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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.

Detail of a miniature from a 13th-century Icelandic manuscript.
4 March, 2015 - 11:25 Riley Winters

The Sagas of the Icelanders shed light on Golden Age

The Sagas of the Icelanders have long been preserved as the most comprehensive specimen of the literary culture of the 13 th and 14 th centuries of Iceland. In writing these sagas, many attributes of...
Egyptian mummy at the British Museum, London.
21 February, 2015 - 12:11 ancient-origins

Art, Meds, and Fuel - The Surprising Historical Uses of Ancient Mummies

By Liz Leafloor | Epoch Times Mummies are a familiar image in modern Western culture, sometimes silently resting in glass museum cases, or other times shuffling along on two cursed feet, moaning and...
Marguerite de La Rocque
15 February, 2015 - 01:16 mrreese

Marguerite de La Rocque: 16th Century Noblewoman Stranded on the Isle of Demons

Marguerite de la Rocque was a French noblewoman who is well-known for surviving several years alone on a deserted island known as the Isle of Demons. Marguerite was marooned on the island by her...
The wrecking of the White Ship
10 February, 2015 - 00:37 mrreese

Tragic Accident or Mass Murder? The Sinking of the White Ship leads to Disaster for England

Many year ago, before modern air travel, the only way to travel across large bodies of water was by ship. Many passengers would crowd onto a large vessel for a lengthy journey to their destination...
Castaway survivor
3 February, 2015 - 11:55 dhwty

How Castaway Survivor Alexander Selkirk Inspired the Tale of Robinson Crusoe

Many people would be familiar with the novel “ Robinson Crusoe” , a story written by the 17 th /18 th century English writer, Daniel Defoe. In the novel, the eponymous character is said to have been...
The Rape of the Sabine Women by Pietro da Cortona
2 February, 2015 - 21:24 dhwty

The Rape of the Sabine Women

According to tradition, the city of Rome was founded in the 8 th century B.C. by Romulus. The Roman historian Livy wrote that the city of Rome grew strong quickly, and was able to defend itself...
Marco Polo travelling, Miniature from the Book "The Travels of Marco Polo"
2 February, 2015 - 12:01 dhwty

The Life and Adventures of Marco Polo

"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, a stately pleasure-dome decree…" Thus begins one of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s three great poems, the unfinished “ Kubla Khan” . According to the poet, this poem was...
The Abduction of Europa, 1716, Jean Francois de Troy.
26 January, 2015 - 12:46 dhwty

The Phoenician city of Tyre - A rich history of industry, mythology and conflict

According to tradition, the city of Tyre was founded in 2750 B.C., and is considered one of the world’s oldest metropolises. For much of its history, Tyre has played an important role in the region...
Sea Peoples of the Levant
24 January, 2015 - 11:42 William James Veall

Sea-Farers from the Levant the first to set foot in the Americas: proto-Sinaitic inscriptions found along the coast of Uruguay

This article adds a new dimension to the age old conundrum, was Christopher Columbus, or was he not, actually the first to set foot in the Americas? A Movement currently actioning much debate in the...
Babak Khorramdin
21 January, 2015 - 12:21 Mahbod Khanbolouki

Babak Khorramdin – The Freedom Fighter of Persia

The Umayyad- and Abbasid Caliphate of the Arabs had invaded and occupied the Sassanid Persian empire for 144 years when in 10 July 795 AD, a child was born in a village called Balal Abad situated...
Ancient Chickasaw Culture & the Muskogean Clan System
12 January, 2015 - 00:27 chickasaw

Ancient Chickasaw Culture & the Muskogean Clan System

Native American philosophy is centered on observations of the world and is an integral part of deeply held spiritual beliefs. For the Muskogean tribes of the southeast United States and the Chickasaw...
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, painting by Giovanni Demin (1789-1859)
9 January, 2015 - 11:18 mrreese

The Legendary Queen of Sheba and Her Iconic Visit with King Solomon

Originating in the Bible, the Queen of Sheba is a figure featured in the stories of many cultures and religious groups. Although her exact homeland has not been agreed upon, she is known as a queen...
Golden vitives figures (known as tunjos), Muisca-Chibcha culture — pre-columbian culture in the territory of modern Colombia
6 January, 2015 - 00:57 mrreese

