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Definition
Janus
The Roman Republic owed much to the cultural influence of its Greek neighbors. For centuries the Greeks occupied a prominent position to the south on the island of Sicily. A series of wars in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE brought to the city...
Article
Ruth & Naomi
The story of Ruth and Naomi is found in the book of Ruth in the Jewish Scriptures. The Scriptures are traditionally divided into three sections: Torah (the first five books assigned to Moses), the Prophets (Nevi’im), and Writings (Ketuvim...
Definition
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies of British North America that gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 5 September to 26 October 1774. Its primary purpose was to coordinate...
Article
The Eleusinian Mysteries: The Rites of Demeter
The Rites of Eleusis, or the Eleusinian Mysteries, were the secret rituals of the mystery school of Eleusis and were observed regularly from c. 1600 BCE - 392 CE. Exactly what this mystic ritual was no one knows; but why the ancient Greeks...
Article
Arch of Janus
The Arch of Janus, erected in the 4th century CE, stands in the forum Boarium of Rome and was most probably set up as a boundary-marker rather than a commemorative triumphal arch. The four-way marble arch stands over the Cloaca Maxima or...
Definition
Mithraism
The Mithraic Mysteries, also known as Mithraism, were a mystery cult in the Roman world where followers worshipped the Indo-Iranian deity Mithras (Akkadian for "contract") as the god of friendship, contract and order. The cult first...
Image
Arch of Janus
The Arch of Janus in the forum Boarium of Rome, constructed in the 4th century CE. The four-way marble arch probably acted as a boundary marker and, perhaps not coincidentally, stands directly over the Great Drain or Cloaca Maxima which fed...
Collection
Unsolved Ancient Mysteries
We know a lot about our past but some things, despite research, archaeology and endless debate, still remain largely unknown. This collection looks at some of the great unsolved mysteries from the ancient world to try and discover the facts...
Image
Ruth & Naomi
Ruth and Naomi, oil on canvas painting by Philip Hermogenes Calderon, 1886.
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
Image
Ruth Swearing her Allegiance to Naomi
Ruth swearing her allegiance to Naomi, oil on canvas painting by Jan Victors, 1653.
Private collection.