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2,983 definitions
1,753 articles
19,767 illustrations
2,627 videos
415 3D images
15,977 translations
47 languages
1,333 contributors
15,453 keywords
56,855 registered users
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Ancient Period

Herodotus on Babylon
Article

Herodotus on Babylon

The description of Babylon and Babylonian customs in Histories by the Greek historian Herodotus (l. c. 484-425/413 BCE) has long been challenged for accuracy and been found wanting...
Reactions to Plague in the Ancient & Medieval World
Article

Reactions to Plague in the Ancient & Medieval World

Throughout history, epidemics and pandemics of plague and other diseases have caused widespread panic and social disorder even, in some instances, when the people...
Passing of Philosophy to Religion: The Death of Hypatia
Article

Passing of Philosophy to Religion: The Death of Hypatia

The death of the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria (l. c. 370-415) has long been considered the "passage of philosophy to religion", exemplifying the transition...
The History of Japanese Green Tea
Article

The History of Japanese Green Tea

The history of green tea in Japan goes back to the 8th century when it was a popular stimulant for meditating monks. In this article, we examine tea's origins and cultivation...
The Tomb of King Muryeong
Article

The Tomb of King Muryeong

The tomb of king Muryeong is perhaps one of the most impressive tombs from the Baekje kingdom of ancient Korea, both in its design and the treasure found inside it. Muryeong-Wang...
Battle of Cannae
Definition

Battle of Cannae

The Battle of Cannae (2 August 216 BCE) was the decisive victory of the Carthaginian army over Roman forces at Cannae, southeast Italy, during the Second Punic War (218-202 BCE). The Carthaginian...
Digital Reconstruction of Caesarea Maritima
Image Gallery

Digital Reconstruction of Caesarea Maritima - A Gallery of 11 Images

Caesarea Maritima was a bustling trading hub of the Eastern Mediterranean. Built on earlier ruins, the new metropolis was commissioned by Herod the...
Ono no Komachi
Definition

Ono no Komachi

Ono no Komachi was a poetess of great renown during the Heian Period (794-1185 CE) of ancient Japan. The Kokinshu anthology, compiled in 905 CE, contains many of her poems, and her work and...
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Medieval Period

The Arthurian Legend
Collection

The Arthurian Legend

The Arthurian Legend developed in Europe between c. 830, when the Welsh historian Nennius first mentions King Arthur through c. 1469 when Sir Thomas Malory composes Le Morte D’Arthur...
Flann Sinna
Definition

Flann Sinna

Flann Sinna (r. 879-916 CE) was a High King of Ireland from the Kingdom of Mide (Meath) and a member of the Clann Cholmain, a branch of the Southern Ui Neill dynasty. His name is pronounced...
Siege Warfare in Medieval Europe
Article

Siege Warfare in Medieval Europe

Siege tactics were a crucial part of medieval warfare, especially from the 11th century CE when castles became more widespread in Europe and sieges outnumbered pitched battles...
The Meanings of Mjölnir
Article

The Meanings of Mjölnir - Thor's Hammer & More

One of the most famous objects in Norse mythology, Mjölnir was the hammer wielded by Thor, god of storms and thunder, and was his most potent weapon in battles against...
Religion in the Middle Ages
Article

Religion in the Middle Ages

Religion in the Middle Ages, though dominated by the Catholic Church, was far more varied than only orthodox Christianity. In the Early Middle Ages (c. 476-1000), long-established...
Second Crusade
Definition

Second Crusade

The Second Crusade (1147-1149) was a military campaign organised by the Pope and European nobles to recapture the city of Edessa in Mesopotamia which had fallen in 1144 to the Muslim Seljuk...
12 Best Historical Fiction Books to Read
Article

12 Best Historical Fiction Books to Read

The AHE team live and breathe history, but we all have our favourite historical periods and authors. We thought it would be fun for each of us to nominate one or two...
White Huns (Hephthalites)
Definition

White Huns (Hephthalites)

The White Huns were a race of largely nomadic peoples who were a part of the Hunnic tribes of Central Asia. They ruled over an expansive area stretching from the Central Asian lands...
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Early Modern Period

Mondamin
Article

Mondamin

Mondamin (also given as Mon-Daw-Min, The Gift of Corn, and The Origin of Corn) is a tale from the Ojibwe Nation on how the people received corn from the Great Spirit through the vision quest of...
The Armies of the East India Company
Article

The Armies of the East India Company

The East India Company (EIC) was first England's and then Britain's tool of colonial expansion in India and beyond. Revenue from trade and land taxes from territories it...
A History of Svalbard
Article

