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China’s forbidden city. Source: wusuowei / Adobe Stock.

A Remarkable Tour Inside China's Forbidden City (Video)

The Forbidden City's architecture is a masterpiece, with its historical and cultural significance deeply rooted in its design. The number 9 holds great importance in Chinese culture , and this is...
Excavating ancient human skeleton, representational image. Source: Microgen / Adobe Stock.

1,000-Year-Old Skeleton Couple Unearthed and the Woman is Missing Her Face!

While performing excavations at the site of an ancient imperial palace in the village of Eisleben in Germany, archaeologists unearthed the ruins of castle fortifications, as well as the 1,000-year-...
Life for a concubine in China’s Forbidden City could be deadly. Source: QuietWord / Adobe Stock.

The Dangerous Life of a Concubine in China’s Forbidden City (Video)

In the heart of the Forbidden City , China's political and ritual center for over 500 years, the lives of imperial concubines were far from the fairy tales one might imagine. These women were not...
Roman worships. Source: AI generated.

Sodales Augustales: Rome’s Elite Imperial Cult Dedicated to the Emperor

The Sodales Augustales were a religious organization in ancient Rome dedicated to the worship of the emperor. Composed of prominent citizens, they served as ambassadors and reinforced the emperor's...
The Forbidden City of China. Source: Source: ABCDstock / Adobe Stock

The Great Forbidden City: A Glimpse into China's Imperial Past

The Forbidden City of China, a sprawling imperial palace that once housed the China’s powerful emperors, is a marvel of ancient architecture and Chinese history. Spanning an impressive 720,000 square...
Britain’s Imperial State Crown, made in 1937 with alterations in 1953. (Waterloo barracks, Tower of London). Source: Left;  Right; CC BY-SA 4.0

The Imperial State Crown’s Coffin Ride: History Completes a Chapter

The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom are symbols of the British monarchy’s regalia and vestments, accumulated over 800 years of English and British history. Part of this collection is the Imperial...
In a first for ancient Anatolia, archaeologists found this stone sarcophagus belonging to the elite bodyguard Tziampo, which was inscribed in Latin with the title “Emperor’s Protector.”		Source: TRT

Emperor’s Protector Sarcophagus Is A First For Anatolia

Representing a national first, an ancient sarcophagus bearing the title “Emperor’s Protector” has been unearthed in western Turkey (ancient Anatolia). Furthermore, it's also the first time the...
Imperial succession in Japan is up in the air as the choices get more complicated: could be a woman or a young man. Japanese Emperor Naruhito at his enthronement ceremony in Kyoto, October 2019.		Source: Imperial Household Agency / CC BY 4.0

Japan’s Succession Crisis: No Male Heirs Means Ancient Monarchy May Soon Disappear!

The Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous monarchy in the world, but it faces a clear succession crisis in the 21st century. Imperial descendance and inheritance is only passed through male...
Amaterasu, a major goddess of Japan.

Solar Goddess Amaterasu, Divine Ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family

Amaterasu is a major goddess in the Shinto religion. Although she is considered primarily a sun goddess, she is also believed to be the ruler of the Takama no Hara (the High Celestial Plain), which...
Mapping The Lost Subterranean Christian Origins Of Hagia Sophia

Mapping The Lost Subterranean Christian Origins Of Hagia Sophia

At one time a cathedral, later a mosque, and now the chief museum of the Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia, in the ancient Byzantine imperial capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul), was a world-famous...
Representation of a powerful wife of a Turkish Sultan

Kosem Sultan - The Last Influential Female Ruler of the Ottoman Empire

Kosem Sultan was a woman who refused to be just another widow on the Ottoman court - instead she became a real ruler of the empire. Her decisions made such an impact, that after her death noblemen in...
An ancient imperial floor has been discovered in the latest Rome sinkhole, right in front of the Pantheon.        Source: Virginia Raggi

