Baalbek Ruins, Lebanon: an extraordinary UNESCO site
Baalbek Roman ruins UNESCO site While archeologists have uncovered several different layers of ruins at Baalbek, Lebanon – Phoenician, Roman, Ummayad, Crusader and probably others …
The Benben Pyramidion: Debunking the Myth of the Mysterious Black Meteorite Pyramid
The tale of the “Pyramid of Bin Bin,” a supposed ancient structure made from extraterrestrial black iron meteorite stone, has circulated online as a baffling …
World’s widest highway not where Sylvester Turner thinks it is
You don’t have to look hard in Texas to find supersized variations of everything from donuts to state fair mascots to steak-eating challenges. According to …
Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia (British Museum)
I’m a lover of ancient history, and I’ve grown up with mental images of the Roman Empire, the Athenian democrats, and the expansive might of …
The Dinosaur Footprints Wall in Bolivia
The Dinosaur Footprints Wall in Bolivia, known locally as Cal Orck’o, is one of the most extraordinary paleontological sites on Earth. Situated near the city …
The Basilica Cistern: 1,500 years of subterranean history in Istanbul
The glorious history of Istanbul, the city of empires, reaches to the sky — and far below the ground! The Byzantine-era Basilica Cistern, now open …
Perplexing Pendulines
Discovering a bird’s nest is perhaps one of my favourite moments in birding. A bird’s nest is the very centre of its existence, and gives …
Experts say they may have found the bones of 10th century English Princess Eadgyth
The crumbling remains of Alfred the Great’s granddaughter – a Saxon princess who married one of the most powerful men in Europe – have been …
What Is Claytronics?
Claytronics is a system designed to implement the concept of programmable matter, that is, material which can be manipulated electronically in three dimensions in the …
How Much Were Gold Coins Really Worth During the Middle Ages?
In modern fantasy games set in worlds based loosely on medieval Europe, gold coins are portrayed as the normal medium of everyday exchange. In Dungeons …