If ancient history is your interest at all, you know of the Great Library at Alexandria. It’s not one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but was a major intellectual achievement all the same. But it was not the only major library from ancient times. The Library of Ashurbanipal also ranks among the […]
Tag: Assyria
Hanging Gardens of Babylon – Was This Fantastic Wonder Real?
I’ve saved the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for last in my description of the ancient world’s wonders. I have several reasons for doing so. First, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are anomalous in several ways when compared to the other six wonders I’ve featured on my blog. They are the only wonder located outside the […]
Was Greek Fire a New, Genuine Breakthrough Chemical Weapon?
Most of us think of chemical weapons as a twentieth century phenomenon. But did you know that one existed in the medieval world as well? We call that chemical weapon Greek fire. For many, the term chemical weapon has negative connotations. We recall the gas mask as an essential piece of equipment for World War […]
Canopic Jars – Interesting Historical Artifacts
Today my blog takes a break from book reviews and serious issues to introduce you to canopic jars. A canopic jar is one of the most interesting artifacts from Ancient Egypt. What did they do? The primary purpose of a canopic jar was to hold the embalmed organs of a deceased person undergoing mummification. Typically, […]