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War Stallion, Konarak Sun Temple
This is a sculpture found in the temple of Konarak, Odisha state, India. It shows a warrior standing alongside a warhorse. Now headless, he sports a scabbard down his back, while a quiver full of arrows is seen tied to the saddle. The horse...
Definition
Religion in the Ancient World
Religion (from the Latin Religio, meaning 'restraint,' or Relegere, according to Cicero, meaning 'to repeat, to read again,' or, most likely, Religionem, 'to show respect for what is sacred') is an organized system of beliefs and practices...
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The Divinity of Jesus
In the decades of the 20s and 30s of the 1st century CE, a Jew from the town of Nazareth in the Galilee began preaching that the God of Israel would soon intervene in history, restoring that nation to God's original plan and glory. From this...
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Twelve Gods of Persian Mythology
Ancient Persian Mythology is the term now referencing ancient Iranian religion prior to the rise of Zoroastrianism between c. 1500-1000 BCE. This was a polytheistic faith with a pantheon led by the supreme god Ahura Mazda (“Lord of Wisdom”...
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Saynday Tales
Saynday tales are popular legends of the Kiowa nation featuring the trickster figure Saynday who, like other Native American tricksters, sometimes appears as a hero, sometimes as a villain, and other times as a clownish buffoon. Two of the...
Definition
Abraham, the Patriarch
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Abraham is a venerated patriarch whose relationship with God provides the foundational story for God's beneficial relationship with humanity. According to biblical tradition (and some say myth), Abraham...
Definition
Yahweh
Yahweh is the name of the state god of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and, later, the Kingdom of Judah. His name is composed of four Hebrew consonants (YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton) which the prophet Moses is said to have revealed to...
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Aztec Sun Stone, 1792 Illustration
Aztec Sun Stone, illustration in Antonio León y Gama's Historical and Chronological Description of the Two Stones Which Were Found in 1790 During the Repaving of the Main Plaza in Mexico, 1792. Antonio León y Gama's (1735-1802) work, published...
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Origin of the Sweat Lodge
The sweat lodge is a temporary or permanent structure integral to Native American culture and frequently used in spiritual ceremonies. The lodge is often a low, dome-shaped, structure heated by hot rocks which produce steam as water is poured...
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Ancient Persian Gods, Heroes, and Creatures - The Complete List
The term 'mythology' comes from the Greek mythos (story-of-the-people) and logos (word or speech), meaning the spoken story of a people. Every civilization of the ancient world developed a belief system, which is characterized as 'mythology'...