Who to Blame for Early Modern Climate Change?
The sky in the northern hemisphere had been darkened, the winters unusually harsh, and the summers barely arriving for decades when the German Lutheran author
How the Thanksgiving Food Favorites Won Their Place at the Table
Thanksgiving, celebrated annually in the United States, is a time-honored tradition marked by a feast that brings together family and friends. It is in essence
What Counts as a Planet?
When, in 1816, John Keats began reading an Elizabethan translation of Homer, he became so enthralled that he stayed up all night. By morning, he
Graffiti Was a Powerful Form of Protest in Ancient Rome – as Gladiator II Shows
Claire Holleran/The Conversation Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II features a scene in which a senator, seated at a pavement cafe in Rome, reads a printed newspaper.
Hopes, Fears, and Early Modern Astrology
Appearing in 1482, the Libro de la ventura – or Book of Fortune – became a staple of Renaissance parties. A bestseller across Europe, this
The Rebecca Riots: Why Did Wales Rise Up?
A sustained campaign of attacks blazed across the Welsh counties of Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire, and Pembrokeshire from 1839. Tenant-farmers and labourers, infuriated by increased charges on
Fossils Found in China Come from a Huge Human Ancestor, Scientists Say
A pair of scientists who study hominin fossils and human evolution in China and East Asia claim to have discovered a new human ancestor that
Educating Claudius: Transforming the Family Outcast into the Emperor of Rome
When the mad Roman Emperor Caligula was assassinated in 41 AD, his uncle Claudius ran to one of the palace’s apartments and hid behind a
Facebook Censorship: Penalizing the Innocent and Still Missing the Harmful?
Once again Ancient Origins has been blocked by Facebook for posting content deemed not fit for general consumption. This is becoming an almost monthly occurrence,
Legendary Nebra Sky Disc Creation Method Has Been Discovered
A circle of corroded bronze, measuring 12 inches (30cm) across, adorned with golden shapes, was unwittingly discovered in 1999 in Nebra, Germany, now famously coined