All  

Store Banner Mobile

Store Banner Mobile

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.

Delphine LaLaurie (Public Domain) and children of slaves in the American South. (Okinawa Soba (Rob)/CC BY NC SA 2.0)
23 December, 2019 - 18:47 Aleksa Vučković

Delphine LaLaurie: A Beautiful Face Masks Evil Deeds

Royal Street of New Orleans’ French Quarter is one of the oldest parts of the city, well-known and liked for the many antique shops, galleries, and sights. It remains a window into the real soul of...
Depiction of a Christmas ghost standing under the moonlight in the snow. Source: Bashkatov / Adobe Stock
23 December, 2019 - 14:00 ancient-origins

Why Do Christmas Ghost Stories Have Such Enduring Appeal?

Our fascination with ghostly tales around Christmas time goes back thousands of years and is rooted in ancient celebrations of the winter solstice. In the depths of winter, pagan traditions included...
Modern decorated Christmas Tree Source: JenkoAtaman / Adobe Stock
21 December, 2019 - 01:56 ancient-origins

The Historic Growth of the Christmas Tree

François Lévêque / The Conversation A few hundred years ago, who would have dreamed that the humble Christmas tree would one day be an immense global success? Certainly not Martin Luther, who is said...
Ancient wizard
20 December, 2019 - 23:50 dhwty

Legendary Wizards: Philosophy Meets Magic in the Ancient World

The word ‘wizard’ is derived from the Middle English word ‘wys’ (meaning wise) and the suffix ‘-ard.’ Therefore, a wizard was basically a wise man, up until around the middle of the 16th century AD...
Remains from the funerary pyre of Philip II. (Macedonian Heritage / CC BY-SA 3.0)
20 December, 2019 - 22:30 David Grant

Orphic Masks and Burial Rituals: Unmasking King Philip II of Macedon

That is the gods’ work, spinning threads of death through the lives of mortal men, and all to make a song for those to come. Homer The ancient Greek world was steeped in superstition and...
A depiction of Ahmose fighting back the Hyksos from Egypt. Source: Public domain
19 December, 2019 - 13:45 dhwty

Did the Hyksos Pull Off a Peaceful Invasion of Egypt?

The Hyksos were a dynasty of kings who ruled over the northern part of Egypt during the 2 nd millennium BC. They were not native Egyptians, but came from the East, most likely Western Asia...
The Magi with baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Source: Henry Siddons Mowbray / Public domain
19 December, 2019 - 01:58 Fr. Dwight Long...

Was the Magi’s Mission History or Myth?

In just twelve short verses the Gospel of Matthew records the visit of the mysterious Magi to pay homage to the baby Jesus. The allure of mystical wizards from exotic lands captured the imagination...
Chinese Bronze Mirror (CC BY-SA 1.0)
18 December, 2019 - 21:50 Roberto Volterri

Unraveling the Miracle of Chinese Magic Mirrors

An ancient oriental miracle, far removed from the religious sphere, and from the western concept of ‘miracle,’ manifested around first century AD China to those who 'had faith', where explanations...
The Roman Theatre, Amman, Jordan
17 December, 2019 - 02:01 Ed Whelan

Amman, One of the Finest Roman Theatres in the World

The Kingdom of Jordan has many historical sites. Many different civilizations have flourished in the area since ancient times. One of the most important and largest heritage sites is the Roman...
Venetian Carnival Mask of Golden Sun and Silver Moon by allasimacheva. (Adobe Stock)
16 December, 2019 - 23:46 ashley cowie

Moon Tear Hunters and the Quest for Ancient Silver

When the American author, diplomat, inventor, physicist and politician, Benjamin Franklyn, said: “ Genius without education is like silver in the mine , ” he encapsulated an ancient thirst shared by...
The spread of the Ostrogothic Kindom, The Goths at the Battle of Mons Lactarius.
16 December, 2019 - 13:57 Aleksa Vučković

Ostrogothic Kingdom – The Rise and Fall of the Eastern Goths

The early medieval and early AD history of Europe saw many emerging nations, and plenty of migrations as well. Tribes were restless, axes sharpened, and old kingdoms were growing weak. And in such...
Top image: Pelasgos is said to be the father of the Pelasgians. Source: Fxquadro / Adobe Stock.
15 December, 2019 - 13:59 dhwty

Pelasgos and The Mysterious Pelasgians of the Aegean

Pelasgos was a mythical ruler of ancient Greece . He is said to have been the progenitor of the Pelasgians (or Pelasgi), who are a mysterious people, as little is known for certain about them. Their...
St Augustine of Canterbury preaches to Aethelberht of Kent during Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England Photo source: James William Edmund Doyle / Public domain
14 December, 2019 - 13:45 dhwty

