Latest Articles
Fresh entries from across the site, presented with a clear lead story and supporting reads.
Viking Shield Wall: Decisive Psychology and Tactics in Battle (AD 750–1100)
The Viking shield wall was more than cover. It was a living machine that managed fear, held shape under pressure, and won fights through…
Homo floresiensis: What the “Hobbit” Reveals About Human Evolution
Homo floresiensis—nicknamed the ‘Hobbit’—was small-bodied, small-brained, fully upright, and tool-using on Flores. Island life shaped their bodies, behavior, and survival.
Lucian’s A True Story: The First Sci-Fi?
A second-century writer jokes that “I lie”—then launches a voyage to the Moon, an interplanetary war, and a tour of alien life. Lucian’s A…
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor: Why China Won’t Open the Tomb
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor near Xi’an is a vast funerary city that includes the Terracotta Army and the unopened tomb of…
The Silent Exodus: What Really Caused the Bronze Age Collapse?
The Bronze Age collapse wasn’t a single disaster. It was a slow unraveling of palatial economies and sea trade between c. 1225–1130 BCE. This…
Symbolism of Animals in Greek Vase Paintings
Animals on Greek vases were a visual language. Lions, owls, dolphins, deer, horses, hares and serpents signalled gods, virtues, danger, protection and status across…
Serpents at the Beginning: Why Snakes Guarded Creation
From Egyptian ouroboros to Mesoamerican feathered serpents, cultures everywhere stationed snakes at the first line of creation. This essay explores how serpents draw boundaries,…
Currency Before Coins: Exchange Systems in Early Kingdoms
Long before minting, early kingdoms priced and paid with weight-silver, measured grain, textiles, shells and ingots—secured by seals, balances and ledgers. This essay shows…
Neolithic Malta’s Astronomical Alignments: A New View
Malta’s Neolithic temples do measurable work with the sun. From Mnajdra’s equinox beam and solstice edge-light to a wider south–south-east orientation trend, this essay…
Forgotten Goddesses: Deities Lost from Myth
Many ancient goddesses were absorbed, renamed, or erased. From Arcadia’s Despoina and Aegina’s Aphaia to Nisaba, Asherah, Qetesh, and Tanit, this piece shows how…
Forgotten Siege Weapons of the Bronze Age
Bronze Age sieges lacked catapults and towers—but not ingenuity. Ladders, shield-screens, hooks, fire and sapping, backed by archery, took walls apart. This essay shows…
Ancient Graffiti: Voices of the Forgotten
Small marks, big voices. Ancient graffiti preserve names, jokes, prayers and drawings on city walls, temple stones and desert rock faces across the ancient…