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History

From the powerful civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley, to the fearsome yet sophisticated society of the Vikings, the ancient world was a surprising and challenging place. Here we feature some of the most seminal and influential events and people throughout history, that have helped shape the world we know today.

View across Istanbul (ancient Constantinople).
21 November, 2024 - 17:24 Sahir

Study Concludes Fall of Eastern Rome is Falsely Linked to Climate and Plague

It has widely been accepted that climate (in the form of the Late Little Ice Age or LLIA and the Justinianic Plague were the primary culprits of empirical change, causing a massive dwindling of the...
Pedro Pascal plays General Acacius and Paul Mescal plays Lucius in Gladiator II
20 November, 2024 - 13:55 ancient origins

Gladiator II: Historians on the Fate of the Real Roman Royalty Featured in the Film

Stephan Blum & Michael La Corte /The Conversation Twenty-four years after Gladiator, Ridley Scott has returned with a sweeping sequel to his epic tale. Thanks to cutting-edge CGI, Rome’s grandeur...
Ancient Greek agora scene.
20 November, 2024 - 12:30 Aleksa Vučković

The Rise and Function of the Polis in Ancient Greece

In the society of Ancient Greece, the polis , or the city-state, was perhaps the most distinctive and important political innovation at the time. Emerging around the 8th century BC, this institution...
Pythagoras: One of the Greatest Minds of His Time
16 November, 2024 - 19:55 Theodoros Karasavvas

Pythagoras: One of the Greatest Minds of His Time

Pythagoras was one of the greatest minds and philosophers of his time and his unquestionable influence can be felt even today in mathematics. It is believed that he was the first man who referred to...
Left; Drinking vessel in shape of Bes head; El-Fayūm Oasis, Egypt. Right; Prof. Tanasi with the 3D digital model of the mug.
16 November, 2024 - 13:08 ancient origins

Professor Finds First Physical Evidence Egyptians Drank Hallucinogenic Cocktails

By Cassidy Delamarter A University of South Florida professor found the first-ever physical evidence of hallucinogens in an Egyptian mug, validating written records and centuries-old myths of ancient...
AI image of mythological queen Hera.
15 November, 2024 - 13:10 Mary Naples

“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...
A burial pit of apparent Viking victims in Dorset.
14 November, 2024 - 21:49 Mark Miller

Slaughter of Dane Vikings Ordered in St. Brice’s Day Massacre, Nov 13, 1002

After a couple of hundred years of Viking raids, payments of tens of thousands of pounds of silver in protection money, and conquests over the Anglo-Saxons, by the year 1002 it seems King Aethelred...
but the invasion by the Spanish conquistadors 65 years later. Top image: Offering 48 contained the skeletal remains of at least 42 children sacrificed in honor of the god Tlaloc
13 November, 2024 - 13:42 Gary Manners

Mass Slaughter of Children Was Desperate Attempt to Combat Drought by Mexica

In a deeply moving revelation about pre-Hispanic life and beliefs, a recent examination of archaeological data links a mass offering of children to the Mexica rain god Tlaloc to a devastating drought...
Bust of Julia Domna.
13 November, 2024 - 13:41 MartiniF

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...
An Akkadian General strategizes with his advisors.
11 November, 2024 - 12:30 Aleksa Vučković

Mythology's Role in Ancient Politics and War

In ancient times, people often viewed the world through the lens of their beliefs and traditions. Mythologies of ancient cultures were much more than collections of old stories and legends - they...
A medieval executioner with executiners ax and block.
9 November, 2024 - 13:55 Aleksa Vučković

The Grim Lives of Famous Executioners in Medieval Society

Justice played an important role in the everyday life of medieval society and into the Early Modern era. Righteousness was held in high regard during these times, and criminals were often punished...
Person bathing themselves in sunlight, AI representation of sun healing.
8 November, 2024 - 21:52 ancient origins

