Hidden away in the rugged peaks of Persia and Syria, the Order of Assassins maintained its power by operating in the shadows, striking only when the time was right. But their survival was threatened...
Alexander the Great's achievements make him one of the most exceptional figures in history. He ascended to the throne of the small Greek kingdom of Macedonia at the age of just 20 in 336 BC. In the...
A collection of ancient tombs from the Persian, Roman, and Coptic eras has been unearthed by archaeologists in the Minya governorate of Egypt, situated about 150 miles (245 km) to the south of Cairo...
The remains of a sanctuary dedicated to the god Mithras , along with leftovers from ritual banquets, have been found during excavations at the Villa del Mitra in Cabra, Spain . According to Heritage...
A lifetime critic of the self-inflicted pain of high heels, I’ve never understood why anyone would wear them when the risks involved are so well known. From ingrown toenails, back problems or...
Xerxes I, also known as Xerxes the Great, was a 5th century Achaemenid king of the Persian empire. He is best known for leading the massive invasion of Greece, marked by the battles of Thermopylae,...
One of the distinguishing features of the First World War was the widespread use of chemical weapons. Chemical gases of various lethality, including mustard gas, phosgene and tear gas, were used to...
The first Persian Empire (550 BC – 330 BC), called the Achaemenid Empire, is known for having an elite force of soldiers. Named the “Immortals” by Herodotus, this army consisted of a heavy infantry...
A new research paper claims to reveal new facts about the ancient Persian (Achaemenid) Empire. While headlines tell of the 33 Achaemenid clay tablets determining that Persian laborers were paid wages...
During the eighth century BC, ancient Egypt was experiencing turbulent times. The country was split with a pharaoh ruling in Lower Egypt, but powerful priests of Amun were ruling Middle and Upper...
The ancients were cleverer than some people today assume. They didn’t have rockets or electricity, at least no indisputable proof has been found of such technologies, but they did come up with...
The “suwar al-kawakib" or the Book of Fixed Stars is a 10th century astronomical Arabic text, authored by the famed scholar Abd-al Rahman al-Sufi in the year 964 AD. It was produced by the powerful...
Shahmaran is the name given to a mythical creature found in the various cultures of the Middle East, in particular, those of the eastern Anatolian region of Turkey. According to the folklore of these...
Archaeologists digging at the site of the ancient Anatolian city of Daskyleion in northwestern Turkey were delighted to discover skillfully carved stone reliefs dating back to the fifth century BC...
On December 1, 1948, authorities were called to Somerton beach in Adelaide, South Australia. A dead body had been found. Little did police realize they were about to encounter what is now considered...
A rare 2,500-year-old fertility goddess amulet has been unearthed in Israel's Negev Desert, not by archaeologists, but by a boy on holiday. Dating to the 5th or 6th century BC, known to historians as...