The Black Dinner – An event that inspired the “Red Wedding” in Game of Thrones
The Black Dinner refers to an event in late medieval Scotland, in which the principal heads of the Douglas Clan were invited to dine with King James II, that ultimately led to them being falsely executed.
The mystery of Greek fire
Greek fire was an incendiary weapon invented by the Byzantine Empire during the 7th century AD, that gave the Byzantines a technological advantage during naval and land battles.
The Viking Rus’ siege of Constantinople
The Rus’ Siege of Constantinople occurred in AD 860, in which Byzantine and Western European sources document an expeditionary force of the Rus' Khaganate that tried to conquer the centre of the Byzantine Empire.
Oldest human traces from the southern Tibetan Plateau in a new light
Stone tools have been made by humans and their ancestors for millions of years. For archaeologists these rocky remnants - lithic artefacts and flakes...
Reports of WW2 American warplane looted in Sandwich Bay
Local authorities and heritage organisations have been notified of illegal looting of a B17 Flying Fortress bomber that ditched on the Sandwich Flats in Kent, England, during WW2.
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus – The Last King of Rome
Before the foundation of the Roman Republic, Rome was ruled over by a succession of Kings (rex) starting with Romulus, the legendary founder.
The Leptis Magna Roman Ruins Near London
Leptis Magna, also known as Leptis or Lepcis Magna is an ancient city founded by the Carthaginian Empire at the mouth of the Wadi Lebda in present-day Libya.
Julius Caesar’s invasions of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain commenced in the year AD 43, but previously the Romans led two expeditionary campaigns almost a century earlier in 55 and 54 BC under the command of Gaius Julius Caesar.
Analysis of wall decoration dating to the second century A.D. provides new insights into marble extraction and processing
When it comes to ancient Roman imperial architecture, most people usually have a mental image of white marble statues, columns, or slabs.
Admiral Scheer – The Buried Battleship
The Admiral Scheer, named after Admiral Carl Friedrich Heinrich Reinhard Scheer was a Deutschland-class heavy cruiser, often termed “pocket battleships” by the British, that served in the Kriegsmarine navy of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
The Aqueduct of Constantinople: Managing the longest water channel of the ancient world
Aqueducts are very impressive examples of the art of construction in the Roman Empire. Even today, they still provide us with new insights into aesthetic, practical, and technical aspects of construction and use.
Yasuke – The African Samurai
Almost 450 years ago, an African man in the service of the Jesuits arrived in Japan, who would become the first foreign-born person to obtain the title of samurai, also referred to as bushi.
Alamut Castle – The stronghold of the real ‘Assassins Creed’
Alamut Castle is a mountain fortress in the Alamut region of the Qazvin province in present-day Iran, that during the Middle Ages served as the central base of the Nizari Ismaili.
The Vikings of Greenland
Greenland, or Grœnland in Old Norse, was settled by Norwegian and Icelandic explorers during the 10th century AD, where two major Viking settlements emerged until their abandonment in the 15th century AD.
Cracking the code of the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered some seventy years ago, are famous for containing the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and many hitherto unknown ancient Jewish texts.
