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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.

Leonardo da Vinci’s weapons included a tank and a scythed chariot, drawings shown here. Source: janaka Dharmasena / Adobe Stock
17 September, 2022 - 19:00 Robbie Mitchell

Da Vinci’s Deadly Designs: The Wildest Weapons of the Renaissance Man

Although Leonardo da Vinci is predominantly remembered as a great artist, he was also a remarkable scientist and inventor. Many of his inventions were weird, some were wonderful, and more than a few...
Vintage postcard showing European tourism destinations. Source: Freesurf/Adobe Stock
16 September, 2022 - 14:52 Lex Leigh

Tourism Through the Ages: The Human Desire to Explore

Although taking a summer vacation is now a standard aspect of modern-day civilization for many, it wasn’t always that way. Tourism was far less common in ancient times than it is today, but that...
The Duchy of Cornwall office in The Old Rectory, Newton St Loe, Bath, England is home to the centralized finance and property teams and members who manage the commercial property portfolio, the development sites, and the estates belonging to the Duchy. Source: Rwendland / CC BY-SA 3.0
15 September, 2022 - 22:55 Sahir

Prince William Inherits Ancient Duchy of Cornwall Estate Worth $1.2billion!

With Britain’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, passing last week, most of the Royal Estates passed to the next sovereign, King Charles III. However, the line of succession ensures that...
A recent study has revealed that one particular Scottish settlement in the early Neolithic period didn’t use manure-based fertilizers though farmers adjacent to them did. Cow manure like this is still highly recycled and used all over Africa and Asia. Source: wisawa222 / Adobe Stock
14 September, 2022 - 22:55 Nathan Falde

Why One Neolithic Scottish Settlement Didn’t Need Any Fertilizer

People living in Western Europe and on the British Isles during the Neolithic Period (10000 to 2200 BC) had already discovered the powers of manure-based fertilizer to increase crop yields. In fact,...
Image illustrating the divorce by combat rules, from a fencing manual composed in 1459 by Hans Talhoffer. Source: Public Domain
13 September, 2022 - 14:54 Robbie Mitchell

Medieval Divorce by Combat: Guaranteeing ‘til Death do us Part’

Divorce is a subject that has provided endless material for drama and comedy writers through the ages, from Euripides to Shakespeare to today’s New York Times bestseller list. When Kenneth Hodges, a...
William, the new Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visiting Sweden in 2018. Source: Frankie Fouganthin / CC BY-SA 4.0
12 September, 2022 - 22:58 Nathan Falde

Why is William’s New Prince of Wales Title So Significant?

In King Charles III’s first speech to the nation, he made an announcement that was fully expected, but still significant. The new king confirmed that he’d named his oldest son William as the new...
A man in black shirt sitting and doing qigong with his hands directing his body's life energy or qi. Source: Anna / Adobe Stock
12 September, 2022 - 18:57 Robbie Mitchell

The Ancient Chinese Healing Art of Qigong

Visit any park in China over the last few hundred years and you’re likely to see dozens of people practicing qigong. What started as a traditional Chinese treatment over 4,000 years ago has become a...
St. Edward's Crown, the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Credit: The Royal Collection Trust
11 September, 2022 - 18:50 Nathan Falde

St. Edward’s Crown to Be Worn Again at King Charles III’s Coronation

The royal coronation of the newly proclaimed King Charles III will take place a few months from now. During this ancient ritual, which dates back nearly 1,000 years, the king will have placed upon...
The death of Queen Elizabeth II has triggered conversation about the royal line of succession. Source: PolizeiBerlin / CC BY-SA 4.0
10 September, 2022 - 01:52 Sahir

The Queen’s Death Sparks Conversation Around Royal Line of Succession

In 1953, 8,251 guests from 181 countries and territories participated in the coronation of Elizabeth II. With her passing, her oldest son, Charles, takes over as monarch and be formally proclaimed...
Queen Elizabeth II, The Second Longest-Reigning Monarch in History Dies
8 September, 2022 - 19:16 Cecilia Bogaard

Queen Elizabeth II, the Second Longest-Reigning Monarch in History, Dies

Today, Thursday 8th of September, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth has passed away peacefully at her country home, Balmoral. The news comes just...
Depiction of fishermen jousting in the Mastaba tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, Saqqara, Egypt. Source: kairoinfo4u / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
5 September, 2022 - 14:58 Sahir

Fisherman Jousting: An Ancient Egyptian Sport with a Violent History

Ancient history is full of examples of violence, not only in the form of torture and killings, but also in entertainment and sports. From the bloody gladiatorial combats of ancient Rome, to the Maya...
Two men practicing karate Source: Andrey Burmakin / Adobe Stock
4 September, 2022 - 14:59 Robbie Mitchell

Friends to Foes: The Surprising Origin and Evolution of Karate

When you think of martial arts, karate is probably one of the first that comes to mind. It has appeared in countless action films, TV shows, and video games. Today, parents all over the world send...
There are strange jobs, like cleaning toilets, and then there are really strange jobs, like the early barber surgeons of Europe, who drained you of blood, tore your mouth apart, and even stranger things. A sadistic tooth-drawer frightening his patient with a hot coal causing him to pull away violently in an 1810-AD color etching by J. Collier. Source: Wellcome Images / CC BY 4.0
30 August, 2022 - 18:52 Lex Leigh

