Chariots of The Gods, Ships in The Sky: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena of the Past
[ad_1] For thousands of years, people have been describing unexplainable gleaming objects in the sky. Some aerial phenomena like comets, meteor showers, bolides, auroras or even earthquake lightning – all easily explained by today’s knowledge – were widely reported in the ancient world. The US Congress is investigating unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs – what you might […]
Did the Romans and Greeks Really Enjoy Orgies?
[ad_1] Christian-Georges Schwentzel /The Conversation Orgies conjure in our imagination the world of Greek and Roman Antiquity, thanks to more or less titillating films portraying debauched emperors, or maybe specifically Fellini’s Satyricon. The term is also used today to signify all sorts of excess. For us, the orgy stands for the ultimate celebration of the […]
A Volcano Eruption Changed Lives in Fiji 2,500-years-ago. 100 Generations Have Kept the Story Alive
[ad_1] Patrick D. Nunn /The Conversation Can you imagine a scientist who could neither read nor write, who spoke their wisdom in riddles, in tales of fantastic beings flying through the sky, fighting each another furiously and noisily, drinking the ocean dry, and throwing giant spears with force enough to leave massive holes in rocky […]
Shared Horse and Human Burials Show Vikings’ Bond With Their Animal Companions
[ad_1] Keith Ruiter & Harriet Evans Tang / The Conversation Is your pet part of the family? That’s nothing new. Archaeological evidence exists to suggest that the Vikings held their own animals in high – even intimate – regard, taking them with them on voyages. Earlier this year, scientific evidence found for the first time that – […]
Starseeds: Psychologists On Why Some People Think They’re Aliens Living On Earth
[ad_1] By Ken Drinkwater et al. / The Conversation There’s a new group of people on Earth who believe they’re aliens. Star people, or starseeds, are individuals who believe they have come to Earth from other dimensions to help heal the planet and guide humanity into the “golden age” – a period of great happiness, prosperity […]
5 Discoveries That Changed Our Understanding of Egyptian Mummification
[ad_1] By Jenefer Metcalfe / The Conversation Centuries after the first golden coffins were taken to Europe, ancient Egyptian mummies still vividly capture people’s imaginations. Perhaps we’re awed by the grandeur of their rituals and tradition. But new discoveries keep challenging scientists’ perception of these ancient rites. As a biomedical Egyptologist, I study mummies to […]
Valentine’s Day’s Connection with Love was Probably Invented by 14th-Century Poets
[ad_1] Natalie Goodison / The Conversation As an undergraduate, on a tour of Europe, I happened to step into the church where Saint Valentine’s head was kept. The tour guide told us a (likely fictitious) story about Saint Valentine performing forbidden marriages for persecuted Christians under the Roman emperor Claudius Gothicus  (possibly 269-270 AD). Valentine […]
Why is a Love Poem Full of Sex in the Bible?
[ad_1] By Jonathan Kaplan /The Conversation Many Americans have heard the expression “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” – in fact, a quick Google search turns up myriad websites offering wedding bands inscribed with the much-loved line . Search Etsy for Valentine’s Day gifts, and you’ll see jewelry, T-shirts and coffee mugs […]
This Lunar Year will be the Year of the Rabbit or the Year of the Cat, Depending Where You Live
[ad_1] Today, January 22, 2023, more than a billion people globally will welcome the Year of the Rabbit – or the Year of Cat, depending on which cultural traditions they follow – as the start of the Lunar New Year. In the New York City public school district, Lunar New Year has been observed as […]
The Oldest Art in the World Wasn’t Made By Homo sapiens
[ad_1] By Paul Pettitt / The Conversation One of the most hotly debated questions in the history of Neanderthal research has been whether they created art. In the past few years, the consensus has become that they did, sometimes. But, like their relations at either end of the hominid evolutionary tree, chimpanzees and Homo sapiens […]