Peter and Paul Wentworth were notable figures in Elizabethan England, remembered for their staunch defense of parliamentary privileges, in particular the protection of free speech. Peter, the elder brother, is renowned for his passionate speeches… Read More "The Wentworth Brothers: Defenders of Free Speech"
Britain’s First Milk Bar Opens
His name was Hugh Donald McIntosh. An Australia-born entrepreneur, he had been a fight promoter, theatrical producer and newspaper magnate. By 1935, however, he was bankrupt. Attempts to resurrect his fortune included an angora rabbit… Read More "Britain’s First Milk Bar Opens"
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – The Vikings were feared, hated, and admired, and their rich history goes far back in time. Vikings changed the history of Europe, and their presence left a legacy in other… Read More "The First ‘Viking’ Was A Bronze Age Man"
The House of Borgia, one of the most infamous families of the Renaissance, is synonymous with ambition, power, and scandal. Pope Alexander VI, born Rodrigo Borgia, epitomizes their controversial legacy. His papacy, beginning in 1492,… Read More "Machiavellian Maneuvers Of The House Of Borgia (Video)"
Verlaine Shoots Rimbaud | History Today
Absinthe. Libidinal sex. Symbolist poetry. It was too much for Paul Verlaine. In 1871 he was 27, married and about to become a father. He had, however, stopped writing poetry. Then he met 17-year-old Arthur… Read More "Verlaine Shoots Rimbaud | History Today"
AncientPages.com – Neanderthals, the closest cousins of modern humans, lived in parts of Europe and Asia until their extinction some 30,000 years ago. Genetic studies are revealing ever more about the links between modern humans… Read More "Modern Human DNA Contains Bits From All Over The Neanderthal Genome – Except The Y Chromosome. What Happened?"
Recent archaeological research on the D35 Plotiště-Sadová highway in the Czech Republic has unveiled an extraordinary long barrow, shedding light on the funerary practices of the Eneolithic period. Located at the border of the villages… Read More "Monumental Long Barrow Burial Discovered in the Czech Republic"
Early on the morning of 11 April 1934 the sacristan of St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent stumbled on a crime scene. The Ghent Altarpiece – a vast polyptych, painted by Hubert and Jan van Eyck… Read More "The Theft of the Ghent Altarpiece"
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Scientists have discovered that Vikings occasionally carried useless decorative swords that could not be used as real weapons. It seems odd that a Viking warrior would bother to go around with… Read More "Why Did Vikings Carry Decorative Swords That Were Useless In Combat?"
At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands,… Read More "Human Origins: Beyond a Single Cradle of Humankind"