The Search for El Dorado – Lost City of Gold

For hundreds of years, treasure hunters and historians alike have searched for El Dorado, the lost city of gold. The idea of a city filled with gold and other riches has a natural appeal, drawing the...
Zenobia, the Warrior Queen of Palmyra, Syria
1 January, 2015 - 22:18 dhwty

Zenobia, the Warrior Queen of Palmyra, Syria

In 30 BC, the last active Ptolemaic queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, was dead. According to the written sources, she committed suicide by holding a poisonous snake to her breast, so as to avoid being...
Fireworks on the River Thames
1 January, 2015 - 12:24 ancient-origins

A History of Fireworks From East to West

By Simon Werrett , University College London. On New Year’s Eve fireworks manufacturers the world over will finally be able to relax after their biggest sale of the year. But this day has been a...
Robin Hood
28 December, 2014 - 12:25 dhwty

Unravelling the Identity of the Real Robin Hood

Robin Hood is perhaps one of the most iconic English heroes. His ethos of ‘robbing from the rich and giving to the poor’ has endeared him to many, as he is seen as a figure who fought for the...
Donkey milk: Ancient elixir of life
27 December, 2014 - 01:52 aprilholloway

Donkey milk: Ancient elixir of life experiences modern-day resurgence

Donkey milk was hailed by the ancients as an elixir of long life, a cure-all for a variety of ailments, and a powerful tonic capable of rejuvenating the skin. Cleopatra, Queen of Ancient Egypt,...
Hygeia - The Serpent Priestesses
23 December, 2014 - 22:07 Katrina Sisowath

The Serpent Priestesses and Ancient Sexual Rites

Women robed in scarlet sheaths, conducting rituals associated with serpents away from prying eyes, serving Innana, the Goddess of Love, Fertility and War. The color of their clothes was symbolic of...
A famous silk scroll, The Emperor Approach, showing the luxury in which the Chinese emperor travelled during the Ming Dynasty, more than a thousand years after Fu Sheng short and brutal rule
19 December, 2014 - 23:33 dhwty

The short and brutal rule of Chinese Emperor Fu Sheng, the one-eyed tyrant

According to Chinese historical records, the history of Chinese kingship can be traced all the way back to the Xia Dynasty at the end of the 2 nd millennium B.C. Over the course of almost 4,000 years...
Reconstruction of what the monument in the Siwa Oasis would have once looked like
18 December, 2014 - 10:33 Liana Souvaltzi

The despairing cry of the tomb of Alexander the Great from the desert at Siwa Oasis

The following is an article written by Liana Souvaltzi, Archaeologist and Director of the Greek Mission at Siwa Oasis, who we invited to report on her research regarding the discovery of a large...
Mark the Evangelist symbol is the winged lion, the Lion of Saint Mark. Canvas painting, circa 1516.
18 December, 2014 - 01:25 Ahmed Osman

The origins of the ancient Coptic Church of Egypt

The Coptic Church of Egypt is the earliest Christian church in the world, going back to around 42 AD. According to Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, as well as Coptic traditions, Saint Mark the evangelist...
Caligula’s Palace and Bridge
15 December, 2014 - 12:09 mrreese

Roman Emperor Caligula and the Floating Bridge of Baiae

Roman leader Caligula is well-known for his brief stint as the emperor of Rome, from 37 AD through 41 AD. Some say that Caligula displayed signs of madness during his reign. According to historical...
The Mighty Wall of Hadrian, Emperor of Rome
7 December, 2014 - 00:41 Ivan Petricevic

The Mighty Wall of Hadrian, Emperor of Rome

Built by Emperor Hadrian of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Wall stretches across the width of England south of its modern border with Scotland. This incredible monument covers over seventy miles (120 km...
Infant skeleton found beneath Roman bathhouse in Ashkelon, Israel
4 December, 2014 - 08:02 mrreese

The discovery of a mass baby grave under Roman bathhouse in Ashkelon, Israel

Along the shores of Israel's Mediterranean coast, in the ancient seaport of Ashkelon, archaeologist Ross Voss made a gruesome find. While exploring one of the city’s sewers, he discovered a large...

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