Business, gossip and pleasure: The curious life in the ancient Roman baths
An old proverb says all the habits of the Roman Empire : “The bath, the wine and Venus consume the body, but they are the real life”. The Roman baths were one of the greatest pleasures of urban life in Antiquity, one of the main places of entertainment....Read more
Imhotep, the First Architect in History
Who was Imhotep? Imhotep stands as one of the most significant non-royal figures in ancient Egyptian history. Of uncertain origin, Imhotep forged a distinguished career in state administration as a vizier and in monumental architecture during Pharaoh Djoser’s...Read more
The right to kiss in ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, women considered respectable were required to allow themselves to be kissed not only by their husbands, but by their closest male relatives. This practice, called Ius osculi (right to kiss) was used to check that they had not drunk wine. Rome, 1st...Read more
The Europeans Who Consumed Ancient Egyptian Mummies
Throughout the centuries, doctors have employed healing techniques devoid of any scientific basis. A notable example was mummy powders. For centuries, they were deemed a genuine panacea, credited with various healing virtues, from treating ulcers and mending broken...Read more
The final fate of the Roman gladiators
The image we have of gladiators is that of men condemned to fight until their last breath, but it is one of many myths that surround the world of gladiators in ancient Rome. Although true massacres did take place, generally these were applied to those sentenced to...Read more
Last Ethiopian Emperor: Haile Selassie
The Ethiopian emperor was a great African leader and a tireless fighter against colonialism, but he was also accused of ruling in an authoritarian and capricious way. King of kings, Lion of Judah, Chosen of God or Most High Lord. Such epithets were used to target the...Read more
Archaeological Mystery: 10,000 Caves were Dug into the Himalayas Over 2,000 Years Ago
The Kingdom of Mustang, which borders the Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most remote and isolated regions of the Nepalese Himalayas. Once an independent Buddhist kingdom, Mustang was annexed by Nepal in the late 18th century, but retained its status as an independent...Read more
Why King Tut had an awesome dagger from outer space?
The object is part of a collection of two daggers that were revealed inside the coverings that covered the mummified body of Tutankhamun. During one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, a dagger was found with Tutankhamun’s mummy (1336...Read more