#ancient-religious-centers

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Arts
fromHyperallergic
10 hours ago

Dice Are 6,000 Years Older Than Previously Believed, Study Says

More than 600 two-sided dice crafted by Native Americans have been identified, dating back over 12,000 years, predating known dice from the Bronze Age.
#ancient-mesopotamia
Design
fromArchDaily
1 week ago

Cities of the Dead: 10 Projects Exploring Burial Architecture

Cemeteries reflect cultural attitudes towards death, embodying social and political significance through their design and organization.
#mesopotamia
#ancient-egypt
History
fromMail Online
1 month ago

Lost ancient Egyptian technology rewrites the dawn of civilization

Ancient Egyptians used a sophisticated rotary bow drill over 5,300 years ago, the earliest known metal drill, pushing back complex drilling technology by two millennia.
History
fromOpen Culture
1 month ago

The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead: A Guidebook for Surviving the Afterlife

Ancient Egyptian elites equipped lavish tombs and a Book of the Dead to guide and protect the deceased through hazardous afterlife journeys.
London
fromThe Art Newspaper - International art news and events
1 month ago

Blockbuster show on ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II opens in London

A major exhibition featuring over 180 ancient Egyptian treasures from Ramses II's reign opened in London near Battersea Power Station, running through May 31, with proceeds funding Egyptian archaeological research and conservation.
France news
fromThe Local France
3 weeks ago

Mysterious ancient skeletons discovered sitting upright in France

Ancient Gauls in Dijon buried some people seated upright facing west in pits, with over 20 such tombs discovered since 1992, representing more than a quarter of all known seated Gaul burials worldwide.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 week ago

Truths Wrapped in Fiction: Mesopotamian Naru Literature: Originality in Writing Ancient Bestsellers

Originality in ancient literary works was less valued than in modern times, with authors often assuming identities of famous figures.
London food
fromIndependent
3 weeks ago

An Irish Goodbye... from Cairo: 'You'd be surprised how often you visit the pyramids when you actually live here'

A creative director from Northern Ireland relocated to Cairo in 2024 after experiencing an immediate emotional connection to the city's unique energy during a visit.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 week ago

Mesopotamian Naru Literature: The World's First Historical Fiction

Naru Literature featured historical figures in fictional narratives, shaping perceptions of history and humanity's relationship with the divine.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 weeks ago

Ten Great Ancient Mesopotamian Women: Monarchs, Generals, and Scribes

Women in ancient Mesopotamia held significant roles, including generals and scribes, and some even ruled, despite a patriarchal society.
#archaeology
fromNature
2 months ago
Science

Daily briefing: Symbols on ancient pottery could be earliest evidence of mathematics

fromNature
2 months ago
Science

Daily briefing: Symbols on ancient pottery could be earliest evidence of mathematics

Books
fromNature
1 month ago

Brain mysteries and Bronze Age diplomacy: Books in brief

Lionel Penrose's mid-twentieth century research connected genetic abnormalities to hand creases, establishing the hand as a significant diagnostic tool across multiple medical disciplines.
History
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
3 weeks ago

Only image of Gallo-Roman god found in Burgundy sanctuary

The only known pictorial depiction of Gallic god Sucellus was discovered at the Mancey sanctuary in Burgundy, a religious complex continuously used from the late Iron Age to the 4th century.
#sargon-of-akkad
#mesopotamian-literature
Business
fromFast Company
2 months ago

Navigating the ghosts of cultures past

Organizational culture constantly changes; leaders must discern which legacy cultural elements to retain and which to remove while balancing enduring beliefs with adaptive practices.
US politics
fromEmptywheel
2 months ago

Third Cave's a Charm

Republicans will block expiration of Bush tax cuts; Democrats could see a $3.6 trillion tax increase in 2012 if Obama does not act.
fromMail Online
2 months ago

Long-lost Egyptian scroll fuels debate over real-life biblical giants

An ancient Egyptian papyrus held by the British Museum has been cited as possible evidence supporting some of the Bible's most controversial claims about giants. The 3,300-year-old document, known as Anastasi I, has been in the museum's collection since 1839 and has recently resurfaced on the Associates for Biblical Research, renewing interest in its possible links to biblical accounts. The papyrus describes encounters with the Shosu people, said to stand 'four cubits or five cubits' tall, up to eight feet in height.
Books
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
4 weeks ago

What Defines a Civilization?

