The Terramare Culture and the Bronze Age Collapse

In Bronze Age northern Italy the Terramare culture thrived for centuries until one day in about 1200 BC, the population of 120,00 people disappeared.

This was the same era as the Late Bronze Age collapse, when the mysterious Sea Peoples invaded the Near East and destroyed so many ancient civilisations, leading to the first great dark age in history.

Were the people of the Terramare culture involved in some way?

Were they also the victims of climatic changes and foreign invasions that wiped them out?

Or were they perhaps one of the perpetrators? Could they in fact be one of the Sea Peoples?

This is the mystery of the Terramare culture.

7 Lost Roman Wonders

The longest ancient bridge and the tallest ancient dam. An imposing pyramid. A statue the size of a skyscraper. These are some of the Roman wonders that have vanished.

Catholic vs Orthodox - What is the Difference Between Religions?

You may be wondering what the real difference is between religious beliefs. They all believe in God, so what makes them so different? Today we are going to examine what the fundamental differences are between Catholic and Orthodox religions.

The unthinkable things Genghis khan did to his enemies

Genghis Khan, known as the fierce Mongolian warrior-ruler, was one of the most popular conquerors of history. He was a genius warrior who, from an obscure beginning, brought all the nomadic tribes of Mongolia under his rule and his family into a disciplined military state.

He later started a series of campaigns of conquest, leading to the establishment of the great Mongol empire. But little did we know he was cruel and unkind to his enemies and did unthinkable things to them. In today’s video, we will discuss some unthinkable things he did to his enemies.

This 4000 Year Old Book Found In Egypt Reveals A Shocking Message

Are you ready to explore the depths of ancient Egypt's underworld and uncover its chilling secrets? The Book of Two Ways holds the key to navigating this treacherous realm, where danger lurks at every turn. Join us as we delve into this recently uncovered 4,000-year-old copy and discover the mysterious guidebook necessary for the deceased to reach the glorious realm of Aru and the god of death, Osiris. What do its contents reveal about ancient Egyptian beliefs and the afterlife? Get ready to be amazed by this shocking discovery as we unlock the mysterious and suspenseful world of the underworld.

This is How Humans Can Build a Stone Fortress on a High Hill

Perched on a slab of rock that juts dramatically over the forests of central Sri Lanka, Sigiriya is as imposing a sight now as it must have been when it was first built by a fierce king in the fifth century A.D. Meaning “lion’s rock,” Sigiriya (designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982) is accessed by way of passageways cut into the rock face between a monumental pair of lion paws.

The fortress was later swallowed by the forest, and only familiar to local villagers. Outsiders used knowledge of its past, preserved in Buddhist texts, to search for the ancient site. British historians rediscovered its astonishing buildings and frescoes in the 19th century.

Kingdom to colony

Sigiriya was built by the fifth-century king Kashyapa I, who ruled the native Sinhalese dynasty, the Moriya. The imposing fortress was the capital of the Sinhalese kingdom until Kashyapa was defeated in A.D. 495. (Watch: An ancient palatial fortress overlooks this barren desert in Israel.)

After Kashyapa, dynasties rose and fell, their fortunes shaped by internal power struggles and conflicts between native Sinhalese and outside invaders from India.

Various cities held the status of capital after Sigiriya, such as Polonnaruwa. By the 12th century, however, overall control of Sri Lanka progressively weakened. Sinhalese power retreated to the southwest of the island, abandoning the Rajarata region, and the former administrative centers, including Sigiriya, started to fall into disuse.

Sri Lanka’s position in the Indian Ocean made it vulnerable to Europeans looking to expand their control in the region. By the mid-1500s the Portuguese had thoroughly exploited dynastic tensions in Sri Lanka’s ruling elite and controlled much of the island.

A century later the Dutch had replaced the Portuguese as colonial masters, and they were in turn displaced by the British in the late 1700s. By 1815 the Kingdom of Kandy, the last independent, native state on the island, became part of the British Empire.

Knowledge is power

British imperial rule brought civil servant George Turnour to the island. An aristocrat, scholar, and passionate historian, Turnour worked with a Buddhist monk to translate an ancient fifth-century chronicle, the Mahavamsa, from the Sri Lankan Pali language into English. Based on this and other texts, he identified two ancient capitals: Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

Turnour also studied a later chronicle of Sri Lankan history, the Culavamsa, which told the story of King Kashyapa. In the late fifth century, this Sinhalese prince killed his father, King Dhatusena, and seized the throne, usurping his brother, who fled to India. Fearing reprisals, he built the fortress Sigiriya—but in vain: His brother returned, defeating Kashyapa, and Sigiriya lost its brief status as capital.

In 1827 a Scottish officer, Jonathan Forbes, became friends with Turnour, and on hearing the story of Kashyapa and his palace, decided to look for it. In 1831 he set off to where locals told him he would find the remains of an ancient city.

