All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

pets

Dogs being taken care of in an image from Livre de la Chasse (Book of the Hunt).  Source: The Morgan Library and Museum/Faksimile Verlag Luzern

Dogs in the Middle Ages: What Medieval Writing Tells Us About Our Ancestors’ Pets

Emily Savage /The Conversation In the Middle Ages, most dogs had jobs. In his book De Canibus , the 16th-century English physician and scholar John Caius described a hierarchy of dogs, which he...
Tycho Brahe Had a Drunken Moose Pet. Source: Andrew / Adobe Stock.

16th Century Astronomer Tycho Brahe Had a Drunken Pet Moose

In the realms of ancient history, the enigmatic quirks of historical figures never cease to amaze. Among these eccentricities, Tycho Brahe, the esteemed 16th-century astronomer , stands out not only...
Representational image of a cat in front of the Egyptian pyramids. Source: Matheus / Adobe Stock

Ancient Egyptians Shaved Off Their Eyebrows When Their Cats Died

While perusing Herodotus’s captivating Histories , which explore the cultures of the ancient world, you may come across a curious mourning ritual. While discussing the veneration of animals by the...
Study reveals Romans bred bulldog-like canines 2,000 years ago. Source: svetography / Adobe Stock

Romans Bred Bulldog-like Canines 2,000 Years Ago, But Why?

A team of scientists measured a damaged 2,000-year-old dog skull discovered at a Roman site in Turkey. They discovered that not only did Romans breed a small flat-faced dog, similar to a French...
Stone Age man with pet wolves. Source: grandfailure / Adobe Stock.

5 Facts About How Fierce Wolves Were Turned into Ancient Pets (Video)

The domestication of dogs is a fascinating topic that has puzzled scientists for decades. The evolution of wolves into our beloved pets is a remarkable feat, and understanding how this process took...

Seven Famously Obscure Pets from History

Animal companionship is nothing new to humankind. Throughout history, people have sought out furry (and not-so-furry) friends to spend their days with. However, it wasn’t always just cats and dogs...
The moment a Viking sword was excavated from a burial mound near Köping, Sweden Source: Arkeologerna Statens historiska museer

Viking Swords and Bear Claws Discovered in Sweden

Archaeologists in Sweden have discovered a Viking Age burial with bear claws and two swords that look to have served as grave markers. The two Viking Age swords were found by archaeologists...
Left: Barbary apes can are intelligent, nimble, and can get pretty angry. But were they used as military monkeys in ancient times? Right: It’s not unheard of for monkeys to have thoughtful burials. Shown: An Indian monkey buried like a child in Egypt. Source: Left: Peter Mazlan / Adobe Stock, Right: Marta Osypińska / Science in Poland

Ancient Monkey Soldiers? Romans Buried Barbary Ape with Military Offerings

Militaries from many countries past and present have used animals in their work. Whether using horses to carry men, or dogs to track and patrol, the use of animals has been significant throughout...
Hera and her pet peacocks. Juno and Argus by Peter Paul Rubens (circa 1611) Wallraf-Richartz-Museum (Public Domain)

Elephants, Eels, Fawns and Ravens: Ancient Lives Of Beloved Exotic Pets

Unlike Aristotle who viewed animals as irrational creatures with lower moral standing, sent to earth solely to serve humans, Pythagoras regarded them highly and proposed that animals had reincarnated...
Early Siberian Explorers Crossed The Bering Sea With Canine Companions

Early Siberian Explorers Crossed The Bering Sea With Canine Companions

For decades, archaeologists generally agreed that the first humans in the Americas were the Clovis people, who were believed to have left northern Asia and reached the Alaska region about 13,000...
The full skeleton of one of the Indian pet monkeys found by Polish researchers in a pet cemetery in the ancient port of Berenice, Egypt.                        Source: Marta Osypińska / Science in Poland

Pet Monkeys Buried Like Children In Ancient Egypt

Polish archaeologists have uncovered several skeletons of monkeys that were pets of ancient Greeks and Romans who lived in Egypt in the first and second century AD. The remains of these pet monkeys...
A Roman Era Pet Cemetery: 86 Cat Burials Discovered in Egypt

A Roman Era Pet Cemetery: 86 Cat Burials Discovered in Egypt

Eighty-six pet cats from the Roman Era were found on the outskirts of the ancient port town of Berenike (Berenice) near the Red Sea in Egypt. The method of burial implies they were not part of a...