The Celts or Kelts were the people of Europe from about 2000 BCE to 100 BCE. They ranged across the islands of Britain, across Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and much of Central Europe. Exactly who the Celtic tribes were, where they came from, and their relationship to one another is a subject of debate by researchers... Read more
Sparta was a city in ancient Greece. The Spartan people were known for giving up many pleasures, such as art, literature, and philosophy, in order to expend more effort on military training. Theirs was considered the most powerful army in ancient Greece... Read more
The Vikings were a seafaring people known for being fierce warriors. They raided villages and built colonies throughout Europe - and according to some researchers, as far away as North America - during the ninth to eleventh centuries. The term "Viking" meant "pirate." Vikings were also known as Norsemen or Northmen... Read more
Zeus was the chief god or deity of the ancient Greek mythological pantheon. He was considered the lord of the sky and weather, the sender of thunder, lightning, rain, and winds. He was considered the father of men and other gods. His weapon of choice was a thunderbolt, which he would throw from his hand... Read more
The plague or bubonic plague is a fever caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. It is very contagious, transmitted from rats and mice to humans via the vector of a flea bite... Read more
Anubis is the name of an ancient Egyptian god. He is also called Anpu or Inpu. Anubis resembled a man with the head of a dog or jackal. He was the god of the... Read more
A king is a male ruler. Today, we often think of a king as ruling over an entire country. In ancient times, however, kings often ruled over tribes, cities, or districts... Read more
A queen is a female monarch, the counterpart to a king. Today, 26 monarchies rule over more than 40 countries. Foremost modern queens include Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom... Read more
A throne is a large, heavy chair, often elaborately decorated with jewels, precious metals, and expensive clothes. Thrones were usually used by kings, queens, pharaohs, and... Read more
The Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic was christened and launched in 1912. This so-called "unsinkable" ship famously went down during its maiden voyage from England to... Read more
The legend of Uncle Sam began in 1813. A meatpacker by the name of Samuel Wilson supplied the U.S. army with barrels of beef. Each barrel was stamped with "U.S." for "United States," but... Read more
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and the author of the Declaration of Independence. He was also responsible for the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the nation... Read more
George Washington was the first president of the United States. Prior to his presidency, he commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and served as chairman to the Constitutional Convention, the body that wrote the American Constitution... Read more
Historians agree that Jesus was a real historical figure. According to the Bible, his mother conceived him while still a virgin by means of the holy spirit. Before his birth, she was married to the carpenter Joseph, who raised Jesus as his own son. Mary and Joseph then went on to have at least six other children. Upon his death, Jesus entrusted the care of his mother to the Apostle John. She was present in the upper room at Pentecost 33 C.E. when the first Christians were anointed with the holy spirit... Read more
Depictions of Jesus typically date from no earlier than the 200s AD. In the early Christian church, the making of such images was avoided for fear that they would be worshipped as idols. It was... Read more
What is a cornucopia? Also called the Horn of plenty, it is a decorative object or motif used to symbolize abundance. The first cornucopias were curved goat horns overflowing with produce and grain. Later, baskets woven in this shape were used... Read more
In Egyptian mythology, the Sphinx was a creature that had a human head and the body of a lion. In one legend, a winged Sphinx asked the riddle, “What is it that has one voice year becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?” The Sphinx would eat anyone that could not give the proper answer... Read more
What is a Celtic cross? It is a form of the cross used in some Christian religions that features a nimbus or halo around the middle. The Celtic cross became widespread in Ireland and Britain beginning in the ninth century... Read more
What is a menorah? A menorah is a candelabra, a type of candle holder with many branches. In fact, the word menorah simply means "lamp" in the Hebrew language. It is a symbol of... Read more
The samurai were warriors in Japan, from the twelfth to nineteenth centuries. Samurai were trained in strategy and martial arts... Read more