Civilization requires a writing system, government, food surplus, labor division, and urbanization, with Mesopotamia recognized as the birthplace of civilization due to its early city construction around 5400 BCE.
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
4 weeks ago

Samnite burials of children with bronze warrior belts found

The excavation ultimately unearthed 34 burials, 15 of them belonging to children between two and ten years old when they died. The graves are clustered in groups, probably reflecting family nuclei. Most the grave types are earthen pits covered with roof tiles angled against each other.
History
Miscellaneous
fromMail Online
2 months ago

New evidence upends origins of Egypt's Great Pyramid

Erosion-based dating suggests the Great Pyramid may date 20,000–40,000 years ago, challenging the conventional 2580 BC attribution.
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
4 weeks ago

Cuneiform: From trade lists to epic tales of gods

Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia circa 3600/3500 BCE. It is considered the most significant among the many cultural contributions of the Sumerians and the greatest among those of the Sumerian city of Uruk, which further developed and advanced cuneiform circa 3200 BCE and allowed for the creation of literature.
History
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
4 weeks ago

From Clay to Culture: The Power of Written Language

Cuneiform, invented in Sumer around 3500 BCE, was the first script, enabling civilizations to record human thought and preserve all aspects of human experience through written communication.
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
4 weeks ago

Coffins of Amun's singers, sealed papyri found at Luxor

The coffins are elaborately painted in vivid polychrome. They were stacked in layers and carefully arranged so the 22 coffins fit into the constricted space. They were placed in 10 horizontal rows and the lids separated from the body of the coffin to maximize the limited space. There are no personal names on most of the coffins, but there are titles. The most common title found in the coffin is Singer of Amun or Chantress of Amun.
History
Books
fromBig Think
1 month ago

The deep history of AI began 3,000 years ago

Organizing a library into coherent structure transforms chaotic information into an enduring, shareable 'mind' that extends and amplifies human thought.
Science
fromFuturism
2 months ago

Scientists Investigating 2,000-Year-Old Artifact That Appears to Be a Battery

A reconstructed Baghdad battery configuration could have produced about 1.4 volts, comparable to a modern AA battery, using a porous clay separator and an electrolyte.
Arts
fromArtnet News
2 months ago

Who Is Zahi Hawass, the Controversial Face of Modern Egyptology?

Zahi Hawass is a charismatic, media-savvy Egyptian archaeologist who led major projects, popularized discoveries, and champions further excavations including a likely undisturbed Nefertiti tomb.
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
1 month ago

Ritual site at summit of rock formation identified

The two socketed axes were discovered last year by a metal detectorist who recognized that their careful positioning could not have been a natural process. He reported the find to the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL). The subsequent excavation of the find site revealed a far more complex depositional context. Beneath the axes is a pit carved into the rock.
History
fromOpen Culture
1 month ago

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: From the Walls of Babylon to the Sewers of Rome

Seven were the strings of the lyre (unless there happened to be eight or nine), seven were the gates of Thebes, and seven were the "wandering stars" in the night sky (if you count the sun and moon). The identity of the wonders was less important than the length of their list, and indeed, additions and changes were proposed since the beginning.
History
History
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
1 month ago

Origin of repatriated erotic mosaic uncovered

A Nazi-looted mosaic depicting an intimate domestic scene was repatriated to Pompeii, but research revealed it originated in Latium, not Pompeii or its surrounding region.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

12 Great Cities of Ancient Mesopotamia: The Rise and Fall of the Earliest Cities in the World

Twelve major Mesopotamian cities including Nineveh, Uruk, Babylon, and Ur became legendary through Greek writings and yielded significant archaeological discoveries, each connected to a patron deity whose prestige determined the city's fate.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

Akkad and the Akkadian Empire: The First Multinational Empire in the World

The Akkadian Empire, founded by Sargon the Great around 2350 BCE, was the first multinational political entity that unified Mesopotamia and established governmental, administrative, and military systems adopted by subsequent civilizations.
History
fromOpen Culture
1 month ago

Behold the First Realistic Depiction of the Human Face (Circa 25,000 BCE)

The Venus of Brassempouy, a 25,000-year-old mammoth ivory carving, represents the earliest realistic human face depiction and marks the dawn of beauty in human culture.
fromMail Online
1 month ago

Ancient time capsule found in Iraq corroborates the Bible

King Nebuchadnezzar II himself 'speaks' in the text, proudly describing how he restored an old, crumbling stepped temple tower in the city of Kish that was dedicated to the Mesopotamian god and goddess of war, Zababa and Ishtar. He explained that earlier kings had built and fixed the ziggurat before, but it had fallen into disrepair again from age and rain.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 months ago

Festivals in Ancient Mesopotamia: Courting the Goodwill of the Gods

as the gods were understood as the true monarchs and the king as simply their steward. In order to maintain his authority, the king needed to court the goodwill of the gods, and although they made their approval clear through military victories, bountiful harvests, and prosperous trade, events such as the Akitu festival provided an annual opportunity for the divine to continue its relationship with the ruling house or withdraw its favor.
History
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 months ago

Ur: the center of the Sumerian Renaissance

Ur was an influential Sumerian port city and ancient trade center in southern Mesopotamia with notable archaeological finds and contested biblical associations.
fromMail Online
2 months ago

