The Hindu Goddess Durga was the original demon-slayer. As this sandstone carving made about 750 CE (from India) shows, she has a multitude of weapons that help her take down her opponents – in this case, the buffalo-demon Mahishasuramardini. The legend goes that the buffalo demon – who represents ignorance – was destroying the whole […]
Hindu Goddess Durga Read More »
The scholar-elite class of dynastic China were not always engrossed in studying or affairs of state. This gourd with ivory-carved lid held live crickets, who were set to fight in staged cricket matches for the amusement of the Chinese intelligentsia. From 19th-century Qing China, the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Chinese Ivory Gourds Read More »
What you see here is an example of the finest type of Anglo-Scandinavian sculpture known as “Hogbacks.” After the Scandinavian viking invasions, Hogbacks emerged in the tenth century as a style of grave marker that reveals the Celtic influences of the British Isles along with the Danish homeland of the recent settlers. You can make
Anglo-Scandinavian Hogbacks Read More »
In the environs of modern Iraq the Yazidi peoples have continuously practiced Sharfadin, an ancient and swiftly diminishing (because of horrific religious persecution) religion, for thousands of years. Although elements of the Abrahamic religions and Zoroastrianism appear in Sharfadin, it it a religion into its own self. It teaches monotheism, but also that seven angels
The “Peacock Angel” of Sharfadin Read More »
You are looking at the footprint of a giant sloth – one of the megafauna mammals that died out by the end of the last ice age over 11,700 years ago. Nestled inside is a contemporary human footprint, one of the first concrete pieces of evidence that giant sloths interacted with people. At eight feet
Ancient Giant Sloth Footprints Read More »
Musical instruments are one of the hallmarks of the radical change in complex culture that started to mark human history after 50,000 BCE. Some scientists even like to refer to our species after this benchmark era as _Homo Sapiens Sapiens_, stressing the “extra” smarts we apparently showcased after this time. But important questions remain. Pictured
The Neanderthal Flute Read More »
One of the earliest Medieval European depictions of an elephant as rendered by Matthew Paris in his Chronica Maiora II, 1235-1259. Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, MS 16 f. 151v.
Medieval European Elephant Depictions Read More »
Throughout history, we humans have wanted to feel special, and often this has meant felling specialer than others. The Ancient Greek philosophers engaged in lively debates about which sorts of beings were more important: were they men? Fellow philosophers? Fellow (male) philosophers who agreed with each other? Diogenes the Cynic (d. 323 BCE) made fun
The Argument of Diogenes the Cynic Read More »
Western History has no corner in the market for crazy leaders, as the example of Gao Yang (aka the Emperor Wenxuan) shows. Ruling for only nine years (r. 550-559 CE) in the tumultuous and short-spanned Northern Qi Dynasty, Gao Yang would have given Nero a run for his money. Known for his narcissistic, unpredidictable, and
The Cruel Emperor Gao Yang Read More »
This mother chimpanzee is using stones to crack open a nut, as a child watches and learns. The skill-level needed for this operation is difficult (finding the right anvil-shaped stone, using another proper-sized stone to bang, learning how to position the nut, etc), and it will be until the young chimp is about six before
Chimpanzee’s Development of Stone-Age Technology Read More »
Medieval Europeans lived far more isolated lives than we, and consequently, existed knowing there were vast tracts of lands and cultures to which they had no access. Tales about places necessarily depended on word-of-mouth, supplemented with rare but extremely popular travelogues. And so came to pass stories and legends about an unusual living thing, half-plant
The Vegetable-Lamb of Tartary Read More »
As the Middle Ages wore on, general attitudes about cats became increasingly negative. Although they continued to be kept as mousers and pets, they were associated with heresy, witchcraft, and the devil. Irina Metzler argues this was partly because even though they were domesticated, they wouldn’t obey their humans. In the early 15th century, Edward,
Negative Medieval Attitudes Towards Cats Read More »
Malaria has been an extraordinary shaper of history. Dated as far back as 30 million years old, this protoza really took off after the agricultural revolution (not surprising, since it thrives in mosquitos, who love the standing waters that frequently accompany cleared out lands). Some scientists believe Malaria to be the single-biggest killer in human
Malaria and its Shaping of History Read More »
Slippery reasoning that produces horrible results is unfortunately a regular occurrence in human history. While the 17th century witnessed the Scientific Revolution in Europe, sloppy logic (mixed with lack of information) led to some gruesome human experimentation. William Harvey had recently discovered (for Europeans) that blood circulates in our bodies, pumped by the heart, but
Arthur Coga and Sheep’s Blood Transfusions Read More »
This is a section of a 13th-century copy of an Ancient Roman map from about 400 CE. Called the _Tabula Peutingeriana_, it depicts the intricate system of roads and passages that made up the official courier service connecting the Empire. This infrastructure was known as the _Cursus Publicus_, and lasted for centuries as the primary
Ancient Roman Map “Tabula Peutingeriana” Read More »
This is Erwin Schrodinger, Nobel-prize-winning architect of the famed equation with his name — along with silhouettes of his famous alive-and-dead cats. Born in Austria on 1887, Erwin’s chronic struggles with tuberculosis had him confined in a sanitorium in the 1920’s: it was during his stay that he developed his famous wave equation. Many conclusions
Schrodinger’s Cat and Life Read More »
The term “swan song” comes from an Ancient notion that swans are mute throughout their lives, but sing a beautiful last melody as they are about to die. As far back as the Roman Pliny the Elder (in 77 CE), people have known this is not the case, but regardless, a swan song refers to
This is one of the many stellar views at Hawk Mountain Preserve in eastern Pennsylvania, one of the best places in the northern United States to watch many native hawk species in their migrations and habitats. This beautiful wildlife sanctuary was made possible because of two people in particular. First, the ornithologist Robert Pough —
Hawk Mountain Preserve in Eastern Pennsylvania Read More »
Scientific genome analysis has shaped history once again with a recent study published in the science journal _Nature Communications_. This painting of death strangling a victim of the plague gets at the horror caused by the infamous Black Death, a pandemic that wiped out a third of Europe’s population in the 14th century. By studying
Scientific Genome Analysis and the Black Death Read More »
The leader of all the Gods in Norse mythology, Odin, was routinely accompanied by his ravens named Huginn (“thought”) and Muninn (“mind”), appearing together in visual records as early as the sixth century The names of these birds called attention to Odin’s vast knowledge — the medieval Icelandic sources have Odin’s ravens fly all over
Odin and His Ravens Huginn and Muninn Read More »
