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Kon-Tiki Expedition - Thor Heyerdahl's Epic Crossing of the Pacific in a Raft
The Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947, led by the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), successfully crossed 8,000 km (5,000 miles) of the Pacific Ocean from...
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Map of Southern Levant c.1200 BCE - Emerging Societies in the Early Iron Age
Around c. 1200 BCE, the southern Levant stood at a critical point of transformation following the decline of Late Bronze Age systems. For centuries...
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Definition
Mau Mau Rebellion - Nationalism & Terror in British Kenya
The Mau Mau rebellion (1952-60), led by the Kikuyu people of Kenya, was a guerrilla war conducted against British colonial rule, motivated by anger...
Definition
Shulgi of Ur - Greatest King of the Ur III Period
Shulgi of Ur (reign 2094 to circa 2046 BCE) is considered the greatest king of the Ur III period in Mesopotamia (circa 2112 to circa 2004 BCE). His...
Article
The Colonial Bungalow - Combatting Climate & Creating Separation
With its thick walls, high ceilings, large rooms, and wide verandahs, the colonial bungalow was constructed to meet the challenges of hot climates...
Article
The Death of Ur-Nammu - The Sumerian Vision of the Afterlife
The Death of Ur-Nammu is a Sumerian lament over the passing of the king Ur-Nammu (reign circa 2112-2094 BCE), founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, who...
Definition
Roger Mortimer - The Most Traitorous Earl of Edward II's Court
Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (1287-1330) was an English nobleman who deposed King Edward II of England (reign 1307-1327) and then established himself...
Article
The Sumerian Poem Schooldays - Sumerian Satire & the Scribal Life
Schooldays (written circa 2000 BCE) is a Sumerian poem describing the daily life of a young scribe in the schools of Mesopotamia. The work takes the...
Definition
Piers Gaveston - The Rise and Fall of Edward II's Controversial Companion
Piers Gaveston (lived circa 1284-1312) was a Gascon-born English nobleman, famous as the favorite of King Edward II of England (reign 1307-1327). Gaveston's...
Definition
Fashoda Incident - When Britain and France Almost Went to War in Africa
The Fashoda Incident of 1898 occurred in Sudan and caused a diplomatic crisis between the British and French empires. A small French force claimed authority...
Definition
Code of Ur-Nammu - The Oldest Law Code in the World
The Code of Ur-Nammu (circa 2100-2050 BCE) is the oldest extant law code in the world. It was written by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu (reign circa 2112-2094...
Definition
Ur-Nammu - Founder of the Sumerian Renaissance
Ur-Nammu (circa 2112-2094 BCE) was the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur in Sumer, who initiated the so-called Ur III period (circa 2112 to circa 2004...
Article
Battle of Omdurman - Britain's Vengeance for the Death of General Gordon
The Battle of Omdurman on 2 September 1898 saw General Kitchener lead an Anglo-Egyptian-Sudanese army to victory over 50,000 Mahdists in Sudan. The...
Definition
Mesopotamian Warfare - Early Development of Armed Conflict
Ancient Mesopotamian warfare progressed from companies of a city's militia in Sumer to the professional standing armies of Akkad, Babylon, Assyria...
Definition
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord - Napoleon's Treacherous Foreign Minister
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838) was one of the most significant political figures in modern French history. Beginning his career...
Article
The Hymn to Ninkasi, Goddess of Beer - A Praise Song and Ancient Beer Recipe
The Hymn to Ninkasi is at once a song of praise to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, and an ancient recipe for brewing (though this claim has been...
Definition
Caratacus - The Catuvellauni Chieftain Who Defied Rome
Caratacus (or Caractacus) was a Briton tribal leader who led the resistance against the Roman conquest of Britannia during the 1st century CE. When...
Article
Siege of Khartoum - Last Stand of General Gordon
The siege of Khartoum from March 1884 to January 1885 was the most dramatic episode of the Mahdist War (1881-99) in Sudan when an army led by the inspirational...