A History of Svalbard

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean on the northwest corner of the Barents Shelf. It is 800 kilometres (497 mi) north of mainland Norway and sits roughly midway between the...
Declaration of Pillnitz
Definition

Declaration of Pillnitz

The Declaration of Pillnitz was a joint statement issued on 27 August 1791 by Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1790-1792) and King Frederick William II of Prussia (r. 1786-1797...
1st Rhode Island Regiment
Definition

1st Rhode Island Regiment

The 1st Rhode Island Regiment, also known as Varnum's Regiment or the Black Regiment, was a regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). It...
Index of Prohibited Books
Article

Index of Prohibited Books - The Banned Books of the Catholic Church

The Index of Prohibited Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum) was a list of written works condemned as heretical or injurious to the Christian faith...
Great Northern War
Definition

Great Northern War

The Great Northern War took place from 1700 to 1721 and was fought between Russia and Sweden during the reign of Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great). One of the key causes of the war was...
A Gallery of Ancient Japanese Pagodas
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...
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Modern Period

Geronimo
Definition

Geronimo

Geronimo (Goyahkla, l. c. 1829-1909) was a medicine man and war chief of the Bedonkohe tribe of the Chiricahua Apache nation, best known for his resistance against the encroachment of Mexican...
Edgar Allan Poe
Definition

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American author and poet, often credited as the father of the short story, a pioneer of science fiction, the inventor of the detective story, and the master...
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: A Gallery of 30 Paintings
Image Gallery

Pierre-Auguste Renoir: A Gallery of 30 Paintings

In this gallery, we showcase 30 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), the French impressionist painter. The selection here is presented in chronological...
January Uprising of 1863
Definition

January Uprising of 1863 - Polish Rebellion Against Russian Rule in Poland

The January Uprising of 1863 was a conflict between Tsarist Russia and Polish insurgents striving for independence. The uprising continued until...
Bangkok's Portuguese Past
Article

Bangkok's Portuguese Past

Any itinerary for a visit to Bangkok, Thailand would include some of the city's must-see historical and cultural sights: - The 24-hour flower market (Pak Khlong Talat) filled...
Battle of Queenston Heights
Article

Battle of Queenston Heights

The Battle of Queenston Heights (13 October 1812) was a major battle in the War of 1812. A US army, under General Stephen Van Rensselaer, crossed the Niagara River in an attempted...
The Tempest
Definition

The Tempest - Shakespeare's Magical Tragicomedy

The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare (c. 1564-1616), written in 1610 or 1611, and first performed for the court of James I of England (r. 1603-1625) on 2...
Chunkey
Definition

Chunkey

Chunkey (tchung-kee) is a Native American game involving a rolling disc (or ring) and two teams of players who score by throwing their sticks to land as close to the disc as possible. The game...
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Prehistoric Period

Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherer Societies
Article

Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherer Societies

Hunter-gatherer societies are – true to their astoundingly descriptive name – cultures in which human beings obtain their food by hunting, fishing, scavenging, and gathering...
Homo Rudolfensis
Definition

Homo Rudolfensis

Homo rudolfensis is an early human species that lived in East Africa between c. 2.5 and 1.8 million years ago. It is known from a handful of skull, jaw and teeth fragments that remind alternatingly...
Carnac
Definition

Carnac

Carnac, located on the north-west coast of France, is the site of the largest concentration of megalithic monuments in the world. Over 100 monuments, which include burial mounds, stone tombs, enclosures...
Homo Floresiensis
Definition

Homo Floresiensis

Homo floresiensis, nicknamed 'hobbit' because it only stood about 1 meter tall, is an extinct species of fossil human that lived on the island of Flores, Indonesia during the Pleistocene...
Knap of Howar
Definition

Knap of Howar

The Knap of Howar is a Neolithic site on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney, Scotland. The name is Old Norse for `mound of mounds' or `large barrow'. The building preserved at the site...
Stonehenge
Definition

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a Neolithic / Bronze Age monument located on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, southern England. The first monument on the site, began around 3100 BCE, was a circular 'henge' earthwork...
Clava Cairns
Definition

Clava Cairns - Monuments to Memory and More

Clava Cairns is an early Bronze Age site in Scotland, located east of the city of Inverness, consisting of three well-preserved cairns (two of which are passage graves...
Newgrange
Definition

Newgrange

Newgrange is a Neolithic monument located in the region of Bru na Boinne, County Meath, Ireland. The name is fairly modern and comes from the 'newer' grange (farm) of the monks of Mellifont Abbey...
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