Celebrate Our Anniversary with Trivia!
Join us on August 23 for a free virtual trivia party featuring questions about ancient civilizations, U.S. history, unusual historical facts, pop culture, and more.
$513 / $5000
Featured
Definition
Fertile Crescent - A Modern Term For An Ancient Region
The Fertile Crescent, often called the 'cradle of civilization', is the region in the Middle East that curves like a quarter-moon shape from the Persian Gulf...
Featured
Image Gallery
History by the Numbers - 12 Visual Stories of Power, Conflict, Discovery & Change
History is filled with numbers: years of rule, distances travelled, armies mobilized, cities besieged, territories conquered, and generations...
Featured
Image
The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of 1066 - Conquest, Propaganda, and the Norman Claim to England
The Bayeux Tapestry, created in the late 11th century, probably in England for a Norman patron, is one of the most important...
Featured
Image
The Twelve Major Sieges of Constantinople (626–1453 CE) - War, Survival, and the Fall of the Byzantine Capital
The city of Constantinople, dedicated as the new imperial capital in 330 CE by Constantine I "the Great" (reign...
Latest Content
Article
Losing an Opportunity at Bull Run - Porter's Critique of the Confederate Victory
William H. Russell’s account of the Union retreat at the First Battle of Bull...
Definition
Mitsubishi A6M Zero - From Finest Fighter to Kamikaze Fodder
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero-sen is the most famous Japanese fighter of the Second World War (1939-45...
Article
Vienna’s Legacy: The Habsburg Empire on the Intellectual Map
While most people today know about the influence of London, Paris, and New York on modern...
Image Gallery
History by the Numbers - 12 Visual Stories of Power, Conflict, Discovery & Change
History is filled with numbers: years of rule, distances travelled, armies...
Article
Panic at Bull Run - Russell's Account of the Union Retreat
Panic at Bull Run is an excerpt from a longer article, The Battle of Bull Run, by the famous...
Article
The Integration of Church and State in the Roman Empire
In the ancient world, "religion" and society were not separate entities. Various gods dictated...
Free for the World, Supported by You
World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. Please support free history education for millions of learners worldwide for only $5 per month by becoming a member. Thank you!
World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. Please support free history education for millions of learners worldwide for only $5 per month by becoming a member. Thank you!
Become a Member DonateFor You
Definition
Helen (Play)
Helen is a Greek tragedy by Euripides (c. 484-407 BCE). It is usually thought to have first been performed at the Great Dionysia of 412 BCE and was part of the trilogy that included Euripides'...
Collection
Ancient Egyptian Goddesses
Egyptian goddesses are among the best-known and most popular from antiquity. Images of Isis, Hathor, Bastet, and Selket – among many others – are world-famous. The popularity of...
Definition
Tower of London
The Tower of London is a castle located in London alongside the River Thames which was first built by William the Conqueror from c. 1077 and significantly added to over the centuries. Often...
Definition
Bardr mac Imair
Bardr mac Imair (c. 873-881 CE, also known as Barid mac Imair, Barith, Baraid) was a Viking king of Dublin, son of the Viking king Imair (Imar, Ivan) who founded the Ui Imair Dynasty in...
Book Reviews
Book Review
A History of the Ottoman Empire
A History of the Ottoman Empire offers a comprehensive survey of Ottoman history in broad contours. Its author, Douglas A. Howard, Professor Emeritus at Calvin University, defies...
Book Review
Everyday Cosmopolitanisms: Living the Silk Road in Medieval Armenia
When I first saw the title of this book, I was excited to read it. Many studies on the Silk Road focus on its eastern end in China or its southern...
Book Review
Women at War in the Classical World
Classical history tends to focus on the big-ticket war stories: Hannibal crossing the Alps, Alexander conquering Persia, Achilles and Hector's final epic battle at Troy or...