11 of History’s Weirdest Jobs

There have been lots of interesting jobs throughout history, but some are certainly weirder than others. With changing technologies and shifting social norms, strange jobs have taken the forefront of...
Medieval alehouses were often a community gathering space. Source: Eco-Pim studio / Adobe Stock
29 August, 2022 - 22:48 Sahir

East Yorkshire Site Yields a Possible Medieval Alehouse or Hostel

At a site in East Yorkshire, an archaeological dig has been in progress for three weeks to uncover the secrets of a medieval village. Now, archaeologists believe they have discovered a centuries-old...
Chinese knife money. Source: sytilin / Adobe Stock
27 August, 2022 - 18:51 Mark Johnston

Chinese Knife Money: Making Markets feel Murderous?

The days of ‘cash as king’ are fading. Today, credit, debit, and digital currency have begun to slowly replace cash as the primary forms of payment, but it was not always so. For centuries, paper...
The village and citadel at Thula have their roots in the Himyarite kingdom. Source: fotoember/ Adobe Stock
26 August, 2022 - 14:48 Robbie Mitchell

The Himyarite Kingdom’s Bloody Conversion to Judaism: Passion or Ploy?

The Himyarite Kingdom was established in 110 BC and lasted until 570 AC. It is most often remembered these days as the “Jewish Kingdom”, thanks to the fact that for some time its predominant religion...
Alexander driving off elephants with war pigs and musical instruments in a detail from a French illuminated manuscript from 1420’. Source: The British Library / CC BY 4.0)
22 August, 2022 - 18:51 Sahir

War Pigs: A Flaming History of Nature’s Cutest Creations in Battle

Throughout human history, animals have been effectively domesticated and used as an extension of the territorial desires of human beings. While dogs and cattle became effective elements in the...
A mural from the tomb Inkherkhau (TT359) on the West Bank of Nile - Thebes, Luxor, depicting a funerary procession with ancient Egyptian priests performing libations, the first one wearing leopard skin. Source: Svetlaili /Adobe Stock
21 August, 2022 - 14:59 Robbie Mitchell

A Day in the Life of an Ancient Egyptian Priest

We can learn a lot about a civilization from its dominant religion. Ancient Egypt is a good example. The religion of ancient Egypt had a far-reaching effect on every aspect of daily life. If you want...
Representation of a ritual human sacrifice on an altar. Source: archangelworks / Adobe Stock
19 August, 2022 - 19:00 Lex Leigh

Blood for the Gods: 10 Cultures that Engaged in Ritual Sacrifice

Since the dawn of humanity, countless civilizations have engaged in ritual sacrifice. Often, these sacrifices involved other humans, and were so common they were considered a normal aspect of life...
This replica of Captain Cook's famous Endeavour ship, one of two modern replicas. Source: Dennis4trigger / CC BY-SA 3.0
18 August, 2022 - 22:57 ashley cowie

Are Sea Creatures Really Eating Captain Cook’s “Endeavour”?

Headlines read “Shipworms threaten to destroy Captain Cook’s HM Bark Endeavour,” which was wrecked off the US east coast in the late eighteenth century. However, while museum staff “believe” it's...
This painting, from circa 1675 by Joseph Heinz the Younger, shows a wild Venetian bridge war on the famous Ponte dei pugni bridge. Source: Joseph Heintz the Younger / CC BY-SA 4.0
18 August, 2022 - 15:00 Mark Brophy

Venetian Bridge Wars: The ‘Fighting Spirit’ of Renaissance Venice

For generations of Venetians, “guerra di canne” or “war with sticks” was a celebrated tradition. Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, Venice was divided into many different...
Glassblowing processs, with a ball of glass being heated by a kiln. Source: SvetlanaSF / Adobe Stock
17 August, 2022 - 18:59 Lex Leigh

Heat, Blow, and Roll: The History of Glassblowing

One of the most fascinating crafts in the art world is the practice of glassblowing. Glassblowing is the art of creating beautiful pieces of glassware by blowing air into semi-molten glass through a...
These knucklebones from the Hellenistic period, from roughly 2,300 years ago, were recently unearthed in central Israel in an area closely connected with the First Temple period. Source: Israel Antiquities Authority
17 August, 2022 - 14:58 ashley cowie

2,300-year-old Knucklebones Used for Divination Found In Israel

Scientists in Israel have discovered ancient animals' knucklebones used to foretell the future and as a form of spiritual protection in the wild and unpredictable ancient world. They were also the...
Les Cathares, painting by Bernard Romain. Source: Public Domain
16 August, 2022 - 22:53 Steven Darian

The Medieval Crushing of the Cathars and Sexualizing of Witches

Many Christian writers identified the gods and lesser spirits of the Greek and Roman world with demons. This ushered in the Christian practice of demonizing those they perceived as their opponents...

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