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Representational image of a Native American dance. Source: Iobard / Adobe Stock

The Peaceful Ghost Dance Movement Was Misconstrued as a Threat

Throughout history, governments have continually feared and misrepresented peaceful resistance movements, none more tragically than the misinterpretation of the Ghost Dance Movement by the United...
An 1845 painting of a group of people from the Sioux tribe by Charles Deas. Source: Public domain

The Ancient Sioux Tribe, A Ghost Dance, and a Savior That Never Came

“ In the old, old days, before Columbus ‘discovered’ us, as they say, we [the people of the Sioux tribe] were even closer to the animals than we are now. Many people could understand the animal...
Battle of Rocroi was a turning point in the Thirty Years War.	Source: Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau/CC BY-SA 3.0

Thirty Years’ War: The Horror Of Europe’s Bloodiest Conflict (Video)

In the 16th century, Europe witnessed a seismic shift as Latin Christianity fractured into Catholics and Protestants, sparking the bloodiest conflict in its history—the Thirty Years' War . Fueled by...
Largest Headhunting Massacre from Neolithic China Unearthed

Largest Headhunting Massacre from Neolithic China Unearthed

Evidence of the bloodiest decapitation and head-hunting in Neolithic Asian history, has been unearthed from China, from 4,100 years ago. In total, 41 skeletons were recovered, all belonging to women...
The Glencoe hoard of coins consists of European pottery as well as silver and bronze coins. Source: ©Gareth Beale/University of Glasgow

Coin Hoard At Glencoe Massacre Site Found Buried Under Fireplace

In the heartlands of Scotland's rugged west coast, an archaeology student unearthed a trove of 17th-century artifacts, including an "international coin hoard." Believed to have been hidden after the...
Tree-hugging has its ancient roots in environmental activism. Source: warnerbroers / Adobe Stock

Tree-Hugging is Rooted in the Tragic Tale of the Khejarli Massacre

Throughout history there’s a multitude of examples of cruelty meted out by royalty , but the story of Abhai Singh of Marwar and the Khejarli massacre in India really stands out. In a David and...
A representation of an ancient Chinese battle scene. Stunning stone carved architecture. Source: Igor/AdobeStock

Extermination of the Wu Hu and the Merciless Policies of General Ran Min

Great diversity was not uncommon in the history of Ancient China. In such a vast nation, many ethnicities co-existed, and were instrumental in the shaping of its history. However, diversity did not...
Massacres have been a near constant in human history. Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting The Triumph of Death, circa 1562. Source: Public Domain

The Stories Behind Seven of the Worst Massacres in Ancient History

We all know that the ancient world was a violent place, but we often don’t appreciate just how violent it was. The world was in a near-constant state of bloodshed and warfare. Massacres and mass...
Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan. Source: robnaw / Adobe Stock

Mohenjo Daro and The Mounds That Hid a Civilization

In 1914, Rakhaldas Banerji, Director of the Western Archaeological District in Bombay (now Mumbai), went to investigate a series of mounds near the town of Dokri in Sindh Province, Pakistan. The site...
Excavations at Sidon Castle, Lebanon revealed two mass crusaders graves containing many skeletons that had clear signs of extreme violence, according to the latest research study in PLOS One. Source: Claude Doumet-Serhal / PLOS One

Crusaders Grave Shows Many Were Killed From Behind

Medieval warfare was a bloody and brutal affair. This was especially true during the Crusades, when warriors on each side were motivated by religious passion and a cause they deeply embraced. This...
Study reunites Viking family members separated by the North Sea for 1000 years.

Viking Family Members ‘Reunited’ After 1000 Years!

A genetic relationship, either as half-brothers or as an uncle and a nephew, has been established between skeletal remains of two men who died on opposite ends of the North Sea. Estimated to have...
Archaeologists Make Shocking Discovery At The Tollense Battle Site

Archaeologists Discover Tollense Battle Was Actually A Massacre

Archaeologists in Germany are rewriting history by proving that Europe's oldest battle in the German Tollense Valley was actually Europe’s oldest massacre. The Tollense battlefield is a Bronze Age...
Prehistoric Spanish Massacre Rewrites the History of War in Europe

