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Ancient Democracy: What is Democracy and Where Did it Start?
Ancient democracy was invented at the beginning of the 5th century BCE at almost the same time in both Athens and Rome. The word democracy comes from...
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Nereid Rising from the Ocean on a Horse
A Nereid (or Aura) riding a horse as she rises from the Ocean. Pentelic marble, c. 380 BCE. By the sculptor Timotheos. (National Archaeological Museum...
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Article
Who's Who in a Pirate Crew
It was all very well pocketing other people’s valuables and roistering at rum parties, but life on a pirate ship involved a surprising amount of hard...
Definition
Bronze Age Aegean
The Bronze Age (c. 3000-1000 BCE) is the period when cultures were either using, producing, or trading bronze. Several cultures flourished around the...
Definition
Enoch
In the book of Genesis in the pre-flood period, Enoch was the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah. There are few details about Enoch. We learn...
Definition
Baldr
Baldr is a god in Norse mythology associated with light, wisdom, and courage, although he is never specifically defined as the god of any of these...
Definition
Henry Every
Henry Every (b. 1653), also known as Henry Avery, Benjamin Bridgeman, ‘Long Ben’ and (incorrectly) John Avery, was one of the most savage and successful...
Article
Sacred Cakes in Ancient Greece
Sacred cakes in ancient Greece were baked loaves, biscuits, pastries, and sponges sweetened with honey (meli) and prepared as unburnt offerings to the...
Definition
Simon Forman
Simon Forman (1552-1611) was an Elizabethan physician, astrologer, magician, and alchemist who lived and worked in both London and Wiltshire, England...
Definition
Alexander Selkirk
Alexander Selkirk (or Selcraig, 1676-1721) was a Scotsman famously marooned for four years and four months on a desert island in the Pacific Ocean until...
Article
Cain & Abel
Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve after they were expelled from the Garden of Eden in the biblical book of Genesis. According to...
Definition
Ragnarök
Ragnarök is the cataclysmic battle between the forces of chaos and those of order in Norse mythology, ending the world and killing most of the gods...
Interview
Interview: The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women by Nancy Marie Brown
In this interview, World History Encyclopedia is joined by American author Nancy Marie Brown, who is talking to us about her new book The Real Valkyrie...
Definition
Woodes Rogers
Woodes Rogers (1679-1732) was a privateer turned administrator who was instrumental in the fight against piracy in the Caribbean when he served as Governor...