Collections

This gallery of maps highlights the diversity of the Roman Empire by exploring its administrative structure. Roman provinces were territories outside Italy governed and administered by the Empire. Established to manage the vast expanse of...

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was established in 1946, but the region has a history stretching back thousands of years. From the megalithic dolmens through the rise of cities, the reign of the Akkadian Empire, and on through the Kingdom...

Children in the ancient world are, generally speaking, underrepresented in art, literature, and archaeological evidence when compared with the larger population owing to their status as wards of adults who are often, though not always, the...

The causes of WWII (1939-45) were many and varied, but there was a chain of international crises in Europe, which finally degenerated into a conflict that ultimately spread to engulf most of the world. In this collection of resources, we...

The first female warrior attested to historically is Queen Ahhotep I of Egypt (l. c. 1570-1530 BCE) who put down a rebellion by the Hyksos when her son, Ahmose I, was campaigning against the Nubians. In literature, the first mention of women...

Deities representing the concepts of rebirth and renewal have been a vital aspect of the human condition for thousands of years. Early animistic belief systems venerated the sun, which later became associated with powerful deities, such as...

In this collection of resources we look at the origins of Christmas and the story of the Nativity, the pagan traditions that have influenced how the holiday has been celebrated ever since, and how different eras have found new ways to add...

The Norse tradition of celebrating Yule (Yuletide=Yule Time) influenced many of the later traditions now associated with Christmas. "Yuletide" appears in Christmas carols, is often used interchangeably with "Christmas", and many still celebrate...

Religious festivals have featured as a central aspect of civilization for thousands of years, the earliest thought to be celebrations of the New Year and the concept of rebirth and new beginnings that accompanied it. The first such festival...

Churches around the world are not only houses of worship but offer a wide array of architectural styles and forms, from modest structures, such as St. John's Church in Waimate North, New Zealand, to the striking artistic innovations and ornamentation...