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Religion
Rituals, cults, temples, priests, and belief across the ancient world, from sacrifices and festivals to afterlife ideas and local traditions.
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.
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…
8 Sacred Sites Where Different Faiths Meet and Clash
From Jerusalem and Hebron to Bodh Gaya and Sri Pada, eight holy places reveal how faiths share sacred ground, and why control becomes contested.
What Happened at the Synod of Whitby in 664 CE?
In 664, King Oswiu chose the Roman Easter calculation over Iona’s tradition at Whitby. The debate, its politics and its consequences reshaped Northumbria.
Book of Kells: How Medieval Monks Made a Masterpiece
Made around 800, the Book of Kells combines Latin Gospels with extraordinary art. Its vellum, pigments, scribes and disputed origins reveal how it was…
What Are the Gnostic Gospels? The Nag Hammadi Discovery
The Gnostic Gospels preserve alternative early Christian writings about Jesus, creation and salvation. Here is what the Nag Hammadi manuscripts actually contain.
How Was the Bible Written?
How was the Bible written? Follow its ancient authors and scribes, from Hebrew scrolls and the Dead Sea Scrolls to Greek Gospels and codices.
Did Early Christians Read Genesis Literally?
Origen questioned the first three creation days, Basil defended Genesis’s plain meaning, and Augustine argued for creation at once. The early church disagreed.
How Did Ancient Greek and Roman Sacrifices Work?
Greek and Roman sacrifices involved prayers, animal slaughter, offerings and shared meals. Ancient texts and excavations reveal how the rituals worked.
Etruscan Haruspex: Reading the Gods in a Sheep’s Liver
Etruscan haruspices examined sheep livers for divine signs. The bronze Liver of Piacenza reveals their sacred system and its place in Roman religion.
7 Mystery Cults in Ancient Greece and Rome
Seven ancient Greek and Roman mystery cults, from Eleusis and Samothrace to Isis and Mithras, and what their secret initiations actually involved.
Constantine’s Vision and the Battle of the Milvian Bridge
In 312 Constantine defeated Maxentius near Rome. Lactantius describes a dream, while Eusebius tells of a cross in the sky. What do the sources…
