Neanderthal Naturopaths Self-Medicated
Okay, so maybe they weren’t technically naturopaths (in any sense of the word, really)… but a cave in northern Spain that some time ago yielded evidence that historians interpreted as suggesting some...
View ArticleBaring the Bones of History, Part I: Who Was Richard III?
For someone who only ruled England for two years, Richard III has certainly been causing a bit of fuss lately. But who was he, really? And why should we care? Richard came to power by a bit of a...
View ArticleBaring the Bones of History, Part II: Getting Personal with Richard III’s...
Richard III was the eighth child of his parents, Richard Plantagenet (3rd Duke of York, with a strong claim to King Henry IV’s throne) and Cecily Neville. Born at Fotheringhay Castle, the place must...
View ArticleBaring the Bones of History, Part III: Two Weddings and a Funeral
Previously in this series, we left 18-year-old Richard with a handful of titles, some battle honor, and hankering for the next step in life. We re-join Richard III on July 12th, 1472. Although Anne...
View ArticleBaring the Bones of History, Part IV: Conspiracy and Coronation
In the previous instalment of this series, we left Richard with one brother on the throne and one brother executed. We pick up his story after the death of King Edward V (which we mentioned in Part I)....
View ArticleBaring the Bones of History, Part V: A Nasty Blow to the Head
In Part I of this series, we mentioned how Richard III died in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth field. His army at this battle was about 8,000 to his opponent Henry Tudor’s 5,000, though some...
View ArticleBaring the Bones of History, Part VI: Remembering Where You Parked, or...
Underneath a Leicester car park , more than 400 years after his death and several hundred years of asking “where on earth is Richard III?”, the former King of England has made his mark on history one...
View ArticleYour Ancient Ancestors Had Better Teeth Than You
That’s right—if you lived in ancient times, it’s entirely possible that your dental bill would have been a fraction of what it is today! Discounting, of course, the lack of dentists in ancient times....
View ArticleWatch Out, Or I’ll Spetum in Your Eye!
Technically, to spetum in someone’s eye is possible… with the small exception that “to spetum” is not a verb. But when has grammar ever stopped someone from stabbing another person during battle?...
View ArticleIt’s a Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger… Celt God, CELT GOD!
The ancient Celts liked to do things a little differently when it came to their gods. They took one look at the Greco-Roman god Apollo and thought “no way dude, that guy’s boring… pretty sure the god...
View ArticleRichard III’s Painful Scoliosis Treatments
Anyone who suffers from scoliosis knows that it can be a lot of work to fix, if that’s even possible. Modern medical advances have made it possible to correct scoliosis in many cases, but what about...
View Article“Let Them Eat Sausage!” Polish Vampire Burials Surprise Workers
Imagine the surprise of some local construction workers in Poland, minding their own business and doing their jobs, when suddenly they happen upon an ancient burial ground… but not just any burial...
View ArticleBaring the Bones of History, Part II: Getting Personal with Richard III’s...
Richard III was the eighth child of his parents, Richard Plantagenet (3rd Duke of York, with a strong claim to King Henry IV’s throne) and Cecily Neville. Born at Fotheringhay Castle, the place must...
View ArticlePrehistoric Europeans Spiced Up Their Life
About 6,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers in ancient Europe collected garlic mustard seeds and mixed them together in their pottery dishes, and… Wait a minute. Hunter-gatherers… using pottery? Let’s back...
View ArticleParty Invitation in Ancient Rome
The ancient fort of Vindolanda used to be a part of the Roman Empire, though today it’s part of modern Britain. This northern area of the Empire was cold and rainy (and still is!), and has yielded...
View ArticleHorses Stand Upright in Death
While it’s not uncommon to read about archaeologists—or “gold rush” tomb robbers—to uncover troves of Thracian gold treasures in Bulgarian tombs, it’s more than a little unusual to find an entire...
View ArticleYour Ancestors Wouldn’t Have Lied to the Dental Hygienist
You know how it is. You go to the dentist, and the dental hygienist begins cleaning your teeth, making strange “hmms” and “huh” noises. And you know what’s coming. You wait for it with a sense of...
View ArticleYour Ancient Ancestors Had Better Teeth Than You
That’s right—if you lived in ancient times, it’s entirely possible that your dental bill would have been a fraction of what it is today! Discounting, of course, the lack of dentists in ancient times....
View ArticleWatch Out, Or I’ll Spetum in Your Eye!
Technically, to spetum in someone’s eye is possible… with the small exception that “to spetum” is not a verb. But when has grammar ever stopped someone from stabbing another person during battle?...
View ArticleSore Loser’s 7th-Century Game Piece Found
Modern-day board game enthusiasts are certainly familiar with this scenario: Picking out a game from the shelves, opening the box, getting the game set up, only to discover that… a piece is missing?!...
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