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Ancient Writings

There are literally thousands of incredible texts that have survived from the ancient world, which are etched onto copper, beautifully inscribed on papyrus, chipped onto tablets, and even written using the ink of ground down gold and precious stones. Here we feature many ancient writings, which have served to open a window onto the daily lives of our ancestors and enhanced the knowledge we hold about our ancient past.

Arslan Kaya inscription

Arslan Kaya’s Lost Inscription Links to Materan, the Great Mother Goddess

The legendary Arslan Kaya monument (i.e., lion rock), features a heavily damaged inscription that has been difficult to decipher for ages, and is 2,600 years old. Now, a professor and archaeologist...
The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Nephilim and the Flood

Who are the Nephilim and what do they represent? Are they biblical giants? What does the term literally translate to, and why does the brief mention of them in the Book of Genesis show resemblance to...
Khipu no. 780 at Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Santiago,

A Step Closer to Reading the Inca Khipus Data Recording System

Karen Thompson /The Conversation For more than a millennium, many Andean peoples used an object called a “khipu” (also spelled “quipu” and pronounced “key-poo”) to record and communicate information...
AI image of mythological queen Hera.

“The First War Between Women”: Olympias and Adea Eurydice

The earth turned on its axis the day Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) died. Notorious for his unrestrained aggressivity and hard drinking, it should have come as no surprise to the Greeks that...
Bust of Julia Domna.

Elagabalus and the Imperial Women: Influence and Power in the Severan Dynasty

During the Severan Dynasty, women from the Julian family of Emesa (modern-day Homs) in Syria, who were married to the Severan men, exerted enormous and often crucial influence over Roman government...
Sima Qian

Qian Sima and the Shiji - the Devotion of a True Historian

Active during the Han Dynasty period in China’s history, Sima Qian is widely considered to be the father of Chinese historiography. A celebrated historian, he is best known for his seminal work, the...
One of the huge rock art panels at the Cerro Azul outcrop of the Serranía De La Lindosa, Colombia.

Colombian Rock Art Shows Ancestors Traversing the Spiritual Realm, 12,500-Years-Ago

Home to one of the most spectacular global rock art traditions, the Serrania de la Lindosa rock paintings in Colombia, as old as 12,500 years, contains tens and thousands of paintings, including...
: A slate slab from the Stone Age site of Gönnersdorf shows a fish trap.

15,800-year-old Engravings of Fish Traps Are Oldest Depictions of Fishing

LEIZA, MONREPOS and Durham University At the Ice Age site of Gönnersdorf near Neuwied am Rhein, researchers from the Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution MONREPOS...
Valcamonica rock art that people have dubbed 'The Astronauts'.

For 10,000 Years, Valcamonica Rock Art Shows Italy's Societal Evolution

Some of the world’s earliest-known graffiti artists in Italy carved into rock tens of thousands of images from the mundane to the mystical, recording scenes from the twilight of the Stone Age to the...
AI illustration of the Virgin Mary.

Mary as a Conscious Priestess of Divine Birth

The first important thing to understand about Mother Mary’s secret life is that she was not a passive vehicle to her conception of Jesus. According to my research she was an active, willing...
Left; Proto-cuneiform tablets, Right; Analysis of proto-cuneiform examples.

Breakthrough in the Origins of Writing: From Seals to Signs

Proto-cuneiform, an early sign-based script, marks a pivotal moment in human history as the precursor to the world's first writing system, cuneiform. Emerging between 3350 and 3000 BC in the city of...
AI generated watercolor illustration of Sun Tzu.

The Art of War in Sun Tzu’s Era: Military philosophy and its application

The great Ancient Chinese thinkers were truly ahead of their time. Observing the world through a truly complex lens, they managed to leave such a lofty legacy that their works are admired even today...
The Babylonian Map of the World, or Imago Mundi tablet.

Babylonian Map of the World Includes “Ark” Story Linked to Noah’s Ark

A 3,000-year-old Babylonian tablet known as the Imago Mundi, or the “Babylonian Map of the World,” recently led British Museum researchers to an astonishing find: a reference to a Great Flood story...
One of the Kaanu'l dynasty plaster reliefs found at Archaeological Zone of Dzibanché, Mexico.

Powerful Maya Serpent Dynasty Revealed in Reliefs in Mexico

Archaeologists in the Archaeological Zone of Dzibanché, Mexico, have unearthed three ancient relief facades depicting motifs tied to the powerful Kaanu'l dynasty, a ruling Maya lineage represented by...
The sacred symbol of the Djed pillar

What on Earth is the Sacred Symbol of the Djed Pillar?

Hieroglyphics play an important role in understanding ancient Egyptian culture. One of the most commonly found and mysterious hieroglyphic symbols is known as the djed symbol. With the appearance of...
History Fuzz Podcast logo

Podcast: History Fuzz: Episode 05: Dr. Robert Barratt. Mathematics, coding and the Neolithic alignments of Malta and Ireland

In this engaging podcast episode, Dr. Robert Barratt, a research scientist at Queen’s University in Belfast, discusses his innovative application of computer code to investigate the astronomical...
Takenouchi sketch

The Takenouchi Manuscripts and the Story of Humanity Never Told

The Takenouchi manuscripts are a set of mysterious documents that were rewritten by a man named Takenouchino Matori 1,500 years ago in a mixture of Japanese and Chinese characters, transcribed from...
Deliberately preserved graffiti within the German Reichstag in Berlin.

Talking Walls: What Graffiti Should be Saved?

These days, town halls tend to equate unsanctioned graffiti with vandalism, identifying it as a costly “problem” or eyesore. All too often local administrations prioritize the quick removal of...
2,000-Year-Old Inscription Honoring Wrestling Champion Found in Turkey

2,000-Year-Old Inscription Honoring Wrestling Champion Found in Turkey

Along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast in Mersin, from the ancient city of Anemurium, excavations have revealed, for the first time, a 13-line inscription within the Harbor Bath, believed to be around 2,...
Saint Paul, surprised by Nero at the moment of converting Sabina Poppaea by Isidoro Lozano ca. 1858.

The Lady and the Emperor: The Dramatic Life and Death of Poppaea Sabina

Theatrics and excesses seem to run in the family of Nero, the emperor of Rome – that is, according to ancient authors such as Tacitus and Suetonius. Nero’s grandfather, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus,...
The Atacama Giant

The Puzzling Case of the Atacama Giant

The most well-known geoglyphs in the world are undoubtedly the Nazca Lines of coastal Peru. Yet, in the Atacama Desert of Chile, there is another group of geoglyphs that are equally as impressive...
 Relic of St. Valentine in the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome, Italy.

The Dark Origins of Valentine’s Day

On February 14, couples from around the world recognize Valentine’s Day. For most, Valentine’s Day is a day of love, a day to shower a beloved with gifts and tokens of appreciation, to enjoy a...
Left; Officials examine a trough-like feature at the site. Right; Seals and cuneiform tablets.

Excavation Uncovers New Secrets in Ancient Babylon

An ongoing archaeological excavation in the Babylon Governorate of Iraq has yielded 478 artifacts, according to a recent site visit by the local excavation committee. The artifacts discovered at the...
AI image of ancient Egyptian sorceress.

Think Egypt Think Magic: The Power of Heka

The lives of ancient Egyptians were inextricably intertwined with magic. It was present in everything from religion to politics, and from birth to death. Magic was such a prevalent force that in the...

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