Article archive
Research, stories and questions from the ancient world.
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Why Did Ancient Egyptian Workers Go on Strike?
Unpaid grain wages drove Deir el-Medina’s royal tomb builders to stop work under Ramesses III, leaving a detailed record of their demands and protests.
Laufey: Loki’s Mother Who Barely Survives the Eddas
Laufey was Loki's mother in Norse mythology. The Eddas, her second name Nál, and a later Icelandic tale reveal what the sources actually say.
The Morrígan: Irish War Goddess, Shapeshifter, or Triad?
The Morrígan confronts Cú Chulainn as an eel, wolf and heifer. Irish manuscripts also make her a battle prophet, a crow and one of…
Peltasts: How Javelin Troops Defeated Spartan Hoplites
In 390 BCE, Iphicrates’ peltasts killed about 250 Spartan soldiers near Lechaeum. Xenophon explains how mobile javelin troops defeated unsupported hoplites.
What Is Egyptian Faience? The Blue Ceramic Made Without Clay
Egyptian faience was made from crushed quartz, salts and copper. Learn how its blue glaze formed, why it mattered and where it was made.
Cernunnos and the Evidence for a Celtic Horned God
Cernunnos is named on a damaged Roman monument in Paris. The Reims altar and Gundestrup Cauldron reveal an antlered figure, but leave his role…
Einherjar: Odin’s Dead Warriors Training for Ragnarök
The einherjar were Odin's chosen dead warriors. Old Norse poems explain their daily battles in Valhalla, the valkyries and their fate at Ragnarök.
The Egyptian Dream Book and the Scribe Who Kept It
A 3,200-year-old Egyptian dream manual survived in a scribe’s household. Its omens, owners and damaged pages reveal how dreams were interpreted.
Athena vs Poseidon: The Divine Contest That Named Athens
Athena won Athens with an olive tree, but Poseidon kept his place on the Acropolis. Ancient texts and surviving art reveal how their contest…
7 Ancient Lost Cities That Archaeologists Finally Found
From Egypt’s drowned ports to a Khmer capital under forest, seven ancient cities reveal what archaeology can recover and what “lost” really means.
Ratatoskr: The Squirrel Carrying Insults Through Yggdrasil
In Grímnismál, Ratatoskr carries the eagle’s words down Yggdrasil. Snorri’s Prose Edda adds hostile messages, but the squirrel’s motives remain unknown.
10 Roman Emperors Assassinated by Their Own Men
Caligula, Galba, Commodus and seven other Roman emperors were killed by their own guards, household officials or soldiers. The ancient accounts explain why.
