Despite having made his own full suit of armor, Adam has never actually held a historical piece of armored gauntlet. That changes when he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor conservation lab, where armorer Ted Hunter brings out five pieces of 16th Century gauntlets for Adam to handle and inspect. Varied in their construction, purpose, and ornate style, these beautiful pieces of real armor are each more stunning than the last!
The Top 5 Ancient Artifacts That Scientists Can’t Explain
In this video, we'll explore the top 5 unexplained artifacts that continue to stump scientists and researchers. Each of these artifacts is unique and fascinating, and their unexplained nature only adds to their intrigue. From ancient metallic objects to intricate stone carvings, each artifact has been the subject of numerous theories and hypotheses, but no definitive explanation has ever been found.
Cleopatra's Scandalous Banquet to Impress Her Lover - A Look at Ancient Egyptian Hospitality
In this video we delve into the fascinating world of ancient Egyptian hospitality and explore one of the most scandalous banquets in history - Cleopatra's infamous feast to impress her lover, Mark Antony.
Cleopatra, the last active pharaoh of ancient Egypt, was known for her intelligence, beauty, and political savvy. Her reign was marked by political turmoil and upheaval, and she famously had relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, two of the most powerful men in the Roman world.
To impress her lover Mark Antony, Cleopatra hosted an extravagant banquet on a large barge in the city of Alexandria. The feast featured a staggering array of dishes made from the most exotic ingredients available, including rare and expensive spices, fruits, and meats. The highlight of the meal was said to be a dish of roasted boar, served with figs and honey, which was rumored to have cost a small fortune.
But the real scandal of the banquet came when Cleopatra presented Mark Antony with a gift that shocked and scandalized the guests. She had a single pearl earring, which was said to be worth an incredible sum of money, and she dissolved it in a cup of vinegar. She then drank the vinegar, in a gesture of incredible extravagance and decadence.
The scandalous nature of the banquet made it the talk of the city and added to Cleopatra's reputation for excess and indulgence. But it also demonstrates the role that feasting and dining played in ancient cultures, which were not just about food and drink but about social status, political power, and the creation of alliances and relationships.
Analyzing the North Face Corridor of the Great Pyramid
The hidden North Face Corridor of the pyramid was found to contain a gabled ceiling, known as a saddle vault. This design redirects the weight of the pyramid from above, and thus it was widely assumed to be a so-called ‘weight-relieving chamber’ protecting the descending corridor below.
But many details about the North Face Corridor suggest that protecting structures below may not have been its primary purpose. This video compares the design to other saddle-vaults and puts the corridor in context to the other features within the Great Pyramid.
12 Most Incredible Archaeological Finds
In the following video we will be exploring outstanding finds from all over the world and every period of history. Here’s the 12 most incredible archaeological finds. Enjoy!
Graham Hancock Reads Thoth's Prophecy From The Hermetic Texts
Graham Hancock’s books have sold more than five million copies worldwide and have been translated into 27 languages. In the following video, he’ll be reading Thoth’s prophecy from the Hermetic texts. Enjoy!
Extinct Animals That Could Still Be Around
In the video below we will analyze extinct animals that could still be around. Watch the video to find out more!
How Deep Down Is the Earth's Core?
How many layers does the Earth have? Have you ever wondered what lies beneath Earth's crust? Well, our planet is like an onion - with loads of different layers. The Earth's crust is like a hard-boiled egg's shell - thin and tough. It takes up less than 1% of the planet's size. At a depth of 3,300 ft, the pressure reaches 330 atmospheres. That's like four elephants piled up on your head or two pandas balanced on your thumbnail.
About 6,500 ft below the surface, you still can meet some living creatures! Those are springtails - teeny eyeless insects that live in super-deep Krubera Cave. The deepest multicellular animal people know about lives at a depth of 11,800 ft in the TauTona mine in South Africa. This may sound strange, but a lot of interesting things happen underground. For example, 510 ft underground, you find the world's deepest hotel, and in 2020, the world's deepest concert took place at a depth of 6,200 ft!
Making Medieval Mead like a Viking
In the following video we will be making medieval mead (also called hydromel), same way as the Vikings did. Enjoy!
Is there any truth to the King Arthur legends?
King Arthur has risen again and again in our collective imagination, along with his retinue of knights, Guinevere, the Round Table, Camelot, and of course Excalibur. But where do these stories come from, and is there any truth to them? Alan Lupack traces the evolution of King Arthur.
The Ancient History and Spiritual Depth of Yoga
The history of yoga is a rich tapestry of ancient wisdom, tracing back to the insightful techniques for inner peace documented in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by ancient Indian sages. Patanjali's contributions to yoga were profound, laying down the fundamental principles and practices that have guided practitioners for centuries. His work emphasized that yoga is not just a physical exercise but an existential, experimental, and experiential journey towards self-realization.