His memoir, Eleven Years in Ceylon, describes “the rock of Sirigi [sic], . . . frowning defiance over the scanty fields and the far-extending forest of the surrounding plain.” As he approached, he could see platforms and galleries carved into the rock. Two of his party managed to scramble some way up but dislodged rocks, “which crashed among the boughs of the trees at a great depth below.”

Unsure as to whether he had found the Sigiriya mentioned in the Buddhist texts, Forbes abandoned the expedition. Revisiting a few years later, he traced the moat that surrounds the gardens at the foot of the rock but did not attempt to climb the cliff face. He doubted that the name Sigiriya was related to lions, as he had seen nothing to support that etymology.

Fabulous frescoes

British mountaineers eventually reached the top in 1851, but the task of surveying the site fell to the Archaeological Commissioner of Ceylon, Harry C.P. Bell. His survey at the end of the 19th century has formed the basis of all studies since.

Bell painstakingly ascertained the layout of Kashyapa’s fantastical city as well as detailed the magnificent carving of the lion’s paws at the entrance, which Forbes had not been able to see.

In addition to the elaborate water gardens at the foot of the rock, Bell’s survey also lavished attention on the galleries on the rock face. These are decorated with exquisite wall paintings that have become some of the most prized objects in Sri Lanka’s artistic heritage. A total of 21 surviving frescoes may depict apsaras, celestial singers and dancers. (See also: 40,000-year-old cave art may be world's oldest animal drawing.)

Nearby, also on the walls of the rock face, are well over 1,000 items of graffiti, scratched by monks and pilgrims who visited the site in the eighth to the 13th centuries. These messages from the past can cause a frisson when read by visitors today. One reads: “At Sigiriya, of abundant splendor, situated on the island of [Sri Lanka] we saw, in happy mood, the rock that captivates the mind of all people who come here.”

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history...

What makes the Great Wall of China so extraordinary

The Great Wall of China is a 13,000-mile dragon of earth and stone that winds its way through the countryside of China. As it turns out, the wall’s history is almost as long and serpentine as its structure. Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen detail the building and subsequent decay of this massive, impressive wall.

Visiting North Sentinel - An Island Untouched For 60,000 Years

Known as “the most dangerous island in the world” - north sentinel island has been isolated from the rest of the world for a long time. Lets visit the past of north sentinel island to find out about one of the few “uncontacted” civilizations!

4,800 year old fossil of a mother cradling and looking lovingly down at her baby found in Taiwan

Around 4,800 years ago, a young mother died near the Taiwanese coast. When she was lifted from her grave as part of a scientific excavation, archaeologists discovered that she had been buried with a six-month-old infant tucked into her arms. Interred near a stone dwelling, it appeared the pair had been sent into the hereafter in a loving embrace.

No one knows what killed the mother and child, but it is rare to find this kind of joint burial among the island’s Stone Age cultures.

“The young mother holding the baby surprised us most,” says Chu Whei-Lee of Taiwan’s National Museum of Science. “I guess they were buried under the house by their loved ones,” she adds, although more evidence is needed to support that idea.

Sharks and Farms

Chu and her collaborators uncovered the pair during work at a Neolithic site in Taichung City called An-ho in 2014 and 2015. The site, which appears to have been in use for at least 800 years, is located along the central part of Taiwan’s west coast and today is about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) inland.

But ancient shorelines were different, and it’s likely An-ho was once coastal. Indeed, more than 200 shark teeth were found among the site’s dwellings, ash pits, and graves, suggesting the sea was important for the people who lived there, Chu says.

While it’s not the oldest evidence of humans on Taiwan, the An-ho site is believed to be the first example of what’s known as Dabenkeng culture in this part of the island. Dabenkeng sites appeared abruptly along the Taiwanese coast about 5,000 years ago, and archaeologists suspect the Dabenkeng people arrived on the island, rather than emerging from cultures that already existed there.

“The Dabenkeng people were the first farmers in Taiwan, who may have come from the south and southeast coasts of China about 5,000 years ago,” says Chengwha Tsang of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica. “This culture is the earliest Neolithic culture so far found in Taiwan."

From Taiwan, the Dabenkeng people may have spread across Oceania and Southeast Asia, carrying their language and culture with them.

“They were probably the earliest ancestors of the Austronesian language-speaking people living nowadays in Taiwan and on the islands of the Pacific,” Tsang says.

Burial Rites

This find should help archaeologists figure out not only how the Dabenkeng people lived, but also how they handled death.

The mother and child were unearthed among at least 48 graves, including those of five young children. Burial goods such as pottery were found with the bodies, which were interred in a north-south alignment and placed on their backs–a departure from the facedown posture usually found among other human burial sites in Taichung.

