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  • Thursday, May 17 17 May, 2012
    The copper shell of a nineteenth-century wooden ship has been found in the Gulf of Mexico by scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The wreck, which sits under 4,000 feet of water, was first noticed during a sonar survey conducted by an oil company. A closer look with a remotely operated vehicle spotted a […]
  • Wednesday, May 16 16 May, 2012
    A team of French archaeologists has unearthed an 11,000-year-old farming village on the island of Cyprus. The evidence, including bones and burned seeds, suggests that the Early Neolithic farmers came from the Middle East soon after the rise of agriculture, bringing plants, dogs, and cats with them. They supplemented their diets with wild boar that […]
  • Tuesday, May 15 15 May, 2012
    Engravings at the French rock shelter site of Abri Castanet have been dated to 37,000 years ago, making them at least as old as the paintings of the Grotte Chauvet. The Abri Castanet engravings were carved in the limestone ceiling of the shelter, which was probably used by reindeer hunters. “But unlike the Chauvet paintings and […]
  • Monday, May 14 14 May, 2012
    A Polish oil company worker has discovered a World War II-era Kittyhawk P-40 crashed in Egypt’s Western Desert. The Royal Air Force pilot of the plane is thought to have survived the June 1942 crash because his parachute had been used to make a shelter. No human remains have been found. The Egyptian military has removed […]
  • Friday, May 11 11 May, 2012
    At the site of Xultún in northern Guatemala, a team from Boston University has uncovered the oldest-known astronomical tables of the Maya, which were incised and painted on the walls of a room in a 1,200-year-old residential building. The room, thought to have been a working space for scribes, had been built with a stone […]

Gallery

thumbs marble portrait of alexander the great Gallery

The man, the legend and the mythology.

16 Photos

thumbs magnesia on the maiandros today menderes stater lysimachus with the horn of ammon Gallery

Beginning with a bodyguard to and then successor of Alexander the Great, whose descendants are co-founders of the Ptolemaic dynasty, they play a central role in Greco-Roman history.

10 Photos

thumbs shapuri Gallery

Zoroaster, or Zarathustra, or Zarthosht, was the prophet who began the religion of Zoroastrianism, of which the fire altar is an important symbol. It represents the enduring energy of the creator, Ahura Mazda, and is the focus (but not the object) of prayer.

7 Photos

thumbs sol invictus vatican museum Gallery

In Greek mythology the sun was personified as Helios. Homer often calls him simply Titan or Hyperion, while Hesiod (Theogony 371) and the Homeric Hymn separate him as a son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia (Hesiod) or Euryphaessa (Homeric Hymn) and brother of the goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn. The names of these three were also the common Greek words for sun, moon and dawn. As time passed, Helios was increasingly identified with the god of light, Apollo. The equivalent of Helios in Roman mythology was Sol, specifically Sol Invictus.

28 Photos

thumbs pottery fragment egypt or syria ca 1200 Gallery

The three hares is a circular motif which appears in sacred sites from the Middle and Far East to the churches of south west England (where it is often referred to as the Tinners’ Rabbits), and many historical synagogues in Europe. It has been used as an architectural icon, a religious symbol, and modernly as a work of art or a logo for adornment (including tattoos). It is also viewed as a puzzle or a problem in topology or human perception.

15 Photos

thumbs lotus Gallery

The lotus is an Asian water lily known for the delicate beauty of its water flowers. It possesses an amazing ability to flourish in a variety of environments ranging from clear ponds to muddy marshes. The East Indian lotus, N. nucifera, found in southern Asia, was introduced into Egypt about 2,500 years ago but is no longer found in the Nile region. The Buddhists of India, Tibet, and China consider its flowers sacred. The Lotus is seen everywhere in ancient Egyptian tombs and temples, often held in the hands of gods and royalty.

4 Photos

thumbs christ helios at the center of the zodiac bibliotheque nationale Gallery

Astrology combined mathematics, astronomy and mythology. Trade goods such as gems have their own symbolism. Hellenisation brought the zodiac to the wider world.

10 Photos

thumbs temple of hibis in kharga oasis Gallery

Built by Darius I in Kharga Oasis, Egypt and completed by Darius II, with Ptolemaic decorations and both Roman and Christian additions.

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thumbs memphis terracotta head rep indian man with monkey with raised foreleg behind each ear Gallery

Archaeological evidence for Asians - notably Indians - in the Greco-Roman world, including Egypt and Italy.

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thumbs essene monastery qumran Gallery

The Hellenistic period settlement was constructed during the reign of John Hyrcanus, 134-104 BCE or somewhat later, and was occupied most of the time until it was destroyed by the Romans in 68 CE or shortly after. It is best known as the settlement nearest to the hiding place of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves of the sheer desert cliffs and beneath, in the marl terrace.

36 Photos

thumbs mithras and sol fresco dura europos Gallery

The mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a mystery religion centered on the god Mithras, which became popular among the military in the Roman Empire, from the 1st to 4th centuries CE.

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thumbs incantation bowl from mesopotamia ca 7th century Gallery

Usually buried in a building's foundation, magic bowls were designed to protect a house and its inhabitants from devils and evildoers. Opinion differs as to the actual ritual associated with these incantation bowls, but it is generally believed that they were thought to entrap and reject evil powers.

8 Photos

thumbs the origin of the rose window may be found in the roman oculus Gallery

During the Middle Ages, the rose seen as the queen of flowers, symbol of the Virgin Mary, representing romance, religion, healing. The rose symbolizes the Virgin Mary (white roses in Paradise are said to have blushed red when she kissed them). In the early Middle Ages, roses were frowned upon because they were associated with the excesses of pagan Rome. Romans wore wreaths of roses while feasting to cool their minds, guarding against the drunken betrayal of secrets. Thus the rose had been a symbol of discretion.

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