can be readily purchased from departmental stores, come in all shapes and sizes, and serve a variety of functions. In the ancient world,...
The death of King Olaf at the hands of Tore Hund, Viking chief
28 September, 2015 - 14:53 Mark Miller

Viking Chief Tore Hund and his successful resistance against Christian conversion

When Christians made their theological push into Europe, suppressing native religions and supplanting them with a foreign God, some pagans resisted by secretly practicing their old religion, while...
Paracelsus
24 September, 2015 - 03:56 dhwty

Paracelsus: the Father of Toxicology and the Enemy of Physicians

Toxicology is a branch of knowledge dealing with the scientific study of the characteristics and effects of poisons on living organisms. The man considered to be the ‘father’ of this discipline is...
Bélisaire, depicting Belisarius as a blind beggar.
17 September, 2015 - 15:41 dhwty

Belisarius: Powerful General of the Byzantine Empire

Flavius Belisarius was a Byzantine general who lived during the 6th century AD. He is often regarded as one of the greatest generals of the Byzantine Empire . Additionally, he is one of the...
“Krishna and Balarama Taking the Cattle to Graze” from a Bhagavata Purana Manuscript (1520-1540), Museum Rietberg, Zurich
15 September, 2015 - 00:59 dhwty

The Past Teaching the Present: Ancient Sanskrit Texts Discuss the Importance of Environmental and Species Conservation

One of the greatest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century is the destruction of the natural environment. Researchers have found that environmental change over the last 60 years is happening...
Old engraving depicting a coven.
14 September, 2015 - 21:41 ancient-origins

The Zugarramurdi Witch Trials: Welcome to the Spanish Salem

On the border with France, embraced by a vast green pasture on which the cows calmly graze, lies the village of Zugarramurdi. Located in the Navarre region of Xareta this tiny village currently has...
La Peste (1695) wax sculpture, Gaetano Zumbo, Museum of Specola, Florence
13 September, 2015 - 04:12 ancient-origins

The Black Death: the Plague that Sowed Terror and Death in Medieval Europe - Part 2

Read Part 1 Science had to wait until the nineteenth century to banish the idea of ​​a supposed supernatural origin of the plague. The fear of a pandemic on a global scale persisted for four...
Truck loaded with plague victims in Elliant drawn by a woman with tattered clothes. Moynet lithograph based on Duveau’s Collections.
13 September, 2015 - 00:55 ancient-origins

The Black Death: the Plague that Sowed Terror and Death in Medieval Europe - Part 1

In recent months, health authorities in California, USA, have been obliged to report two cases of the plague that appeared in West Coast state. In the state of Colorado two other people also...
Ancient Egyptian relief carving of a dog.
7 September, 2015 - 14:49 lizleafloor

Ritual and Burial: The Strange and Elaborate Ways Humans Prepared Animals for the Afterlife

The practice of animal burial is one that dates back to prehistoric epochs. Many cultures around the globe have buried animals for various reasons: sentimentality, religious rituals, superstition,...
Rav-ki-Vav Stepwell at Patan, Gujarat, India
7 September, 2015 - 00:54 Mark Miller

Beautiful, utilitarian stepwells of India are in danger of becoming extinct

Imagine a country so dry that you have to build a 10-level stepped structure going down into the earth to get water. Such is India, where thousands of ingenious stepwells were built from the 2 nd...
Nen-ho Makotokyo, head temple Kongoji Haiden, constructed by Kongo Gumi
5 September, 2015 - 21:56 aprilholloway

Kongo Gumi: Oldest Continuously Operating Company survives 1,400 Years before Crash

For 1,400 years, Kongo Gumi was a successful Japanese company involved with the construction of spectacular Buddhist temples. Until its fall in 2006, it was the world’s oldest continuously operating...
A roman lead sling bullet with a relief of what appears to be an insect or spider
31 August, 2015 - 00:52 Mark Miller

Messages on missiles: Here is a Sugar Plum for You!