Prehistoric Spanish Massacre Rewrites the History of War in Europe

A study of victims of a Spanish prehistoric massacre is providing researchers with new insights into the evolution of warfare . Archaeologists have found evidence of a sacked settlement and the...
Pilgrim at the golden temple in the city of Amritsar-India, main temple of Sikhs, during sunset.            Source: MICHEL / Adobe Stock

Why the Golden Temple is at the Very Heart of Sikhism

While the followers of Sikhism can be found all over the world, the supreme spiritual site of the faith is the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. It is known as Harmandir Sahib , the abode of God, and...
The Golden Bowl of Hasanlu

The Dark Tale behind the Golden Bowl of Hasanlu

The three soldiers knew that time was running short. The citadel of Hasanlu, in what is now north-western Iran, was under violent siege. The soldiers descended into a building and grabbed a handful...
Representation of genocides with photo of stacked human skulls.      Source: papi8888 / Adobe stock.

Suffering the Conquerors: 5 Worst Genocides in Ancient History

The history of our world has always been a bloody and difficult affair, full of struggles, wars and conquests. And in the centuries before our own, tribes and chieftains, kingdoms and empires, all...
Main: view of the Els Trocs cave entrance in the Spanish Pyrenees located on the southern slope of a karst hill on the high plateau of Selvaplana; seen from the pass of the Puerto de las Aras. Source: H. Arcusa Magallón / Scientific Reports. Inset: Images of part of the skeletons damaged by blunt objects/arrows during the massacre. Source: T. Schuerch / G. Schulz / Scientific Reports

Truth of 7300-Year-Old Violence Uncovered in the Spanish Pyrenees

An examination of human remains found in a cave in the Spanish Pyrenees, that date to almost 7300 years ago has provided proof of the brutality of life in the Stone Age . It is believed that the...
Turabek Khanum Mausoleum, Turkmenistan             Source: Maurizio/ Adobe Stock

Konye-Urgench, Protected After Genghis Khan’s Destruction

In an area of protected landscape of Turkmenistan lies an abandoned city that once played a critical role in the history of Central Asia. Situated on the Silk Road , Konye-Urgench was a wealthy city...
Maiden Castle Hill fort, Dorset          Source: Dorset Council

Roman vs Britons Battle of AD43 Never Happened Says Academic

An archaeologist has been accused of ´inventing´ an AD 43 battle after digging up skeletons of an ancient Britonic tribe. It was recorded as the ´massacre´ of a tribe of Britons in Dorset’s Maiden...
The rare hoard, which includes Christian coins, has been linked to "one of the most dramatic events in the history of Caesarea."

Rare Gold ‘Christian Coins’ Shed Light on the Story of a Crusader Massacre in Ancient Caesarea

Many archaeological finds cannot be linked to one particular dramatic event. However, the recent discovery of a hoard of coins can be linked to one very significant event in the era of the Crusades...
In house 40 in the Sandby borg ringfort, the skeletons of two young men were found right inside of the door. Further into the house were more human remains.

The Crime of Sandby Borg: Site of a 1,600-Year-Old Tragedy in Sweden

Something terrible happened on Sweden’s Öland Island about 1,600 years ago. It was so bad that after an attack on a small fort there the site was taboo for years. Possibly hundreds of people were...
Apadana Hall, 5th century BC carving of Persian and Median soldiers in traditional costume (Medians are wearing rounded hats and boots). The Magi were a group of immigrants from Media who followed the Zoroastrian faith.

The Slaughter Of The Magi: How Ancient Persia Made Genocide an Annual Holiday

Long before the Holocaust and the atrocities we see today, history has been littered with genocide . Time and time again, minority groups living in the midst of a culture that isn’t their own have...
Underwater timbers related to the Batavia shipwreck being tagged by researchers off the coast of Western Australia.

Skeleton found at shipwreck site is a reminder of a brutal massacre off the Australian coast

On June 4 th 1629, a contrived dispute in order to instigate a mutiny on the Duch East India Company vessel, the Batavia, culminated in the deaths of over more than 120 people. The bodies of the dead...
The Massacre of Glencoe James Hamilton (1853–1894)

Mapping A Massacre for Old Times Sake

Archaeologists in Scotland are to bring alive “the human story” of the Glencoe massacre, one of the most violent episodes in British history. Three former settlements in the magnificent Glencoe...

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