Featured Definition
Definition
Battle of the Alamo - The Fall of Heroes
Of all the battles of the Texas Revolution, the Battle of the Alamo (6 March 1836) is the most famous. It is not only among the best-known and most...
Featured Image
Image
Family Tree of the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt (305-30 BCE)
The Ptolemaic Dynasty (305–30 BCE) ruled Egypt during the Hellenistic age, emerging from the fragmentation of Alexander the Great’s empire after his...
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Definition
Akkad and the Akkadian Empire - The First Multinational Empire in the World
The city of Akkad was the seat of the Akkadian Empire (2350/2334-2154 BCE), the first multinational political entity in the world, founded by Sargon...
Definition
Vespasian - The Commoner Who Became Roman Emperor
Vespasian (9-79 CE) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79 CE. Despite his low birth, he worked hard to rise through the ranks of Roman politics and eventually...
Article
12 Great Cities of Ancient Mesopotamia - The Rise and Fall of the Earliest Cities in the World
The great cities of Mesopotamia ("the land between two rivers") developed prior to the late 4th millennium BCE along two rivers – the Tigris and Euphrates...
Definition
Nero - The Artist Emperor
Nero (37-68 CE) was the fifth Roman emperor, who reigned from 54 to 68 CE. The last emperor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, he came to power at the age...
Definition
Ashur - The First Great Assyrian City
Ashur (also known as Assur) was an Assyrian city located on a plateau above the Tigris River in Mesopotamia (today known as Qal'at Sherqat, al-Shirqat...
Definition
Claudius - The Unlikely Roman Emperor
Claudius (10 BCE to 54 CE) was the fourth Roman emperor, who reigned from 41 to 54 CE. Though a member of the imperial Julio-Claudian Dynasty, his rise...
Article
The Curse of Agade - Naram-Sin's Fictional Battle with the Gods
The Curse of Agade (also given as The Cursing of Agade) is a poem dated to the Ur III period of Mesopotamia (circa 2112 to circa 2004 BCE), though it...
Definition
British Somaliland - The Protectorate on the Horn of Africa
The Somaliland Protectorate, more informally and better known as British Somaliland, was created in 1884 and ruled by Great Britain until independence...
Image Gallery
12 Maps of World War II in Europe and Africa
This collection of maps tells the story of World War II in Europe and Africa (1939–1945), a global conflict that emerged from unresolved tensions after...
Definition
Nineveh - The Great Cultural Center That Became the "City of Sin"
Nineveh (modern-day Mosul, Iraq) was one of the oldest and greatest cities in antiquity. It was originally known as Ninua, a trade center, and would...
Definition
The Battle of Abritus - Historic Gothic Victory Over Rome
The Battle of Abritus was an engagement fought between the armies of Rome under Emperor Decius (reign 249-251) and a coalition of Goths under the leadership...
Definition
Berlin Conference 1884-5 - Establishing the Rules of the Scramble for Africa
The Berlin Conference, also known as the Berlin West Africa Conference, was held between November 1884 and February 1885. Imperial powers, notably Great...
Article
The Legend of Cutha - A How-To on the Proper Relationship with One's God
The Legend of Cutha (also known as the Cuthean Legend of Naram-Sin, Cutha Legend, and Kutha Legend) is a fictional work dated to the 17th century BCE...
Definition
Cnut the Great - King of England, Denmark & Norway
Cnut (died 1035), sometimes called Cnut the Great, was king of England (reign 1016-1035), Denmark (reign 1018-1035), and Norway (reign 1028-1035). Following...
Definition
Cniva - The Goth King Who Defeated Rome
Cniva (also given as Kniva, reign circa 250 to possibly 270) was the king of the Goths who defeated Emperor Decius (reign 249-251) at the Battle of...
Article
Women in World War I - Changing Roles & Rights
During the First World War (1914-18), as governments sought to field the largest armies possible and so conscripted millions of men to the fighting...
