Featured Definition
Definition
Lear Green - Escaping Slavery in a Chest
Lear Green (circa 1839-1860) was an enslaved African American woman in Baltimore, Maryland, who had herself shipped in a chest to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
Featured Image
Image
Eastern Terrace of Mount Nemrut
Overview of the thrones and the heads of the gods on the eastern terrace of Mount Nemrut. From left to right: King Antiochus I, Commagene-Fortuna, Zeus-Oromasdes...
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Definition
Hara Castle
Hara Castle was originally built in 1496 as a subsidiary fortification to nearby Hinoe Castle, with upgrades made from 1599 to 1604. Later dismantled...
Definition
Assur - The Supreme God of the Ancient Assyrians
Assur (also Ashur, Anshar) is the god of the ancient Assyrians who was elevated from a local deity of the city of Ashur to the supreme god of the Assyrian...
Definition
Mahmud II - Reformist Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Mahmud II was one of the most influential sultans of the Ottoman Empire. As a radical reformer, he strove to implement military and governmental reforms...
Definition
Fourteenth Amendment - Defining Birthright Citizenship
The Fourteenth Amendment is one of the most important and consequential additions to the United States Constitution. Ratified in 1868, it defines American...
Definition
Pazuzu - The Mesopotamian Demon of Destruction and Protection
Pazuzu is a Babylonian/Assyrian demon who was most popular in the first millennium BCE. He was the son of Hanbi (also Hanba), king of the demons of...
Definition
Nergal - The Mesopotamian God of Death, War, and Destruction
Nergal (also known as Erra and Irra) is the Mesopotamian god of death, war, and destruction. He began as a regional, probably agricultural, god of the...
Definition
Predynastic Period in Egypt - The Time Before History Began
The Predynastic Period in ancient Egypt is the time before recorded history, from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age and on to the rise of the First...
Collection
Odysseus & His Epic Odyssey - The Ultimate Homecoming Voyage of Greek Mythology
Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, is Greek mythology's greatest road trip, journey of redemption, and homecoming voyage all rolled into one. Our hero...
Definition
Penelope - The Loyal Wife of Odysseus
In Greek mythology, Penelope is the wife of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and the mother of Telemachus. She is best known for her unwavering loyalty...
Article
Hymn to Nungal - A Praise Song for the Sumerian Goddess of Prisons
The Hymn to Nungal (circa 1894-1595 BCE) is a Sumerian poem praising Nungal, the goddess of prisons and rehabilitation (also associated with the underworld...
Definition
Ninurta - The Sumerian Hero-God of War
Ninurta (identified with Ningirsu, Pabilsag, and the biblical Nimrod) is the Sumerian and Akkadian hero-god of war, hunting, and the south wind. He...
Definition
Late Period of Ancient Egypt - The End of Egyptian Rule of Egypt
The Late Period of Egypt (525-332 BCE) is the era following the Third Intermediate Period (1069-525) and preceding the brief Hellenistic period (332-323...
Definition
Maginot Line - France's Fortress Defence System
The Maginot Line was an extensive series of fortifications built by France through the 1930s to protect its eastern borders from German attack. Stretching...
Definition
Third Intermediate Period of Egypt - Era of Foreign Invasion
The Third Intermediate Period (circa 1069-525 BCE) is the era following the New Kingdom (circa 1570 to circa 1069 BCE) and preceding the Late Period...
Definition
Gula - The Sumerian Goddess of Doctors and the Healing Arts
Gula (also known as Ninkarrak) is the Sumerian goddess of healing and patroness of doctors, healing arts, and medical practices. She is first attested...
Article
How the United Nations was Born from WWII
The Allies met in several conferences from 1941 to 1945 to discuss how to guarantee a more peaceful and cooperative world once the Second World War...
