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Indian Ocean Trade before the European Conquest
Finding a maritime route to the East and gaining access to the lucrative spice trade stood at the root of the European Age of Exploration. However...
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Map of Europe after the War of the Austrian Succession, 1748 - Dynastic Rivalry and Balance of Power
The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) reshaped the political balance of Europe after the death of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor (reign 1711–1740...
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Article
Burial in Ancient Mesopotamia - Respect for the Living, Honoring the Dead
Burial in ancient Mesopotamia was the practice of interring a corpse in a grave or tomb while observing certain rites, primarily to ensure the passage...
Definition
Maria Theresa - The Great Habsburg Empress
Maria Theresa (1717-1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg Monarchy, a sprawling empire that included Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and other territories...
Article
A History of Vaccination - Taming the World's Deadliest Diseases
The field of public health was transformed by the introduction of vaccination, from the Latin word “vacca” meaning cow, to guard people against infectious...
Article
Love, Sex, & Marriage in Ancient Mesopotamia - Relationships in the Ancient World
Medical texts from ancient Mesopotamia provide prescriptions and practices for curing all manner of ailments, wounds, and diseases. There was one malady...
Definition
Matabeleland (Kingdom) - The Ndebele Empire in Southern Africa
Matabeleland (1838-1897), also known as the Ndebele Empire or Mthwakazi by the Ndebele themselves, was an African state covering what is today part...
Article
Dogs & Their Collars in Ancient Mesopotamia - Man's Best Friend in the Ancient Near East
Among the many contributions to world culture credited to Mesopotamia is an object so familiar to people in the modern world that few pause to consider...
Definition
Frederick the Great - Forging the Prussian State
Frederick II of Prussia (1712-1786), better known as Frederick the Great, was one of the most consequential rulers of 18th-century Europe. A scion of...
Article
Women in Ancient Mesopotamia - Celebrating the Feminine Principle in the Near East
The lives of women in ancient Mesopotamia cannot be characterized as easily as with other civilizations, owing to the different cultures over time...
Definition
War of the Spanish Succession - The Bloody Struggle for the Throne of Spain
The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was the first of several major wars fought between the great powers of Europe in the 18th century. Triggered...
Article
Truths Wrapped in Fiction: Mesopotamian Naru Literature - Originality in Writing Ancient Bestsellers
Originality in literary compositions in the ancient world did not carry the same weight and value as it does today. In recent centuries, authors have...
Definition
German East Africa
German East Africa (Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a colony of Imperial Germany from 1885 until 1918. The territory, much larger than Germany itself, covered...
Article
Ten Ancient Mesopotamia Facts You Need to Know - Fun Facts on the Cradle of Civilization
Mesopotamia is the ancient Greek name (meaning "the land between two rivers," the Tigris and Euphrates) for the region corresponding to modern-day Iraq...
Definition
Mesopotamian Naru Literature - The World's First Historical Fiction
Mesopotamian Naru Literature was a literary genre, first appearing around the 2nd millennium BCE, which featured a famous person (usually a king) from...
Definition
Aethelred I of Wessex - The Forgotten Victor of the Battle of Ashdown
Aethelred I ruled the Kingdom of Wessex (southern England) from 865 to 871 and led the English resistance to the Viking invasions of Britain. He won...
Article
Ten Great Ancient Mesopotamian Women - Monarchs, Generals, and Scribes
The lives of women in ancient Mesopotamia were regulated by a patriarchal hierarchy, but within this social structure, there were many who distinguished...
Definition
Near East - A Modern Term for an Ancient Land
The 'Near East' is a modern-age term for the region formerly known as the 'Middle East,' comprising Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan...
