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Human skull and bread. Source: Samitanun / Adobe Stock.

Human Bones Were Ground into Flour to Make Bread in 16th Century France

In human history, there are some tales so bizarre they surpass the wildest fiction. One such story, rooted in the grim realities of 16th century France, reveals a desperate and macabre solution to...
A ‘cataphile’ inside the Paris catacombs. Source: YouTube Screenshot / The New York Times.

Party in the Historic Paris Catacombs, But Don't Tell! (Video)

In the heart of Paris lies a subterranean world of catacombs , a network of underground tunnels and rooms that span hundreds of kilometers beneath the city’s streets. These catacombs house the...
Skeleton in ancient grave at archaeological excavation (representational). Source: Mulderphoto / Adobe Stock.

Lost For Two Millennia: Ancient Necropolis Found Beneath Paris Train Station

Beneath a bustling train station, archaeologists have found ancient graves loaded with artifacts that date back nearly 2,000 years. The burials belong to a lost necropolis of the Gallo-Roman town of...
The elongated skull of a knight found in one of two lead-line sarcophagi found interred in Notre Dame Cathedral. Source: Denis Glicksman / INRAP

Notre Dame Sarcophagus Opened Revealing Knight with Elongated Skull!

Finding the remains of a high priest buried at the most sacred spot in Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, and all of medieval France, seems a predictable discovery. However, unearthing a knight with an...
Vintage postcard showing European tourism destinations. Source: Freesurf/Adobe Stock

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 mysterious lead sarcophagus found at Notre Dame

Mysterious Notre Dame Lead Sarcophagus Will be Opened!

In April 2019, a devastating fire engulfed the historical Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris, built at a time when France was moving towards its identity as a nation, all the way back in the...
Notre Dame restoration work in progress. Much of this restoration revolves around giant pieces of wood to rebuild key structural areas and scaffolding destroyed by the disastrous 2019 fire at the cathedral. Source: JEROME LABOUYRIE / Adobe Stock

Restoration Work Finally Set to Begin on Notre Dame Cathedral

The great Catholic cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, literally, “Our Lady of Paris” is a historically celebrated 12th-century monument, which was already in urgent need of expensive repairs in the...
King Menelaus, seen here finding Helen at Troy, is best known as her husband.

Why We Should Remember Menelaus, the King Lost in his Wife’s Shadow

Menelaus, the mythological king of Mycenaean Sparta, is perhaps best remembered as the husband of Helen of Troy. While lost in his wife’s shadow, his story is inexorably entwined with that of the...
Statue of Emperor Constantine Reunited with Giant Bronze Finger After 500 Years

Statue of Emperor Constantine Reunited with Giant Bronze Finger After 500 Years

After 500 years, the ancient hand on a colossal bronze statue of Emperor Constantine is reunited with its middle bronze finger. In 2010, Aurélia Azéma, a French Ph.D. student researching ancient...
The five female Olympians of the Ancient Greek Pantheon. Source: local_doctor / Adobe Stock

Five Female Olympians of Ancient Greece: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Greek Mythology consists of numerous gods and goddesses, although the Greek pantheon itself is comprised of just twelve main gods ruling Mount Olympus. Among the twelve, there are five female rulers...
Hector of Troy: The Battle for Peace and the Wrath of Achilles

Hector of Troy: The Battle for Peace and the Wrath of Achilles

Homer’s epic Illiad tells the mythical story of the legendary 10-year Trojan War between the Trojans and the Greeks, which erupted after the beautiful Helen, wife of King Menelaus, was taken by Paris...
The Young Woman’s Mask of Death That Inspires The Living

Unforgettable Death Mask: The Unknown Woman of the Seine

Death , to most of us, is a distant nightmare lurking somewhere on an unfathomable horizon, a future concern. But there have always been people who see beauty in death, like we see beauty in a rose...
Artist’s reconstruction of Lutetia by Dassault Systemes (YouTube screenshot)

Ancient Lutetia: The Roman Roots of Paris

Over two millennia ago, France’s capital, Paris, was inhabited by Celtic Gauls who called their city Parisii. But then the Romans came and set up camp. They renamed their city Lutetia, meaning ‘place...
Rollo was a Viking famed for raids on Paris and becoming ‘Duke’ of Normandy.          Source: uteam2016 / Adobe Stock

How Rollo the Viking Conqueror Settled in Normandy

Rollo was a well-known Viking leader who lived between the 9 th and 10 th centuries AD. He is best-known for becoming the ruler of Normandy and is therefore sometimes referred to as the first Duke of...
Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind the Obelisks

Cleopatra’s Needle: The Story Behind Three Awe-Inspiring Obelisks

Cleopatra’s Needle is the name shared by three ancient Egyptian obelisks – one in New York City, one in London, and one in Paris. However, each comes from a different Egyptian site and none may have...
On March 29th ancient people sharpened their swords and went to battle under the power of their resurrected sun gods. Source: Oleksandr /Adobe Stock

March 29: When Viking and Christian Sun Gods Drew Swords

Easter corresponds with the first Sunday following the full moon after the March equinox and as such the holy day occurs on different dates around the Christian world. However, the story of the...
Attempted theft at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris.      Source: Mistervlad / Adobe Stock

Thieves Attack Notre-Dame During Paris Lockdown

A pair of French criminals have been caught trying to cash in on the coronavirus lockdown -stealing stones from Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Just after reading a story in Le Parisien newspaper I...
Experts are studying the melted lead from the fire that ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral.

Ashes of Notre-Dame to Reveal Secrets of Medieval Architecture

The remains of last year ’ s burning of Paris ’ s Notre-Dame cathedral will be studied by scientists. On April 15 of last year the world froze as an electrical fire destroyed the cathedral’s roof and...
Paris Catacombs

The Dark Underworld of the Paris Catacombs

Paris, the capital of France, is often called La Ville Lumière (meaning ‘The City of Light’), however, beneath this bustling European city of 12 million people, lies a dark subterranean world holding...
Notre Dame de Paris, a taller reconstruction of the original spire was made in the 1800s.

Notre Dame de Paris: Survivor of 850 Years of Upheaval, Revolution, World Wars and Fire

Notre Dame de Paris (which translates as ‘Our Lady of Paris’) is one of the best-known Gothic cathedrals in the world and among the most famous landmarks in France . The monument caught the attention...
Fire in the frame of Notre Dame cathedral.

Notre Dame: How a Rebuilt Cathedral Could Be Just as Wonderful

The destruction of Notre Dame cathedral is lamentable. A wonderful icon has been largely destroyed by fire . However, we should not despair. Part of the reason this loss is so upsetting is because we...
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on fire.

Historic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is on Fire and May Be Completely Destroyed

An immense tragedy is currently unfolding in Paris as a fire has broken out in the world-famous Notre-Dame cathedral and is spreading rapidly. Fire fighters are tackling the blaze in the 850-year-old...
Ragnar Lothbrok

Ragnar Lothbrok: A Real Viking Hero Whose Life Became Lost to Legend

Ragnar Lothbrok was a fearless Viking hero who ransacked England and France and fathered the Great Heathen Army. However the historicity of the man with “hairy breeches” is subject to debate. Where...
Helen of Troy

Helen of Troy, The Beauty Who Sparked the Trojan War

In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy is known as the woman whose beauty sparked the Trojan War. But Helen’s character is more complex than it seems. When considering the many Greek and Roman myths that...

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