Article archive
Research, stories and questions from the ancient world.
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Tsukumogami: Japan’s Old Tools That Sought Revenge
In medieval Japan, discarded tools became vengeful spirits, then Buddhist monks. The Tsukumogami scrolls reveal the story behind the hundred-year legend.
Lamashtu: The Demon Mesopotamian Mothers Feared Most
Lamashtu threatened mothers and infants in Mesopotamian belief. Ancient spells, Pazuzu amulets and ritual plaques show how families sought protection.
5 Ancient Roman Foods That Sound Strange Today
From garum and stuffed dormice to snails, peacocks and flamingos, these five Roman foods reveal everyday cooking and the extravagant tastes of the wealthy.
Ancient Egyptian Pregnancy Tests: Did Wheat and Barley Really Work?
Egyptian papyri prescribed urine on grain to detect pregnancy and predict a child’s sex. A 1963 experiment found limited evidence for the first claim,…
Ancient Roman Pets and the Late Arrival of Cats
Roman households kept dogs, birds and exotic monkeys. Archaeological pet graves and ancient DNA reveal when domestic cats spread into Europe.
How Roman Fullers Used Urine to Clean Clothes
Roman fullers cleaned and finished wool using alkaline liquids, mineral earths and repeated rinsing. Pompeii reveals their workshops and why stale urine was useful.
Vindolanda Tablets: Letters From Everyday Life in Roman Britain
Wooden letters from Vindolanda record a birthday invitation, socks and sandals, military strength reports, beer shortages and the business of Roman Britain’s frontier.
Caesarion: Cleopatra’s Son and Egypt’s Last Ptolemaic King
Caesarion was Cleopatra’s son and Egypt’s last Ptolemaic king. Learn why his claim to Julius Caesar’s name made him dangerous to Octavian in 30…
How Did Europe’s Bog Bodies Survive for Thousands of Years?
Bog bodies can retain skin, hair and even last meals for millennia while their bones soften. Cold, acidic peat and Sphagnum moss explain why.
Muspelheim: The Norse Fire Realm of Creation and Ragnarök
Muspelheim is the primordial fire realm in Snorri's Norse creation story. Surtr guards its border and brings its flames to Ragnarök.
Did Underground Gas Cause the Oracle of Delphi’s Trances?
Faults beneath Delphi and traces of hydrocarbons revived an ancient account of the Pythia’s visions, but later gas surveys and toxicology leave the cause…
Why Plato’s Atlantis Was Never Meant to Be Found
Plato placed Atlantis in the Timaeus and Critias to test an ideal city against an imperial power. The original texts explain its kings, destruction…