Part Science, Part Magic: An Illuminating History of Healing With Light

Philippa Martyr /The Conversation For millennia, humans had one obvious and reliable source of light – the Sun – and we knew the Sun was essential for our survival. This might be why ancient...
History Fuzz Podcast logo
8 November, 2024 - 12:30 ashley cowie

Podcast: History Fuzz: Episode 06: Dr. Robert Weiner. Anasazi ceremonial ways and the Mount Wilson Meridian

In this episode, Dr. Robert Weiner, an archaeologist in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, offers a deep dive into the ancient Chacoan road networks in the U.S...
Inhumation grave 26, shown in the original field photograph.
7 November, 2024 - 14:47 Nathan Falde

1,800-Year-Old Body Found in Belgium Included Roman and Neolithic Bones

In the 1970s a skeleton was unearthed at an ancient Roman cemetery in Belgium that was thought to have belonged to a woman who lived between the years 69 and 210, during the Gallo-Roman era. This...
A chastity belt that was probably fabricated in the 1800s.
7 November, 2024 - 11:30 Sarah P Young

Medieval Chastity Belts are a Myth

Chastity belts are items that titillate and fascinate in equal measure, inspiring the image of a medieval knight locking up his loved one’s private parts to ensure her abstinence during his absence...
Pigeons Cave Morocco
6 November, 2024 - 19:50 Sahir

Ancient Moroccan Medicinal Herb: Clever Usage 15,000 Years Ago

A fascinating new find from Morocco is set to change how we view ancient medicinal practices and the history of human medicine. Proof of medicinal herb usage has been gleaned from the Grotte des...
Inside a Kazakh yurt, photo 1911-14.
5 November, 2024 - 20:48 ancient origins

Into the Great Wide Open: The Evolution of Steppe Pastoralist Societies

With the 'time-travelling' ability of archaeogenetic studies it has become possible to shed light onto the dynamic past of human populations worldwide. Integrated with archaeological and...
The Gunpowder Plot: The conspirators’ last stand at Holbeach House
5 November, 2024 - 16:39 dhwty

Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot to Obliterate the British House of Lords

Every fifth of November, people across the United Kingdom celebrate Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night, and Firework Night). Every November, cities and towns across the...
A Medieval Doctor examining a bottle filled with a liquid
5 November, 2024 - 11:30 dhwty

What Could Your Urine Tell a Medieval Doctor?

In modern medicine, urine samples are routinely examined in laboratories to obtain clinical information about a patient. This procedure, known as urinalysis, developed from an ancient medical process...
In Search of The Lost Testament of Alexander the Great: Excavating Homeric Heroes
4 November, 2024 - 19:58 David Grant

In Search of Alexander's Lost Testament: Excavating Homeric Heroes

The ancient city of Aegae in Greece, where the royal tombs are located, dates back to the 7th century BC; it became Macedonia’s first capital after it was conglomerated from a collection of villages...
Left; Skull and sickle of skeleton found in 2022. Right; Reconstruction of the woman’s face, by Oscar Nilsson.
4 November, 2024 - 16:40 Gary Manners

Face of the 'Vampire' Woman: A Reconstruction of Pień's Mysterious Burial

In 2022, archaeologists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń made a startling discovery in Pień, near Dąbrowa Chełmińska, Poland: the grave of a young woman buried with a sickle around...
AI generated watercolor illustration of Sun Tzu.
4 November, 2024 - 12:30 Aleksa Vučković

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 Long, Bloody Reign of Suleiman 'The Magnificent'? You Decide
4 November, 2024 - 01:08 Mark Miller

The Long, Bloody Reign of Suleiman 'The Magnificent'? You Decide

Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent used war and conquest to expand the Ottoman Empire during his bloody but prosperous reign in the 16th century. In addition to the honorific ‘the Magnificent’, he is...
AI image of cannabis
3 November, 2024 - 01:12 Liza Knox

The History of Drug Use: Ancient Remedies

The battle against drugs and drug usage rages on today and for good reason. However, with the near constant limelight that the ‘drug war’ receives today, it can seem like the most common drugs have...

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