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Cecilia Bogaard

Cecilia Bogaard is one of the editors, researchers and writers on Ancient Origins. With an MA in Social Anthropology, and degree in Visual Communication (Photography), Cecilia has a passion for research, content creation and editing, especially as related to the ability for art to provoke social change, and the dynamics of power in public space throughout history. This has taken her around the world to far-flung places such as Cuba, Spain, Scotland, India, the United States and now southern Ecuador, where she lives with her family.

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Legend has it that Robert the Bruce was inspired to continue his struggle for Scottish independence by a spider in a cave. Source: pedro / Adobe Stock

5 August, 2022 - 01:59 Cecilia Bogaard

A Spider Had a Leading Role in the Story of Scottish Independence

Inspiration can come in all shapes and sizes. But the story of the downtrodden Scottish national hero Robert the Bruce, who ruled Scotland in the 14th century, being motivated to continue his...

Traditional mince pies. Source: Magdalena Bujak / Adobe Stock

4 August, 2022 - 01:57 Cecilia Bogaard

Did Oliver Cromwell Really Ban Mince Pies in England?

Oliver Cromwell was an English commander and politician who helped overthrow the Stuart monarchy during the era of the English Civil War and then served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of...

Depiction of a knight vs snail battle from Brunetto Latini's Li Livres dou Tresor from circa 1315 to 1325. Source: British Library

31 July, 2022 - 22:54 Cecilia Bogaard

Medieval Manuscripts Are Full of Knights Fighting Snails

The next time you’re looking through an illuminated manuscript, keep an eye out for images of medieval knights fighting off snails. Of all the villains in the world, these may not have been the first...

Ancient Greek-style illustration of naked Olympic runners. Source: sebos / Adobe Stock

26 July, 2022 - 01:59 Cecilia Bogaard

Naked Olympics: Athletes at the Ancient Olympics Competed in the Nude

Can you imaging sitting down with the family to watch a group of naked men, with their olive oil-soaked bodies glistening in the sunshine, running around and flexing their muscles? A great deal has...

The Stoic philosopher Chrysippus is said to have died laughing. Image of man laughing taken from the Judge Magazine Cover published on February 4th, 1922. Source: Public domain

23 July, 2022 - 01:56 Cecilia Bogaard

Chrysippus Died Laughing at His Own Deadly Joke

We’ve all heard the expression “to die laughing” to refer to a bout of uncontrollable laughter. But did you know that it actually happens? When looking at the Hellenistic bust of Chrysippus housed at...

Halley’s Comet was seen as a harbinger of doom for the English subjects of Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. This watercolor is entitled The Comet of 1532. Source: Science Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

21 July, 2022 - 02:00 Cecilia Bogaard

Halley’s Comet Prophesized the Battle of Hastings in 1066

When it came to the sighting of comets and meteors, experienced as eerie apparitions in the sky, ancient cultures understood them as omens sent by the gods. Without the benefits of modern-day science...

Queen Christina of Sweden kept a specially made tiny flea cannon to ward of tiny intruders. Source: Public domain

20 July, 2022 - 01:57 Cecilia Bogaard

Queen Christina of Sweden Kept an Itty-Bitty Flea Cannon by Her Bed

If you haven’t heard of the renegade 17th century Queen Christina of Sweden, you’re in for a treat. Remembered for breaking gender norms and abdicating the throne to avoid marriage, Queen Christina...

Portrait of Michelangelo by Jacopino del Conte. Source: Public domain

13 July, 2022 - 01:54 Cecilia Bogaard

Despite His Divine Artworks, Michelangelo Had A Dirty Secret

While most people have heard of Michelangelo , the majority have no idea that he had some pretty filthy habits. Nicknamed Il Divino (“the divine one”) by his contemporaries, Michelangelo was a master...

While the term freelancer was coined in the 19th century, freelancing mercenaries have been a reality of warfare throughout history. In the image, tournament lancers from the Album of Tournaments and Parades in Nuremberg. Source: Met Museum / Public domain

8 July, 2022 - 01:56 Cecilia Bogaard

The Word ‘Freelancer’ Originates with Medieval Mercenaries

Even though the word freelancer often feels omnipresent, very few know its etymology. In fact, freelancers have been around for a long time. The word freelancer has been traced back to Sir Walter...

A man playing a fantastic pig organ, or piganino, composed of screaming pigs. Source: British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

6 July, 2022 - 01:54 Cecilia Bogaard

Louis XI Enjoyed an Abominable Orchestra of Squealing Pigs - the Piganino

Believe it or not, but it appears that the ruthless 15th century King Louis XI of France, nicknamed the Spider King or l'universelle araignée , took pleasure in the torture of animals. One particular...

Main: Portrait of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. (Public domain). Inset: A sandwich. Source: Mikhaylovskiy / Adobe Stock

5 July, 2022 - 01:58 Cecilia Bogaard

The Beloved Sandwich Was Invented by The Earl of Sandwich!

I’m pretty sure that the 18th century Earl of Sandwich, Lord John Montagu, would have been miffed to discover that despite his long and varied career as a statesman, during which he was Postmaster...

The vampire slaying kit which was sold at auction. Source: Hansons Auctioneers

2 July, 2022 - 01:54 Cecilia Bogaard

Vampire Slaying Kit Sells During High-Stakes Bidding War

A vampire slaying kit has been sold for five times more than expected at an auction in Derbyshire, England. The sale of this bizarre box of artifacts, once believed to help guard against vampires,...

25 June, 2022 - 22:36 Cecilia Bogaard

The World Only Knows About Marco Polo Because of His Ghostwriter Prison Cell Mate

Marco Polo may be a household name, but few know that his famous literary masterpiece, The Travels of Marco Polo , was not only written while he was in prison, but was penned by somebody else. Marco...

Arrichion of Phigalia was actually dead when he was declared the winner of the 564 BC Olympics after a pankration battle. The pankration scene on this kylix depicts a pankratists trying to gouge out his opponent’s eye. Source: Public domain

24 June, 2022 - 01:50 Cecilia Bogaard

Arrichion of Phigalia Won the Olympics When He Was Already Dead

One of the prerequisites for winning at the Olympics is to actually be alive. Or so I thought! The story of Arrichion of Phigalia, an Olympic wreath winner famed for his post-mortem victory, is one...

The entrance of Mehmed II into Constantinople in 1453 AD, by Benjamin-Constant. Source: Public domain

22 June, 2022 - 01:55 Cecilia Bogaard

Did Constantinople Fall Because Someone Forgot to Lock the Gate?

For over 1,000 years, Constantinople held out against a never-ending stream of failed attacks. Capital of the Byzantine Empire, a.k.a. the Eastern Roman Empire , it was famed for its heavily...

Sigurd the Mighty is said to have been killed by a severed head. Source: Nomad_Soul / Adobe Stock

17 June, 2022 - 01:42 Cecilia Bogaard

Sigurd the Mighty Was Killed by a Severed Head

The Norse sagas are filled with astonishing death scenes. In his book Laughing Shall I Die, Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings , Tom Shippey explains that the defiant Viking attitude to death was...

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