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Ed Whelan

My name is Edward Whelan and I graduated with a PhD in history in 2008. Between 2010-2012 I worked in the Limerick City Archives. I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. At present I am a full-time freelance writer and researcher and live in Gillogue, County Clare.

I am from Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. I have a lifelong love of history and have been fascinated by the subject from an early age. I attended the University of Maynooth 2003-2008 and studied history and classical studies. I obtained a BA from Maynooth and was admitted to the History PhD program. Based on my BA results I was awarded two scholarships and during my post-graduate studies I worked as a tutor.

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Researchers have re-evaluated a helmet discovered in the 1950s in Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees. Known as the Yarm helmet, this is the first Anglo-Scandinavian helmet to have been discovered in Britain and is the second nearly complete Viking-era helmet discovered in the world to date. Source: Durham University.

9 August, 2020 - 18:57 Ed Whelan

First Ever Viking Helmet Discovered in Britain

A re-evaluation of a helmet discovered in Yarm has led experts to believe that it is the earliest Anglo-Scandinavian helmet ever to have been found in the British Isles. The remarkable Yarm helmet is...

Aerial view of the Shimao archaeological site. (dfdaily) Insert: A pit of skulls unearthed at Shimao. (Zhouyong Sun et al. 2017)

8 August, 2020 - 14:23 Ed Whelan

Pits of Skulls Found in Shimao: China’s Neolithic City of Mystery

Shimao is an ancient Chinese city that was lost for a long time. But in recent years it has yielded many of its secrets to archaeologists. Among the most astonishing finds are a step-pyramid and...

The Aboriginal rock shelters at Juukan Gorge sits about 60km north-west of the remote Pilbara mining town of Tom Price. Source: Puutu Kunti Kurrama And Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation

7 August, 2020 - 18:44 Ed Whelan

Aboriginal Rock Shelters Could Have Been Saved from Blasting

Two culturally and archaeologically significant rock shelters were destroyed by a mining company in Western Australia. The caves were ruined by blasting carried out by Rio Tinto, who remarkably did...

Male and female Neanderthals were one of our ancestors, but recent DNA research suggests we also have a mysterious archaic human ancestor. Credit: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

7 August, 2020 - 17:33 Ed Whelan

DNA Study Reveals We Have a Mystery Human Ancestor

A new method for analyzing modern and archaic human DNA has thrown up some fascinating results. It appears that modern humans ( Homo Sapiens ) mated earlier and more frequently with an archaic human...

A wine window (buchetta del vino), used in the past to sell wine directly to passers-by, on the old stone wall of an ancient building in the historic centre of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Source: Simona Sirio /Adobe Stock

7 August, 2020 - 14:04 Ed Whelan

Medieval ‘Wine Windows’ Revived Due to Coronavirus

An old tradition has been revived in Florence, Italy due to the COVID-19 crisis. Once again wine windows have been opened to serve customers in one of Italy’s most beautiful cities. This tradition...

Trethevy Quoit, portal dolmen in Cornwall Source: Andy Chisholm / Adobe Stock

7 August, 2020 - 02:02 Ed Whelan

The Many Legends Accounting for the Mysterious Trethevy Quoit

Cornwall, a truly beautiful region in the British Isles, has a distinct regional identity. It is also home to many remarkable stone age monuments, of which Trethevy Quoit is one of the most famous...

Representation of how Perdigões’ Neolithic “Woodhenge” would have looked (with full worked area highlighted). Source: ERA Archueologia

6 August, 2020 - 18:20 Ed Whelan

Neolithic “Woodhenge” Discovered at Perdigões’ Complex Portugal

Remains of a Neolithic “Woodhenge” have recently been unearthed by a team of archaeologists at Perdigões in Portugal . The newly found wooden structure was built at the end of the Stone Age and is...

Researchers have solved the mystery of the origins of the best Roman glass. Source: cascoly2 /Adobe Stock

6 August, 2020 - 14:05 Ed Whelan

Scientists Prove Rome’s Ancient Glass Was Not From Rome!

Many of the Roman elite enjoyed notoriously luxurious lifestyles. For example, Senators and nobles liked to drink from transparent glasses which were of the highest quality. The origin of the best...

Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, India. The site where Buddha attained enlightenment. Source: tinnaporn / Adobe Stock

6 August, 2020 - 01:15 Ed Whelan

Why Bodh Gaya is Considered the Navel of the Earth

India is the birthplace of Buddhism and as one of the oldest faiths followed, there are many wonderous Buddhist sites. There is also a growing recognition of the country’s Buddhist heritage. One of...

The never seen before Mesoamerican mural minerals of cinnabar and hematite found in this early Teotihuacan mural. The distinctive reds on the left side of this image are especially noteworthy. Source: Denisse Argote Espino / INAH

5 August, 2020 - 22:59 Ed Whelan

Mesoamerican Mural Minerals Reveal Secrets of Ancient City

In Mexico , researchers have for the first time ever discovered previously unknown Mesoamerican mural minerals. The mercury sulfate and iron oxide were found in wall paintings in one of the most...

Tools featuring Nubian Levallois technique found in situ by Dimona, in the Negev Desert, Israel. Source: Emil Eladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority

5 August, 2020 - 14:02 Ed Whelan

Artifacts Reveal Out of Africa Route Through Negev Desert

A spectacular Meso-Paleolithic site has been found in the Negev Desert in Israel. Artifacts from this desert site are enhancing archaeologists’ understanding of how modern humans made their way into...

This massive 10,000-year-old skull was just a small part of the Siberian mammoth remains discovery. Source: Artem Cheremisov / Siberian Times

4 August, 2020 - 18:58 Ed Whelan

Amazing New Siberian Mammoth Remains May Lead to Cloning Breakthrough

Russian scientists have retrieved the nearly complete remains of a woolly mammoth in Russia. The Siberian mammoth remains are so well-preserved that they still have flesh and hair. These remains are...

Marine archaeology students examine the pottery near the bulkhead at the Israeli shipwreck. Source: A. Yurman/Leon Recanati, Institute for Maritime Studies of the University of Haifa

1 August, 2020 - 20:57 Ed Whelan

Shipwreck Found With Both Christian and Muslim Artifacts

Off the Israeli coast, marine archaeologists have been excavating a mysterious shipwreck that is changing how experts think about the 7th century AD in the Middle East. The vessel sank in a period...

Maingmaw was one of the City States that is found throughout what is now Myanmar. Source: FlemishDreams

1 August, 2020 - 02:05 Ed Whelan

Maingmaw, The Wealthy Pyu City State of Myanmar

Myanmar, once known as Burma, has a unique culture that has fascinated outsiders for many years. It also has a long tradition of Buddhism , which is in part a legacy of the Pyu City-States. Maingmaw...

The modern day remains of Olsztyn Castle which is strongly linked to the rule of Casimir the Great. Source: Tomasz Warszewski / Adobe Stock

31 July, 2020 - 23:06 Ed Whelan

Hidden Caves and Lost Battlefield Linked to Casimir the Great Found

Casimir the Great is one of the greatest figures in Polish history and played an important role in Medieval Eastern Europe. Two recent finds are providing exciting new insights into his reign. In...

The Army of Saladin, Guillaume de TyrParis, 1337. Source: Public domain

31 July, 2020 - 18:19 Ed Whelan

Battlefield Where Richard the Lionheart Defeated Saladin Located

An Israeli archaeologist has identified the long-lost battlefield of Arsuf. This was a battle that took place during the Crusades between the legendary figures of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin...

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