Writing messages on bullets and missiles goes back at least to Biblical times and continues to modern times among Israelis, Jordanians, Americans and others. The practice became industrial to ancient...
Detail, decorative comb depicting weapons and dress of Scythian Warriors 5th Century
30 August, 2015 - 03:54 Cam Rea

Scythian Tactics and Strategy: Scorched Earth Victories - Part II

The ancient Scythians were renowned for their horsemanship and prowess in battle. What was the secret behind these nomadic peoples who were so dangerous and successful? Ancient Origins guest author...
Battle between the Scythians and the Slavs
30 August, 2015 - 01:00 Cam Rea

Scythian Tactics and Strategy: Devastating Guerilla Archers - Part I

The ancient Scythians were renowned for their horsemanship and prowess in battle. What was the secret behind these nomadic peoples who were so dangerous and successful? Ancient Origins guest author...
The Funeral of Atahualpa by Luis Montero
22 August, 2015 - 21:52 lizleafloor

The Search for the Tomb and Treasure of the Last Inca Emperor

Legend has it that a gold-filled treasure room and the mummy of the last Incan emperor awaits those who can locate the final resting place of Atahualpa. But none so far have been able to discover the...
: The sinking of the Mercedes, thought to be the wreck discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration, codenamed "Black Swan"
22 August, 2015 - 03:55 Robin Whitlock

The Black Swan Project: Controversy strikes after enormous treasure hoard retrieved from Spanish wreck

A fascinating tale beginning in 2007 involving sunken treasure and international litigation shows the lure of long-forgotten gold is still too tempting to ignore, even by a national government...
This postcard shows a Pueblo Indian man with San Ildefonso Black Pottery. The postcard was published between 1930 and 1945.
20 August, 2015 - 03:57 Mark Miller

335 years ago Indians drove the Spanish out of New Mexico and secured their culture for posterity

August 10, 2015, marked the 335 th anniversary of the Pueblo Indian uprising, during which they expelled the Spanish usurpers and tormentors from New Mexico. Modern Pueblo Indians call August 10...
The Dance of Zalongo, Theophilos Hatzimichail
18 August, 2015 - 15:05 Riley Winters

From Here to Eternity: the Tragic Tale of the Dance of Zalongo

Once known as the birthplace of Alexander the Great's mother Olympia, the former Ottoman Empire region of Epirus has a much more recent historical significance. Under the reign of Ali Pasha, a Muslim...
Hand-colored engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (19th Century)
17 August, 2015 - 01:01 Riley Winters

The Magnificent Constructions of King Nebuchadnezzar II

Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II remains known as the leader of one of the most powerful ancient empires to have preceded that of the Athenians in Greek's Classical period. However, aside from...
The three Jews brought before Nebuchadnezzar (1565), Philip Galle
16 August, 2015 - 14:50 Riley Winters

The Posterity of Neo-Babylonia: The Dramatic Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II

Born in 634 BC in what is now called Neo-Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar II would one day become one of the greatest ancient Babylonian kings. The first-born son of his predecessor Nabopolassar, from a...
The Cobbe portrait, claimed to be a portrait of William Shakespeare done while he was alive.
14 August, 2015 - 14:45 lizleafloor

Were the works of Shakespeare inspired by Cannabis? Scientists find traces of drugs on pipes

Were the globally renowned literary works of the master playwright himself written with a little inspiration from drugs? That is the question posed by South African scientists who studied tobacco...
Teleport (Wikimedia Commons)
8 August, 2015 - 21:34 Bryan Hill

Teleportation Man: Transport in the Blink of an Eye of a Spanish Soldier

Teleportation is the transportation of a person or object from one place to another instantaneously. There are many accounts where people have supposedly disappeared suddenly and the phenomenon is...
Illustration of The last of the Charrúas (1833), Delaunois
2 August, 2015 - 02:49 Alicia McDermott

The Last of the Charrua: The Honored Warrior Tribe of Uruguay

Uruguay is said to be the only Latin American country without an indigenous population. However, they did have a fearsome warrior tribe living in the country for thousands of years. Believed to be...
The Ruins Lagoon located in the Royal Towers, home to over 20,000 deep reef and pelagic fish.
28 July, 2015 - 23:59 lizleafloor

Dark Mysteries of the Deep: Ancient Divers and their Dangerous Journeys

It is not known who first braved cold, dark waters and held their breath to explore, or gather rare treasures or food, but divers have been retrieving items from beneath the water’s surface since the...

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