How Anglo-Saxon England Made the Radical Change to Christianity

The Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England began towards the end of the 6 th century AD, and by the end of the succeeding century, all the kings of Anglo-Saxon England were Christian, at least...
Representative image of Gautamiputra Satakarni a ruler of the Satavahana dynasty. Source: Pranjal / Adobe Stock.
14 December, 2019 - 01:29 Saurav Ranjan Datta

Gautamiputra Satakarni: Warrior King of the Satavahana Dynasty

In India as in various parts of the world, from the time of the Vedic culture of around 1,500 BC, the royal dynasties have always held the names of their fathers when a new king succeeded to the...
Medea by Artemisia Gentileschi (1620)(Public Domain)
13 December, 2019 - 23:34 MartiniF

Medea, Murderous Mother or Defiant Defender of the Oikos?

In his Argonautica , ancient Greek author Apollonius of Rhodes provides a rather romantic introduction of Medea as a young woman desperately in love. Unfortunately, this introduction quickly takes on...
Representation of Harald Fairhair, the first King of Norway. Source: Fotokvadrat / Adobe Stock.
13 December, 2019 - 22:57 Aleksa Vučković

The Story of Harald Fairhair, First King of Norway

The early history of Norway, and Scandinavia in general, is characterized by powerful seafarers, traders, and warriors and by rich heathen mythologies and ambitious chieftains . The fierce sons of...
Kurdish Warriors by Frank Feller (1898) (Public Domain)
11 December, 2019 - 19:19 Felice Vinci

Are Zeus’ Curetes the Ancestors of Modern Kurds?

The hypothesis that there is a relationship between the ancient Curetes of Greek mythology and the Kuri or Kuronians, a tribe of warriors and navigators of the Baltic world, where the medieval Danish...
The Greek god Apollo slaying the giant serpent, ‘Python’ Source: Choo Yut Shing / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
10 December, 2019 - 02:03 dhwty

The Greek God Apollo and His Mystical Powers

Apollo was a Greek god, and one of the Twelve Olympians . He was one of the most important gods in the Greek pantheon, and was believed to have jurisdiction over a range of different aspects,...
Saber-toothed sparassodont †Thylacosmilus (with †Glyptodon and toxodonts in the background) (Public Domain)
10 December, 2019 - 01:10 ashley cowie

Lucy and the Monstrous Birds, Fanged Beasts and Ferocious Fish of the Pliocene Epoch

In the geologic timescale that extends from 5.33 million to 2.58 million years ago, by universal standards, the Pliocene epoch was relatively recent, and it was at this time, when prehistoric life on...
‘The Slave Market’ (1882) by Gustave Boulanger. From her childhood as a slave, Neaera was trained for the life of a Classical Greek courtesan. Source: Public Domain
8 December, 2019 - 14:00 ancient-origins

Neaera: Tragic Life of an Athenian Child Slave Raised in a Brothel

Marguerite Johnson / The Conversation The ancient worlds of Greece and Rome have perhaps never been as popular as they presently are. There are numerous television series and one-off documentaries...
The Battle of the Boyne (Ireland) between James II and William III, July 12, 1690. Source: Scolaire / Public Domain.
7 December, 2019 - 13:48 Aleksa Vučković

The Battle of the Boyne – A Jacobite Flame Turned to Embers

In the near modern history of Ireland and Scotland , the Jacobite risings played a very important role. In a never-ending struggle for wealth and power, noble monarchs pitted the poor folk of these...
Battle of the Amazons by Anselm Feuerbach (1873) (Public Domain)
7 December, 2019 - 00:09 David Grant

Amazons in the Family of Alexander the Great: Who Was the Mystery Woman Warrior?

November 8 is remembered as Archangels’ Day in Greece, but on that November day in 1977, Professor Manolis Andronikos, head of excavations, was roped down into the gloom of an unlooted Macedonian-...
Zoroastrians have used Towers of Silence in their funerary practices
6 December, 2019 - 16:55 dhwty

Zoroastrian Towers of Silence: Leaving the Dead for the Vultures

A tower of silence (known also as a ‘dakhma’) is a type of structure used for funerary purposes by adherents of the Zoroastrian faith. This Zoroastrian practice for the disposal of the dead involves...
St. Benedict of the Benedictines receiving Totila, king of the Ostrogoths. Source: Paklao / Public Domain.
6 December, 2019 - 14:06 dhwty

The Rule of the Benedictines, the Black Monks of Europe

The Order of St. Benedict ( Ordo Sancti Benedicti in Latin, abbreviated as OSB), known also as the Benedictines (sometimes referred to as Black Monks, due to the color of their religious habits), is...

Pages