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The riches of the sea with Neptune, tritons and two nereids  by Luca GIORDANO Giuseppe RECCO (1684) Art Gallery of South Australia (Public Domain)

The Old Man of the Sea: Shape Shifting in Service of Poseidon

Described as elusive and difficult to pinpoint, the ‘Old Man of the Sea’ may take on many names in mythology, but he embodies the virtues of truth and justice, until he was usurped by a sinister...
The Flagellation of Christ by Jaume Huguet  (1412–1492) Louvre Museum (Public Domain)

Cryptic Crosses, Mystery Medallions and Enigmatic Relics in Christian Churches

To the naked eye, they lie hidden in plain sight, but medieval artists hid cryptic messages in fresco’s, medallions and paintings and collected relics believed to have apotropaic qualities to ward...
The Meditation on the Passion by Vittore Carpaccio (1510) (Public Domain)

Contemplating the Navel: The Origins of Ancient Mindfulness

The words of the 16th-century Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales, are truer today than ever before: “ Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour...
Roman soldiers and their general by vukkostic (Adobe Stock)

Roman Mars vs Greek Ares as the God of War

In the ancient battle of Thurii in 282 BC, between Rome and the Greek colony of Tarentum, the Romans noticed a youth of extraordinary height marching in front of them and performing miracles of...
Anatomy lesson of Dr. Willem van der Meer by Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt (1617) (Public Domain)

Body Snatchers, the Cemetery Entrepreneurs of the 18th and 19th Centuries

Anatomists of the 18th and 19th centuries faced a dreadful predicament in that they lacked what would today be called ‘educational aids’. They needed cadavers to dissect. These circumstances created...
The island of Ischia seen from the sea, showing volcanic features. Colored etching by Pietro Fabris, (1776). (Wellcome Images/ Public Domain)

Pithekoussai: Ancient Greek Colony of Nestor’s Cup

Celebrated for its thermal springs and verdant landscapes, the volcanic island of Ischia, called Pithekoussai during its ancient Greek days —located in the Bay of Naples —harkens back to the...
Odysseus and the Sirens by Otto Greiner  (1869–1916) (Public Domain)

The Itinerary of Odysseus, an Ancient Treasure Map

Did Homer’s Odyssey contain a secret code, that would guide the Greeks to gain complete control over the Black Sea and the North Atlantic and access to the riches of precious metals and other...
The Death of Ravana by Fernand CORMON (1875) Musée des Augustins. (Public Domain)

Rakshasas: Taunting Demons Tainted with Human Emotions

According to Hindu mythology, Satya Yuga signals the era during which the gods and intrinsic goodness ruled humanity, and at the end of his labors, the creator god, Brahma, sleeps. But during his...
Trio of musicians playing an aulos, cymbala, and tympanum (mosaic from Pompeii) (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Orchestral Offerings on the Winds to the Gods

Ever since humans have been able to pull a blade of grass between their thumbs and blow into it, or tap two sticks on a third, our species has attempted to recreate the sounds of nature and over time...
The Feast of Attila by Ede Heinrich (1863) (Public Domain)

Attila The Great, Reviled as a ‘Barbarian’

Qin Shi Huang , first emperor of China and Genghis Khan have received what one might call a ‘bad rap’. They were of far greater honor and integrity than history has reported, and their achievements...
Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and the Virgin Mary take Christ in the tomb watched by Mary Magdalene and Saint John the Evangelist by Titian (1559) (Public Domain)

Mummification in Christianity: The Incredible Exploding Pope

Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Pacelli) exploded in 1956. To understand why this occurred, it is necessary to explore the (Catholic and Orthodox) Christian practice of mummification, which is rarely...
Wintering of a team of Dutch sailors on the eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya by Eugène Lepoittevin (1839) Musée départemental de l'Oise. (Public Domain)

Ancient Cult of the Brave Bear, Feared and Revered

All across the far northern hemisphere bear folklore is widespread, and as far back as the Paleolithic period around 50,000 years ago archaeologists have discovered evidence of bear cults where the...
Vlad the Impaler and the Turkish envoys, painting by Theodor Aman (Public Domain)

Maria Balsa, Daughter of the Dragon: The Long-Lost Illegitimate Child of Vlad the Impaler?