Chu adds that the team has extracted DNA from the remains and sent it off for analysis, which should help scientists study the relationship between the Dabenkeng, aboriginal Taiwanese, and cultures across Oceania.

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture...

12 Most Incredible Archaeological Finds

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Kings of Poland Family Tree

In the video below we will analyze the family tree of the Polish kings. Watch the video to find out more!

The REAL reason The Dodo Went Extinct

The Dodo disappeared over about 100 years after being discovered by Europeans. The main reason they ended up extinct was because Dodo birds weren't equipped to defend against the animals brought to the island by the Europeans due to a little known trope of evolution!

Smyrna | The 7 Churches of Revelation

It’s been almost 2,000 years since the apostle John was instructed by Jesus to write letters to the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. These timeless letters reveal a message of God’s love through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, identify and provide correction for problems in the church, and offer hope and encouragement for the future.

The Bronze Age Collapse: A Mysterious Downfall in Ancient History

The Bronze Age Collapse, often referred to as the Late Bronze Age Collapse, is one of the most intriguing and debated periods in ancient history. Taking place around 1200 BCE, this catastrophic event saw the near-simultaneous decline and eventual fall of major advanced civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean, including the Mycenaeans of Greece, the Hittites of Anatolia, and the New Kingdom of Egypt. The aftermath led to a 'dark age,' a period marked by societal regression, loss of literacy, and drastic cultural changes.

Chronology and Affected Regions

Timeframe: The collapse spanned roughly from 1200 BCE to 1150 BCE, although its effects lingered for centuries.

Regions Impacted: Major affected regions include the Aegean, Anatolia, the Levant, the Caucasus, and parts of the Eastern Mediterranean coast.

Signs of the Collapse

1. “Destruction of Cities”: Many significant urban centers, such as Hattusa, Mycenae, and Ugarit, experienced widespread destruction. Some were abandoned entirely, while others saw reduced complexity in subsequent settlements.

2. Loss of Literacy: The art of writing, especially in regions like Greece, was largely lost, not to be revived until several centuries later.

3. Societal Regression: There was a noticeable decline in intricate arts, architecture, and large-scale construction. Societies reverted to simpler forms of living, often in smaller community structures.

4. Economic Decline: Trade routes, which had once connected different parts of the Eastern Mediterranean, were disrupted. This led to economic downturns, a decline in craft industries, and, in some cases, famine.

Possible Causes

The Bronze Age Collapse is still a subject of much debate, and its causes are likely multifaceted. Some theories include:

1. Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, droughts, or other climate changes might have played a role. There's evidence suggesting prolonged droughts in certain regions, which could have led to food shortages.

2. Invasions and Warfare: The enigmatic "Sea Peoples" are often cited as a significant cause. Egyptian records mention these mysterious raiders attacking coastal cities, but their origins and exact role in the collapse remain uncertain.

3. Economic Factors: The interdependent nature of the trade networks meant that disruption in one region could lead to a domino effect, destabilizing economies in interconnected areas.

4. Sociopolitical Factors: Internal strife, political instability, or societal unrest might have weakened some states, making them more vulnerable to external threats.

5. Technological Advancements: The shift from bronze to iron could have had economic and military implications. While this transition was more gradual, the emergence of iron tools and weapons could have provided certain groups with an advantage.

Aftermath and Legacy

The Bronze Age collapse led to a power vacuum in several regions:

1. “The Rise of New Civilizations”: In the vacuum left by fallen empires, new civilizations eventually emerged. The Archaic Period in Greece laid the foundation for classical Greece. Similarly, in the Levant, the Phoenicians rose as dominant seafarers and traders.

2. Cultural Transmission: While many aspects of the Bronze Age civilizations declined or were lost, some were absorbed and transmitted by surviving or emerging societies.

The Bronze Age collapse stands as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of even the most advanced and interconnected societies. While its exact causes may never be fully known, the lessons it imparts about adaptability, resilience, and the cyclical nature of civilizations are timeless. As researchers continue to piece together this ancient puzzle, the period serves as a rich field of study about societal dynamics, transformations, and the ever-evolving course of human history.

Seminoles - Native Americans Who Never Surrendered

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What Did Pangaea Look like?

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The Astonishing Life Of China's Tyrant Empress | Wu Zetian

Since her death 1300 years ago, Wu Zetian has been remembered as a callous tyrant, who brought calamity to China. But now, extraordinary new discoveries are revealing a very different picture of her reign.

As archaeologists investigate hidden tombs, spectacular pagodas, gigantic palaces and priceless treasures from her time, they are uncovering a very different story of China’s female Emperor, her skills and her empire. Wu Zetian’s China was a military, economic and cultural superpower, whose influence stretched from the edge of the Mediterranean to Japan and India. Recent discoveries reveal the wealth and stability of her reign, and point to her skills as a politician and a leader. But they also provide tantalising new evidence of the cruelty and violence at the heart of her regime.