Statistics
| 2,961 | definitions |
| 1,736 | articles |
| 19,637 | illustrations |
| 2,617 | videos |
| 415 | 3D images |
| 15,392 | translations |
| 47 | languages |
| 1,321 | contributors |
| 15,243 | keywords |
| 51,115 | registered users |
Ancient Period
Article
Follow the Money. The Coinage of Later Imperial Rome: A Reflection of Economic Stress and Decline
Unlike the practice of professional numismatists, I prefer to see the “big picture”. So, my entire Roman coin collection...
Image Gallery
Sports in the Ancient Mediterranean
Sports and athleticism was a cornerstone of life in the ancient Mediterranean. Hunting, dancing, gymnastics, and charioteering were favorite sports of the elite in Mesopotamia...
Definition
Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
In the 2nd century CE, as Christianity was in the process of becoming an independent religion, a body of literature emerged that scholars classify as apocrypha and pseudepigrapha...
Definition
Kim Yu-sin
Kim Yu-sin (aka Kim Yushin, 595-673 CE) was a general of the Silla kingdom which ruled south-eastern Korea during the Three Kingdoms Period. Kim would greatly help Silla unify Korea, famously...
Article
Aztec Society
Aztec society was hierarchical and divided into clearly defined classes. The nobility dominated the key positions in the military, state administration, judiciary, and priesthood. While traders...
Article
Native American Concept of Land Ownership
The Native American concept of land ownership differs significantly from that of the European settlers who colonized the Americas or their descendants in that land could...
Definition
Ancient Cyprus
Cyprus is a large island located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, south of Asia Minor, west of the Levant, and north of Egypt. The naming of the island is a matter of dispute...
Definition
Patroclus
Patroclus is a figure from Greek mythology who fought in the Trojan War and was most famous for his close friendship with the Greek hero, Achilles. He followed Achilles to Troy and would ultimately...
Medieval Period
Definition
Byzantine Emperor
The Byzantine Emperor ruled as an absolute monarch in an institution which lasted from the 4th to 15th century CE. Aided by ministers, high-ranking nobility, and key church figures, the...
Article
The Germanic Warrior - Loyalty Unto Death
In Germanic society, the surest route to wealth, status and power was success in battle. Its most important institution was the comitatus or war band, the personal retinue...
Definition
Tairona Civilization
The Tairona civilization - one of the Chibcha family tribes - flourished in northern Colombia between 200 CE and 1600 CE. Like the Muisca of Cundinamarca, the Tairona were known for...
Collection
10 Great Castles in England & Wales
The Norman Conquest of 1066 CE brought sophisticated motte and bailey castle architecture to England but it was really in the 12th and 13th centuries CE that stone castle-building...
Definition
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick (5th century) is the best-known patron saint of Ireland and one of the most successful Christian missionaries in history. He is credited with expanding literacy in Ireland through...
Definition
Kikimora
Kikimora (pronounced Kih-kee-mora) is a female house spirit from Slavic lore who can be helpful or malevolent depending on the behavior of the homeowner. In differing versions of her stories...
Definition
Birka
Birka, located on the island of Björkö in present-day Sweden, was an important trading center and strongly fortified town in the Viking Age which flourished from the 8th through the 10th centuries...
Article
The Historical King Arthur
The legends surrounding King Arthur and his knights have charmed and intrigued people for centuries and their popularity continues in the present day. As with any famous figure...
Early Modern Period
Definition
Thomas Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Archbishop of York (l. c. 1473-1530 CE) served as Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) from around 1513 CE to 1529 CE. Wolsey rose to become the...
Definition
Popham Colony
The Popham Colony (1607-1608 CE, also referred to as the Sagadahoc Colony) was an English settlement established in the present-day town of Phippsburg, State of Maine, USA, in August 1607...
Article
George Washington in the French and Indian War
The life and career of George Washington (1732-1799) were largely impacted by the French and Indian War (1754-1763). An officer of the Virginia Regiment, Washington's...