Mysterious symbols spanning the globe hint at a lost civilization

His investigation began after identifying recurring giant T-shapes, three-level indents, and step pyramids carved into ancient stones worldwide. 'These specific symbols that are built in different size proportions, and the symbols are found in ancient stones around the world, are not supposed to exist; no cultures are supposed to have any cross-platform,' LaCroix explained. The symbols appear in locations ranging from Turkey's Van region to South America and Cambodia.
History
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 months ago

Mesopotamian Art and Architecture: The Birth of Art and Architecture in the Ancient World

Mesopotamian art and architecture began over 7,000 years ago, evolving from northern sites into Sumerian innovations and sustained through multiple ancient Mesopotamian periods.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 months ago

Mesopotamian Government: Helping and Serving the Gods

Ancient Mesopotamian government treated rulers and officials as divinely chosen stewards modeled on family roles, with kings handling civic administration and priests overseeing temple affairs.
#sumer
#ancient-mathematics
fromMail Online
2 months ago

Mystery of Egypt's pyramids deepens as hidden megastructure revealed

More than 200 scans from multiple satellites, including Italy's Cosmo-SkyMed and the US-based Capella Space, showed uniform results suggesting massive pillars about 65 feet in diameter wrapped in spirals and plunging nearly 4,000 feet deep. Those pillars appear to end in 260-foot cubic chambers beneath all three pyramids and the Sphinx, which Biondi described as 'huge chambers' measuring roughly 260 feet in length and width.
History
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

Mesopotamian Education: Creating the First Written Works in History

The Sumerians established formal scribal schools (edubba) after inventing writing, training students in cuneiform, Sumerian and Akkadian, and a broad range of scholarly subjects.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

Scribes in Ancient Mesopotamia: The Beginning of History

Ancient Mesopotamian scribes mastered cuneiform and broad knowledge to record transactions, administer society, and preserve history across civilizations.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 months ago

Medicine in Ancient Mesopotamia: A Gift of the Gods to Their People

Gula, the Sumerian goddess of healing, guided Mesopotamian physicians whose specialized, long-trained practice combined divine attribution of illness with practical medical roles.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Byzantine Monastic Site Found in Upper Egypt - Medievalists.net

The team identified multiple buildings aligned roughly west-east, in several sizes, ranging from about 8 × 7 metres to 14 × 8 metres. Within these structures are rectangular halls-some interpreted as spaces for worship-alongside smaller rooms that may have served devotional or practical functions for the monks. Excavators also noted evidence of plastered wall surfaces and tiled floors, as well as architectural features such as entrances and surviving supports, including beams.
History
History
fromMail Online
2 months ago

Father of alien archaeology says pyramids not built by human hands

Erich von Däniken claimed extraterrestrials aided ancient civilizations in building pyramids, but archaeological evidence attributes pyramid construction to organized human labor.
History
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong

Classic Maya lowlands likely supported up to 16 million people during AD 600–900, implying unprecedented population density, complex agriculture, and advanced urban organization.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

The Family in Ancient Mesopotamia: Providing for Each Other Through Life and Past Death

Family was the essential unit providing social stability, continuity of traditions, and forming the basis for palace and temple hierarchies in ancient Mesopotamia.
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
2 months ago

Cities, writing, and governments: Early Dynastic Mesopotamia's revolutionary advances

It should be noted, however, that the advances of Mesopotamia's Early Dynastic period differed from Egypt's in significant ways, notably in that Mesopotamia - even under the rule of Sargon or later empires - was never the cohesive ethnic or political entity Egypt was, and the kinds of cultural development cited for this era were not as uniform as they were in Egypt.
History
fromWorld History Encyclopedia
1 month ago

Mesopotamian Science and Technology: Scientific Method in the Ancient Near East

The foundation of future Mesopotamian advances in scientific/technological progress was laid by the Sumerians, who first explored the practice of the scientific hypothesis, engaged in technological innovation, created the written word, developed mathematics, astronomy, and astrology, and even fashioned the concept of time itself. Some of the most important inventions of the Sumerians were: the wheel the sail the corbeled arch/true arch irrigation and farming implements maps mathematics time and clocks astronomy and astrology medicinal drugs and surgery
History
History
fromTime Out London
1 month ago

A new 'Cleopatra' immersive experience in London will be all about Ancient Egypt

Cleopatra: The Experience opens at Immerse LDN as a 3,000 square metre, nine-gallery immersive exhibition tracing the late Ptolemaic dynasty with artefacts, AR, VR and staged environments.
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
1 month ago

Rare Mithraic altars found in Scotland go on display for the first time

Two exceptionally rare and beautifully carved Mithraic altars found in Inveresk, East Lothian, Scotland, are going on display for the first time. They are not just the only Roman altars ever found in Scotland, but are among the finest examples of Roman sculpture in Roman Britain. They are also uniquely early in date, having been made in 140s A.D. during Antoninus Pius' reoccupation of southern Scotland, whereas most other archaeological materials related to the worship of Mithras in Britannia date to the 3rd century.
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