World History

The Great History of Humanity

[romegreeceart]

Aphrodite crowning a herm of Dionysos

* Myrina terracotta figurine

* British museum

Source: © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons, via Wikimedia Commons

[classicalmonuments]

Temple of Apollo

Didyma, Turkey

ca. 300 BCE - ca. 200 CE 

[gemma-antiqua]

Ancient Greek gold and rock crystal swivel ring engraved with a snake, dated to 600-500 BCE. 

[historiesoftheworld]

Beautiful!

[archaeologicalnews]

Is this the oldest surviving image of the Virgin Mary?

Archaeologists may have unknowingly uncovered the earliest surviving depiction of the Virgin Mary.

A wall painting recovered in the 1920s from the Dura-Europos excavation site in Syria – believed to be the oldest existing Christian sanctuary in the world – is now thought  to feature an image of the Virgin Mary at the moment of the Annunciation, according to Aleteia.

The ancient image, depicting a woman by a well, is now stored in a museum at Yale University. It was originally thought to show the Samaritan woman at the well, who Jesus meets in John 4.

A new look has suggested that it may instead show Jesus’ mother Mary, following a story told in the second-century apocryphal (non-canonical) Gospel of James, where the angel announces the good news of the incarnation to Mary by a well. Read more.

[worldhistoryfacts]

Qin Dynasty bronze weight, late 200s BCE. One of the ways in which the “first emperor,” Qin Shihuangdi, unified the warring states of China was through the standardization of weights and measures. Weights like this were distributed throughout China, often with edicts about the necessity of standardization written on them. 

[historical-nonfiction]

The Great Wall of China isn’t the only great wall in Asia. India has one too! Rajasthan’s Kumbhalgarh is  the second longest wall in the world at over 22 miles (36 km). The wall encircles a fort, which contains over 360 temples! The wall was built during the course of the 1400s by Rana Kumbha who ruled the Mewar Kingdom.

Interesting note about Rana Kumbha: he was the first Hindu ruler to be given the title “Hindu-suratrana” ( Hindu Sultan ). It was a title given to him by the Muslim rulers of Delhi and Gujarat after all three joined forces against another Muslim sultan who attacked Mewar.

[ancientorigins]

Alexander the Great’s Capital Punishment? The Building of Persepolis and its Flaming Demise

When you witness the decorated stairways, towering columns and mighty statues at Persepolis, you know you are standing in the ruins of a once incredible city. It was built by successive Achaemenian kings and ultimately destroyed after only a few hundred years by the conquering Alexander the Great. What is the story of this capital that shone bright and was so soon put ablaze?

Read more…

[historiesoftheworld]

Silphium, the ancient contraceptive herb driven to extinction

As an institution of spiritual authority, the Catholic Church wields much influence over the attitudes and beliefs of millions of people around the globe. From scriptural doctrine to less refine

Great read on the beliefs and thoughts about contraceptives in the ancient world.

[archaeologicalnews]

Iron Age chariot and horses unearthed on Pocklington building site

Two horse skeletons and the remains of a chariot dating back to the Iron Age have been found on a housing development in East Yorkshire.

Archaeologists started working on the Pocklington site in 2014 and have excavated more than 75 burial graves, known as barrows.

They described the latest find as “highly unusual”.

Other finds include human skeletons, including a “young warrior”, swords, spears and shields.

Those working at the excavation site said current investigations were looking into how the chariot and horses might be linked to human burials.

They said further testing and analysis was expected to reveal more information. Read more.

[historiesoftheworld]

Wow:)

[ancientorigins]

World's Great Men of Color, Volume I

World’s Great Men of Color is the comprehensive guide to the most noteworthy Black personalities in world history and their significance. J.A. Rogers spent the majority of his lifetime pioneering the field of Black studies with his exhaustive research on the major names in Black history whose contributions or even very existence have been glossed over. Well-written and informative, World’s Great Men of Color is an enlightening and important historical work.

BUY THE BOOK

[historical-nonfiction]

Dentures made from human teeth have been found in a tomb at a monastery in Lucca, in Italy. They date between the late 1300s and the early 1600s  The dentures are unusual in that each tooth originally belonged to a different person. They were strung together with a gold band, and attached to the wearer’s teeth.  A layer of tartar over the surface of the device indicates that it was used for a rather long period of time. Cool, but a little gross!

[historiesoftheworld]

Merit Ptah, “The Chief Physician” (c. 2700 BCE)- An Ancient Egyptian Woman physician known as the first woman recorded in history to practice medicine. When she died, her son had “The Chief Physician” engraved on her tomb.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merit-Ptah

[historiesoftheworld]

A statue of Greek warrior Pheidippides, along side Marathon Road, Athens Greece. Legend has it that Pheidippides ran 42 km (26miles) from Marathon to Athens bringing news of the Greek victory over Persia at the Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.). “Nenikékamen”! (We were victorious!) exclaimed, Pheidippides then fell and  died on the spot. The question remains if this story is fact or myth. The marathon run, 26 miles, is held around the world numerous times each year in his honor.

Sources:

http://www.ancientgreekbattles.net/Pages/People/Pheidippides.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheidippides

[historiesoftheworld]

A recreation in modern materials of the lost colossal statue by Pheidias, Athena Parthenos by Alan LeQuire (1990) is housed in a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville’s Centennial Park. She is the largest indoor sculpture in the western world.

Source: Wikipedia.org and Wikimedia Commons

[historiesoftheworld]

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (from top to bottom)

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Colossus of Rhodes

The Great Pyramid of Giza (still standing)

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Light House of Alexandria (aka The Pharos Lighthouse)

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

………….Read more here about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 

Note: The above pictures are drawing (hanging gardens) and mostly replicas of what these wonders looked like based on ancient writings and descriptions

[archaeologicalnews]

Extra Fingers and Toes Were Revered in Ancient Culture

In the great houses of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, having an extra toe was one way to garner a lot of respect.

A unique prehistoric Pueblo culture thrived in the high desert of Chaco Canyon about a thousand years ago. Scientists have known about polydactyly among these people for years, based on images and skeletal remains showing extremities with extra fingers and toes. But past research revealed only hints about its importance to the ancient culture.

Initially intrigued by the divine powers attributed to polydactyls among the Maya, researchers led by anthropologist Patricia Crown of the University of New Mexico conducted a comprehensive review of evidence for the condition at the canyon’s sacred Pueblo Bonito site.

The findings, published today in American Antiquity, indicate that the society did not view six-toed individuals as supernatural, but this form of polydactyly did grant them exalted status in life and in death. Read more.

[medievalpoc]

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden: Residenzschloss Neues Grünes Gewölbe — 25: Der Thron des Großmoghuls Aureng-Zeb. Entwurf: Johann Melchior Dinglinger, Goldschmiedearbeit: J. M. Dinglinger und Werkstatt.

Dresden, 1701-1708.

Photography: supernaut.info

[mod note]

This has to be the largest and most complex display of Orientalist jewel- and enamelwork I’ve ever personally seen.