The origins of yoga can be traced to the sage Kapila and the ancient Indus Valley civilization, where the concept of Prakriti as the powerful and fundamental entity of the universe took root. Additionally, the origins of Tantra, a mystical tradition, may have emerged from matriarchal societies and left a lasting influence on the evolution of yoga.
Yoga's roots delve deep into history, with evidence of yogic practices found in the ancient Harappa civilization and the Vedic scriptures such as the Rigveda. The seers of the Rigveda were deeply attuned to Prakriti, shaping the early understanding of yoga as a profound spiritual practice.
The influence of other spiritual traditions, such as Buddhism, also played a significant role in shaping yoga. Buddha's spiritual journey and the founding doctrine of dharma, promoting the act of seeing and realizing instead of blind belief, became intertwined with the evolution of yoga. Even though Patanjali's Yoga Sutras were agnostic to all religions, Jainism and Buddhism had an influence on them, illustrating the varied spiritual landscape of ancient India.
Throughout its history, yoga has influenced Indian culture, embracing the pursuit of knowledge and the unification of the soul with the divine. The concept of Hatha yoga, focusing on physical purification and the awakening of subtle energy within the body, has deeply influenced the Bhakti movement, emphasizing devotion and expressing love for the divine.
The ancient practices of yoga have transcended time, leaving a profound imprint on Indian society. From the influence of Lord Shiva, depicted in yogic art as the embodiment of creation, existence, and destruction, to the fundamental concepts of Kundalini and Prana, which represent the flow of energy within the body, yoga has woven itself into the very fabric of Indian spirituality.
In the modern era, the legacy of yoga lives on through spiritual luminaries such as Ramakrishna Paramahansa, whose spiritual wonder and influence continue to inspire spiritual seekers around the world. The ancient and multifaceted history of yoga serves as a timeless testament to the enduring quest for inner transformation and self-realization.
Colonization of Africa - Summary on a Map
Let's look at a map and see a summary of the different phases of exploration, conquests and colonization of African territories by European powers, beginning from the mid-15th century. Enjoy!
Top 15 Biggest Asteroid Impacts in History
The meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, wasn't the only large scale impact in history. Today we'll take a look at some of the biggest asteroid impacts in Earth history. Watch the video to find out more!
9 Places You Should Never Swim (Never Ever!)
How to Stay Safe While Traveling. No matter how well you can swim or dive, there are places you should definitely avoid and never visit while traveling to stay safe. Some have treacherous underwater rocks, flows, and tides, while others have gained notoriety for the legends of monsters and mysterious creatures dwelling in their depths. In this video, you'll learn all about the most dangerous and terrifying bodies of water you should never ever go swimming in.
Lands That Could Flood in Our Lifetime
Some places are more threatened by rising sea levels than others, but in the end we'll all be paying a price. Alternate titles include: "Where You Shouldn't Invest in Real Estate," "Places You Should Vacation to Before They're Gone," and "Oh Man We're In A Lot Of Trouble On This One Aren't We?" Watch the video below to find out more!
The Mummification Process (short animation)
The ancient Egyptians developed a sophisticated method to preserve a dead body for the afterlife: mummification. First, the internal organs were removed and all moisture from the body was eliminated. Next, the body was wrapped with long strips of linen, and then covered with a large linen cloth. Follow the steps of the mummification process in this short animation about the Getty Museum's Romano-Egyptian mummy Herakleides.
Artefact From Space Discovered Inside A Tomb
King Tut's tomb had numerous ancient artefacts inside of it, two of them came from out of space. Architects found that the dagger and Tutankhamun's breastplate inside King Tut's tomb to be remnants of an asteroid that hit Ancient Egypt. Check out Egypt's Unexplained Files to see how Egyptian pharaohs were mummified and preserved for thousands of years.
Most Mysterious Things Found Underground
In the following video we will be exploring the most mysterious things that have been found underground. Watch the video to find out more!
What Was the Earth Like When Dinosaurs Were Around?
Approximately 252 mln years ago the Earth’s biosphere suffered from a tremendous blow. Almost 96% of marine fauna, around 70% of land vertebrates and roughly 83% of insects perished within a period really short by geological standards. The causes of this disaster are still obscure, but whatever it was, the dreadful calamity didn’t wipe life off the face of the Earth – quite on the contrary, it proved to be a milestone that marked the beginning of a new era. This is when there emerged the most well-known prehistoric creatures – dinosaurs.
12 Most Mysterious Ancient Technologies Scientists Still Can't Explain
Technology evolves and progresses as time goes on. In the mid-1990s, the internet was a new idea to most people and could only be accessed by putting cables into your computer, but now you can access it wirelessly using devices you hold in the palm of your hand. In fact, technology evolves so quickly that we sometimes lose track of how it used to work or even what it used to do. The things you're about to see in this video serve as proof of that!