Has a 16th-century Italian noble woman, Maria Balsa, wife of Giacomo Alfonso Ferrillo, Count of Muro Lucano and Lord of Acerenza, (Italy) been identified as the illegitimate daughter Vlad III Tepe,...
Remains of Taq Kasra in 2008. Arch of Cstesiphon, Capital city of King Ardashir (Public Domain)

Ardashir’s Effective Reform of the Sassanid Military Machine

In the third century AD, Parthia and Rome had been waging war against each other for far too long. Sometimes Parthia was the victor while at other times Rome was the victor, and it seemed as if no...
Caligula (Towseef/ Adobe Stock)

Rome’s Most Infamous Emperor: Was Caligula Mad or Bad?

Today, pundits and psychiatrists furiously debate the definition of ‘madness’. Where do narcissism, self-delusion, and an apparent inability to conceive of consequences of actions cross the boundary...
Odysseus, Off Course in the Baltic Sea

Odysseus, Off Course in the Baltic Sea

Homer’s Odyssey tells of the adventures of the ancient seasoned mariner, Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War, who offended Poseidon and as a result was cursed to sail the seas and prolong his journey...
Christ in the Labyrinth (Image © Giancarlo Pavat) and Knights Templar deriv (Luis Louro / Adobe Stock)

Christ in the Labyrinth, Pointing to a Sacred Pilgrimage of the Knights’ Templar

In 1996 during restoration work on a medieval cloister in the ancient city of Alatri, in the southern district of Lazio in Italy, a fresco was discovered with the image of Christ in the centre of an...
Keepers of the Sacred Flame from Ancient Rome to India

Keepers of the Sacred Flame from Ancient Rome to India

The ability to ignite, maintain and control fire was a dramatic and powerful development in the habits of early humans and changed mankind’s quality of existence forever. Fire generates heat and made...
Running the Family Business of the Roman Empire: Augustus the Founder

Running the Family Business of the Roman Empire: Augustus the Founder

Over three and a half centuries the Roman Empire - as seen through the lives of 10 of the most important emperors - gained in splendor and territory, then lost both. Over the ages the emperors...
Jael and Sisera by Artemisia Gentileschi (1620) (Public Domain)

Calling Commander Deborah and Callous Jael to Defeat the Canaanites

Of the multitude of wars and battles, whether based on individuals seeking revenge, vendettas, or conflicts that unify or partially unify a nation, the Biblical allegory of Deborah is indeed a story...
The Sacred and Ancient Legacy of our Feathered Friends

The Sacred and Ancient Legacy of our Feathered Friends

Although lions, tigers and other ferocious man-eaters were hunted and subsequently ritualized by shamans who attempted to internalize the energy of these different animals, throughout the ages birds...
Harbor view of the island of Ponza (Marja /Adobe Stock)

The Curious Roman Cult of the Moray Eel on the Island of Ponza

A mysterious cult in which moray eels decided the fate of men existed on Ponza island, in the Tyrrhenian sea off the coast of Italy, during the first century AD at the so-called ‘Caves of Pilate’. "...
The Norrie's Law hoard. In the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh (Mike Peel / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ancient Gold Hoards of the Celtic El Dorado

The legendary lost city of gold, El Dorado, has drawn over 500 formal treasure recovery teams to South America over the last 500 years and over 3,000 people have been lost searching for ancient...
The Osirion temple at Abydos, Egypt by Konstantin (Adobe Stock)

The True Age of the Osirion at Abydos, an Antediluvian Temple

By 5400 BC Abydos in Egypt was a thriving city, and 2,000 years later pre-dynastic pharaohs were still building shrines, temples and mortuaries at the site. Seti I added his own masterpiece in the...

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