Rome Sinkhole Reveals Extraordinary Archaeological Find

Another Rome sinkhole has appeared, this time, in front of the Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda and in it, archaeologists have made the unexpected ‘rediscovery’ of an ancient imperial floor...
Golden seal excavated from the Ming battlefield site on the Jiangkou stretch of the Minjiang River in Meishan City, southwest China.  Source: Xinhua / Liu Kun

Over 10,000 Extremely Rare Relics Unearthed From Ming Battlefield

Chinese archaeologists have made a historic discovery. Along with thousands of other artifacts, they have unearthed a very rare gold imperial seal that was possibly used by the heir apparent of an...
Head of Asian Art and Managing Director, Lee Young with the $1.2 million (£1 million) Qianlong Chinese teapot. Source: Duke’s Auctions

Chinese Teapot Skyrockets From £1000 to £1 Million At Auction

A small Chinese teapot that was found by chance has made some lucky person a millionaire. The 18 th century teapot crafted in China has sold for a staggering and totally unpredicted £1 million, or...
Bronze Chariot & Horses w/ Coachman ―Qin Dynasty, 221-206 BC

The Wonders and The Terrors of the Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty in the history of China. It was also the shortest-lived dynasty, lasting only 15 years between 221 BC and 206 BC. Nonetheless, it was hugely important,...
Images of the Taosi site in China, as well as a painted plate with dragon design found at the site

Insights into Imperialism as China's Most Ancient Imperial Palace is Discovered in Shanxi

A team of archaeologists has dated the remains in the northeast of the Taosi relic site in Xiangfen County to around 4000 years ago. Experts were not shocked by the announcement, as China has been on...
Traditional architecture and modern shops in Pingyao, Shanxi Province, China.

Pingyao: What Gems of Architecture are Housed in this Traditional Imperial Chinese City?

The ancient city of Pingyao is a county-level city located in the center of China’s Shanxi Province. This ancient city has been described as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional...
Replica of the Sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatus at the Scipios Tomb.

Hannibal’s Conqueror Brings Everlasting Glory to the Scipios Family Tomb

A monument created for one man stands in the heart of Rome, but it became an eternal house for his entire family. The remarkable construction conceals the secrets of generations of people whose fame...
Chinese concubines in a harem

20,000 Women and 100,000 Castrated Men to Serve the Emperor: The Imperial Harem of China

In Imperial China, one of the important tasks that the emperor needed to do was to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, which was achieved by the production of a male heir. For this purpose, the...
A Star in the Imperial Shadows, and Dutiful Son of a Roman Emperor: Castor, or Drusus the Younger

A Star in the Imperial Shadows, and Dutiful Son of a Roman Emperor: Castor, or Drusus the Younger

The people of ancient Rome knew of a tragic hero Drusus (Drusus the Elder), the younger brother of Tiberius who died in a campaign. But there was another, younger and lesser known, Drusus in Tiberius...
6th Century Crown of Chinese Empress Revealed for the First Time in its Full Glory

6th Century Crown of Chinese Empress Revealed for the First Time in its Full Glory

Chinese archaeologists have restored the crown of a 6 th century Chinese empress of the short-lived Sui Dynasty that shared the land with peasants, instituted the Buddhist religion, and united north...
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa: Statesman, General, and Friend of Augustus

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was one of the most powerful and influential men who lived during the early days of the Roman Empire. Agrippa was a statesman, general, and most important of all, a close...
The ruins of a classical Chinese garden landscape of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) uncovered at a construction site in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China.

Golden Age of Classical Chinese Gardens Revealed: Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Garden near Buddhist Monastery

The expansive ruins of an ancient Buddhist garden from the Tang Dynasty have been uncovered by archaeologists working in Sichuan province, China. The tiered garden, undoubtedly glorious in its time,...
Imperial office at the ruins of Daming Palace in China

Imperial Office of the Tang Dynasty discovered at the ruins of Daming Palace

Excavations at the ruins of Daming, the “Palace of Great Brilliance”, have unearthed ancient offices which are thought to have been responsible for issuing imperial edicts, official communications of...

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