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Famous historical speech of Pericles. Source: vkilikov / Adobe Stock.

How Ancient Greeks Kept Ruthless Narcissists from Capturing their Democracy

Ancient Greece was in many ways a brutal society. It was almost perpetually at war, slavery was routine, and women could only expect a low status in society. However, there is one important sense in...
Representation of an elite Mongolian woman. Source: B@rmaley / Adobe Stock.

Xiongnu Princesses Shaped Mongolian Traditions, New Study Shows

Princesses have played crucial roles in the organization and structure of empires throughout history, yet their contributions have often been overlooked. From the Greeks to the Mughals to the Mongols...
Ayodhya seer was denied access to the Taj Mahal. Source: Wit.Siri / Adobe Stock

Weapon-Holding Ayodhya Seer Blocked from Taj Mahal Sparks Protests

This week, security guards at the Taj Mahal, the enormous 17th century white marble mausoleum built in Agra by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan , forbade entry to Ayodhya-based Hindu seer, Jagadguru...
Mythology was put to the service of ancient Greek diplomacy. Image of the mighty god Zeus. Source: zwiebackesser / Adobe Stock

Of Kin and Kind: The Role of Myths in Ancient Greek Diplomacy

Myths in the ancient world were not confined to the world of movies and children’s books like they are today. They played a vital part in political life and ancient Greek diplomacy. For example,...
Fresco of Dante and the Divine Comedy (1465), Domenico di Michelino, Florence cathedral, Italy

A Pilgrimage of Thought, Pt 1: the Politician, Poet, and Pilgrim called Dante Alighieri

Born in Florence in the late thirteenth century, Dante Alighieri would grow up to become one of the most famed and well-read authors of the Italian Middle Ages. The scope of his political and...
Temple Destruction in India Causes Karnataka Religious Storm

Temple Destruction in India Causes Karnataka Religious Storm

Nanjanagudu is located in India’s ancient Mysuru (Mysore) district and is home to Srikanteshwara Temple, an ancient, important Hindu pilgrimage site. For this reason, the Nanjanagudu area is a holy...
The Story of Kyniska: The Spartan Princess Who Became An Olympic Hero

The Story of Kyniska: The Spartan Princess Who Became An Olympic Hero

The Olympic Games in ancient Greece were a true celebration of a healthy spirit. Originally held to honor the god Zeus, these sport festivities became one of the cornerstones of Western civilization...
Mary, Queen of Scots: Tragic Heroine or Conniving Conspirator?

Mary, Queen of Scots: Tragic Heroine or Conniving Conspirator?

Mary I of Scotland, popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots, is one of the best-known Scottish monarchs. Mary was a contemporary, and cousin, of Queen Elizabeth I of England. However, they the two...
Statue of ancient Athens statesman Pericles

Pericles: The Charismatic and Powerful Politician of Ancient Greece

On the eve of his conception sometime in 495 BC, Pericles’ mother Agariste dreamed of giving birth to a lion. It was then, months later, Pericles was born. Pericles (495 BC – 429 BC) was a legend...

The Myth of National Socialism: How the Nazis Distorted the Nordic Past

National Socialism is one of the most unusual and documented regressus ad uterum historical events in modern times. It’s a unique case in history when a modern political party returned to its...
An Elite Class That Ruled Over the 99%. Sound Familiar? It All Began with the Patricians of Rome

An Elite Class That Ruled Over the 99%. Sound Familiar? It All Began with the Patricians of Rome

In ancient Rome, the patricians (from the Latin word patres , meaning ‘fathers’) were one of the main classes of Roman society. They were the ruling class, and enjoyed great prestige as well as...
The famous Lions Gate into the hill fortress where Mycenaean armies originated.

The Fall of a Civilization: The Mysterious Collapse of the Mycenaean Bronze Age

"In most cases, collapse results from multiple, 'cascading' stress factors—politico-economic, demographic, and sociocultural as well as environmental…relational aspects, arguing that factors such as...
Cincinnatus Receiving Deputies of the Senate.

