Rats can be a real nuisance. They get into our food, our trash, and even our homes. But when applied in the right (or rather, wrong) ways, they can turn into something far more sinister: a form of torture so cruel that the very mention of it can be enough to compel someone to spill […]
Rat Torture: One Of History’s Most Barbaric Torture Methods? Read More »
50 years of conquest saw Mongol armies at the gates of Hungary, Persia, and along the Yangtze facing the last remaining Chinese resistance. The Mongols thought they were invincible and with good reason. A succession of aggressive leaders started with Genghis Khan in 1211. This extended to their last truly expansionist ruler, his grandson Kublai
Cooperation vs. Chaos: The Mongolian Invasions of China and Japan Read More »
Blood, guts, and glory. The Viking Age was a time of brutal conquest and even more brutal executions. Perhaps none are more shrouded in controversy and intrigue than the notorious blood eagle ritual. Legend has it that the Vikings were ruthless to their enemies. If you found yourself at the hands of a murderous Viking,
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In ancient Athens, amidst wealth and greatness, there lived a man who sought to understand the world and the human condition through formal logic. His name was Socrates. Socrates was a philosopher whose influence on ancient philosophy and the Western philosophical tradition is immeasurable. His name is recognizable to almost everyone. Despite that, Socrates wrote
The Suicide of the Ancient Greek Philosopher, Socrates Read More »
The ancient Chinese method of execution known as lingchi (or ling chi), is perhaps better known by the more descriptive, “death by a thousand cuts.” As the name implies, this was a form of torture that involved slicing into the victim over and over again until they died. It was normally saved for the very
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The lost city of Atlantis: the ancient mythical civilization that sank beneath the waves and supposedly lies somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean waiting to be rediscovered. If you’re like 57% percent of Americans, you may believe that lost civilizations like Atlantis exist. And that’s perhaps what makes the story of Atlantis so fascinating. Appearing in two
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Imagine walking through a bustling city of thousands of people. There are towering earthen mounds and busy marketplaces, all nestled in the heartland of America over a thousand years ago. Although it sounds like a fantastical dream, it was a real place – Cahokia. The history of Cahokia is a captivating tale of an indigenous
Cahokia: The rise and fall of North America’s largest pre-Columbian City Read More »
Memnon was known to the ancient Greeks as the greatest African warrior who ever lived. Born of a goddess and a prince, he grew up to become king of the land of Ethiopia. When he brought his vast army of warriors to Troy to aid in the defense of the city, the beleaguered Trojan king
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The moniker, “father of modern medicine,” usually goes to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. However, there is another man who predates him by nearly 2,000 years who may deserve that title even more. That man is Imhotep. He was a multi-talented ancient Egyptian who was behind some of the greatest innovations of Egypt’s Old Kingdom.
Was Imhotep the true father of modern Medicine? Read More »
In the desert of modern-day Iraq, a towering structure of baked bricks rises from the earth like a monument to the gods. The Ziggurat of Ur, one of the oldest and most impressive structures of the ancient world, remains a lasting testament to the ingenuity and impressive abilities of the Sumerian civilization. For centuries, this
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