Definition
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was an American politician and lawyer, who served as the third vice president of the United States (1801-1805). His reputation as a US Founding Father was marred by his...
Definition
Powhatan Confederacy
The Powhatan Confederacy (c. 1570-1646 or 1677) was a political, social, and martial entity of over 30 Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes of the region of modern-day Virginia...
Article
Cajetan's On Faith and Works
On Faith and Works (1532) by Cardinal Thomas Cajetan (l. c. 1468-1534) is a refutation of the central arguments of Martin Luther (l. 1483-1546) concerning justification before...
Definition
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Four Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767-1799) were fought between the British East India Company (EIC) and the state of Mysore. Haidar Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, the "Tiger of Mysore", were...
Definition
Huldrych Zwingli
Huldrych Zwingli (l. 1484-1531) was a Swiss priest who became the leader of the Protestant Reformation in the region at the same time Martin Luther (l. 1483-1546) was active in Germany...
Modern Period
Article
Battle of the Wilderness - The Horrific Woodland Battle in the American Civil War
The Battle of the Wilderness (5-6 May 1864) was the opening engagement of the Overland Campaign, a major Union offensive conducted during...
Article
The Liberation of Jane Johnson - Her Famous Escape and Court Testimony
Jane Johnson (circa 1814/1827-1872) and her two young sons, Daniel and Isaiah, were slaves of one John Hill Wheeler of North Carolina, who brought...
Article
Causes of the American Civil War - Spoiler Alert: It Was All About Slavery
There was actually only one cause for the American Civil War: slavery. All the events leading to the Civil War, understood as steps moving steadily...
Image Gallery
A Gallery of Ancient Japanese Pagodas
In this gallery, we look at some of the most famous pagodas in Japan, many of which are classified as National Treasures. Pagodas are tall, multi-storied structures which...
Definition
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws of September 1935 were a set of racial laws which set out a number of restrictions on Jewish people such as depriving them of the right to German citizenship and right...
Collection
Great African Kingdoms
This collection presents a small sampling of the many great African kingdoms that rose and fell from the ancient period when Punt traded with Egypt up through the common era. Each kingdom...
Definition
Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was an innovative Hungarian pianist and composer most famous for his classical works for piano and orchestra, string quartets, and songs, many of which present traditional...
Definition
Benito Mussolini - Founder of Fascism
Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) was the founder of fascism and dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He led the country into a highly authoritarian regime and then dragged it...
Prehistoric Period
Image Gallery
Prehistoric Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly are a small island group west of Cornwall. Despite their small size, they abound in prehistoric sites dating from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, including...
Image Gallery
Paleolithic Art
The first non-functional human-made objects that could be clearly classified as art date back to the Upper Paleolithic (c. 50,000 to c. 12,000 years ago) in Europe. Although Upper Paleolithic...
Article
Rock Drawings of Valcamonica
The rock drawings of Valcamonica are prehistoric petroglyphs carved in the glacier-polished, grey-purple Permian sandstone of the Camonica valley that extends for 90 km in the...
Article
Prehistoric Alpine Stilt Houses
Alpine stilt houses are a unique and fascinating aspect of prehistoric architecture in the Alps, which provide valuable insights into the lives and culture of the ancient communities...
Image Gallery
A Gallery of Historical Maps
This gallery of 30 maps traces the history of cartography, with examples of maps made by cultures from the Paleolithic to the early modern period. The maps cover cities, states...
Image Gallery
A Gallery of the Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization (c. 7000-c. 600 BCE) is among the oldest in the world but, as it was only “discovered” in 1829 – after ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian...
Definition
Pre-Colonial North America
Pre-Colonial North America (also known as Pre-Columbian, Prehistoric, and Precontact) is the period between the migration of the Paleo-Indians to the region between 40,000-14,000...
Article
The Stonehenge Burials
A great deal has been written about why the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, southern England, was constructed. Perhaps it was designed as a temple to the ancestors...