The Roman Dictator Cincinnatus: Model of an Honest Politician?

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus is a figure from the Early Republican period of Rome’s history. Cincinnatus (a nickname given to him due to his curly hair) was an aristocrat who belonged to the...
Thai style garden. Located in Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Heaven on Earth: The Ancient Roots of The Backyard Garden

You don’t have to be an avid gardener or know all the Latin names of plants to appreciate the opportunity for reflection that a stroll in the garden can afford us. The explosion of colors, shapes,...
Patrician Ladies with Plebeian Slave in background.

The Patricians and the Plebeians: A Very Roman Social Struggle

During the time of the Roman Kingdom and the Roman Republic, Roman society was divided between two important classes – the patricians and the plebeians. Originally, the patricians were part of the...

A Christmas story: the arrival of a sweet baby boy – or a political power to change the world?

Robyn J. Whitaker / The Conversation Dear tiny Jesus, with your golden fleece diapers, with your tiny little fat balled-up fists … Dear 8 pound 6 ounce newborn infant Jesus, don’t even know a word...
United States constitution and flag

American People Suffering Historical Amnesia With Many Citizens Knowing “Virtually Nothing” About Their History

Many people regard the United States of America as the world’s foremost democratic police force, and as such, one would expect its citizens to be well-informed regarding their historical and...
Honduras Mayan city ruins in Copan. The picture presents detail of decorating walls of the temple.

The Maya’s Mystifying Collapse – Has the Truth Finally Been Uncovered?

Did the longstanding mystery of what caused the downfall of the Maya - of one of the ancient world's great civilizations – just get solved? Nothing is mightier than an empire at its peak. Great...
Detail of ‘God creating the Sun, the Moon and the Stars’ by Jan Brueghel the Younger.

Is the Universe Only 6,000 years old? Young Earth Creationists Say Yes!

Although most mainstream scientists and most of the developed world now accept the theory of evolution and the scientifically established age of Earth and the universe, there is still a group of...
Vedic King Yudhisthira performs the Rajasuya Sacrifice.

The Janapadas: Tribal Footholds in Bronze and Iron Age India

Changes were underway in India during the period of the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The Vedas were written, and ancient Indian culture, society, and religion were all being transformed. One of...
A ceramic female polo player, from northern China, Tang Dynasty, first half of the 8th century, made with white slip and polychrome. From the Musée Guimet (Guimet Museum), Paris. (Public Domain) Background: ‘Xuanzong's Journey to Shu’, in the manner of the mid-8th century Tang artist Li Zhaodao, an 11th-century Song dynasty remake.

The Tang Dynasty: The Arts Flourished, Family Ties Broke, and a Concubine Became Empress

While Europe was masked in the Dark Ages, China was flourishing in the Tang Dynasty. Woodblock printing gave them books, testing made government jobs available to common citizens, paper spread...
Was Wang Mang a visionary, or a murderous villain – or both? (Wang Mang art italkcafe.com, The Analects of Confucius; Deriv)

The Emperor is Dead, Let Confucianism and Chaos Reign! The Rise and Fall of Wang Mang and the Xin Dynasty

Some saw Wang Mang as an evil usurper – others a selfless visionary. Either way, an emperor lay dead, and a learned Confucian scholar sought to bring peace and harmony, but the dynasty would descend...
Detail of Stela 1, Fragment 1, front. La Corona, Guatemala.

Maya Snake King Dynasty Used Local Gods to Gain Authority in Rural Guatemala

Taking political control is often a violent affair, but tactics, knowledge of local customs and beliefs, and trickery can also be used to get an ambitious leader’s foot in the door. New research on...
Aztec Avenue of the Dead stretches out before pyramids and shops of Mexico.

Did Spanish Spin Doctors Change the Name of Teotihuacan to Sabotage the City?

The famous archaeological site of Teotihuacan may have served a different purpose for the Aztecs to what Spanish chroniclers claimed. A possibly deliberate change of the city’s name suggests that it...

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