The Rise and Fall of the First World-Order
In the 2nd century AD four empires reigned supreme over ancient Eurasia - the Roman, Parthian, Kushan and the Han.
Often, in the western tradition,...
The Ancient History of Chocolate: Cacao in Early Mesoamerica
By 1585, when Europeans got their first taste of chocolate, cacao had been a major part of Mayan, Aztec and other Mesoamerican societies for...
Claudius: From Court Fool to Emperor of Rome
Ridiculed and ignored by the imperial family because of poor health and deficiency of social skills, Claudius rose to be an exemplary ruler.
Under Tiberius...
Ancient Jewish Education of Children and Use of Scripture
How did the Ancient Jews learn the Bible? From an early age the Jews were taught to learn Scripture "by heart." That is,...
Ellora: India’s Wonder in Stone
While the earliest rock-cut "caves" in India appear around 100 BC, the first of the 34 caves at Ellora were excavated around AD 550....
Insights into Ancient Babylonian Astronomy
Some twenty-five hundred years ago, the Ancient Babylonians constructed mud brick towers that rose up towards the night sky. The towers known as Ziggurats,...
Ancient Greece, part 2 – Herodotus and the Persian Wars
At the beginning of the fifth century BC, the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the most powerful state in the Ancient Near East.
The term ‘Achaemenid’...
Ancient Greek Love Magic – Spells for Separation: Curses, Sacred Words and a Magical...
In the ancient Greek world not all was fair in war, but it certainly was in love. Ancient Greek spell books and collections abound...
Ancient Egypt and the United States – Origins & Firsts in History
The ideal that was central to the ancient Egyptian civilization was the concept of Ma`at. The continuance of civilization and social progress rests upon...
The Real Cleopatra, the “Demented Queen”
How close to the truth are the myths told on stage, screen, and page about the extravagance of Alexandria and its seductive Greek queen,...