House of Wisdom: The World’s First Great Research Institute
The House of Wisdom in Baghdad, or Bayt al-Hikmah, was a legendary center for scholarship and intellectual exchange during…
The Battle of Karbala and the Splitting of the Muslim World
The Battle of Karbala in 680 CE stands as one of the most significant and tragic moments…
Halley’s Comet of 1066 and the Story of Earlier Sightings
Few celestial events have so dramatically shaped the human imagination as the periodic visit of…
The Mysterious Collapse of the Mayan Empire
The Mayan civilization stands as one of the most fascinating and enigmatic cultures of the ancient world….
Geoffrey of Monmouth and his Grand, Entertaining Chronicle
In the Candlelit Scriptorium Geoffrey of Monmouth, a clever cleric with an eye for legend…
Cannibalism, Conflict, and Collapse: The Anasazi Pueblo Wars
Sprawling across the mesas and canyons of what is now the Four Corners region of…
This Forgotten Medieval Peace Movement Could Teach Us About Conflict Today
The Peace and Truce of God movements were two closely related initiatives launched by the…
Berber Resistance to the Arab Invasion: Defiance and Adaptation
The story of the Berber resistance to the Arab invasion of North Africa is one…
The Naked Rebellion of Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva’s legendary naked protest is one of English history’s most enduring tales, an account…
Gerald of Wales: Britain’s First Travel Writer
Few figures from the medieval period have so vividly described their world, or themselves, as…
When Rome Sent A Fearful Monk to Save Britain
St. Augustine’s mission to Britain in 597 CE marks a pivotal moment in the history…
The Secret Roman Cult That Rivaled Christianity
In the shadowed corridors of ancient Rome, beneath the bustling streets and within the hearts…
Basil I Founds the Macedonian Dynasty On Murder
The year 867 CE marked a turning point in the history of the Byzantine Empire….
Why Genghis Khan Owed His Empire to Horses
At the dawn of the 13th century, as Genghis Khan forged the largest contiguous land…
Settlers on the Island of Fire
The Norse settlement of Iceland is one of the most dramatic and well-documented episodes of the Viking…
