WEIRD HISTORY
The Indus Valley Civilization flourished alongside Mesopotamia and Egypt, but the early society remains shrouded in mystery. Mohenjo Daro, or “Mound of the Dead” is an ancient Indus Valley Civilization city that was abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley …
The National Archives has scanned more than 300 agreements between the United States and Indigenous tribes. Ratified Indian Treaty 37: Eel River, Wyandot, Piankashaw, Kaskaskia, and Kickapoo—Vincennes, Indiana Territory, August 7, 1803 (Courtesy of the National Archives) – By Nora McGreevy SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 …
Prehistoric tracks detail a moment when mammoths, sloths and humans crossed paths. The footprints found at White Sands National Park are more than 10,000 years old. (Courtesy of the National Park Service) – By Livia Gershon SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Oct 14 – A small …
The King’s Grave in Sweden ( CC by SA 3.0 ) – By Caleb Strom – In 1748, two farmers stumbled upon an ancient stone tomb near the village of Kivik in southern Sweden while digging in a quarry. The tomb, now known …
The Ilopango mega-eruption in 431 AD must have looked like this but no one understood just how much this single event effected the global climate, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Source: Catmando / Adobe Stock – By Ashley Cowie 2020 Oct 01 …
Researchers say prehistoric mastodon bones bear human-made markings The surface of mastodon bone showing half impact notch on a segment of femur. (Tom Deméré, San Diego Natural History Museum) – By Brigit Katz SmithsonianMag.Com 2017 Apr 26 – In 1992, construction workers were …
For centuries, indigenous history has been largely told through a European lens. John White, circa 1585-1593, © The Trustees of the British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA – By Sturt Manning, Director of the Cornell Tree Ring Laboratory and Professor of Classical Archaeology, Cornell University …
A 19th-century engraving depicts the Angel of Death descending on Rome during the Antonine plague. J.G. Levasseur/Wellcome Collection, CC BY – By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College 2020 Oct 01 – Before March of this year, few probably thought disease …
What route did the first settlers to colonize the islands of the Caribbean take? M.M. Swee/Moment via Getty Images – 2020 Sep 29 Authors Matthew F. Napolitano, Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology, University of Oregon Jessica Stone, Affiliated Researcher in the Department of Anthropology, …
An outlandish idea code-named ‘Operation Fantasia’ aimed to demoralize the Axis power by mimicking legendary spirits. Operation Fantasia aimed to destroy Japanese morale by exposing soldiers and civilians to a Shinto portent of doom: kitsune, or fox-shaped spirits with magical abilities. (Illustration by …
