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Mystery Cults
Mystery cults, or mystery religions, were ancient religious associations characterized by secrecy and initiation rites. They typically surrounded one primary deity, but some mystery cults venerated multiple deities in their rites. Members...
Definition
Aethelwulf of Wessex
Aethelwulf (r. 839-858 CE) was King of Wessex, a region in modern-day Britain, son and successor to Egbert of Wessex (r. 802-839 CE) who had unified and expanded his kingdom with Aethelwulf's assistance. Aethelwulf fought at the Battle of...
Definition
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were the fabled gardens which beautified the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, built by its greatest king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605-562 BCE). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, they are the only...
Article
The Mystery of the Great Sphinx
Buried for most of its life in the desert sand, an air of mystery has always surrounded the Great Sphinx, causing speculation about its age and purpose, method of construction, concealed chambers, role in prophecy, and relationship to the...
Article
The Island of Gla: A Mycenaean Mystery Solved?
The island of Gla, an enigmatic Mycenaean citadel in the north-eastern corner of the Copais basin lies 70 miles north of Athens, in the region of Boeotia. Lake Copais was the largest lake in Greece until the late-19th century CE when it was...
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Hanging Gardens (Artist's Impression)
An artist's depiction of enormous hanging gardens in a Mesopotamian inspired city. From the game Old World.
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The Hanging of Stede Bonnet
An early 18th-century engraving showing the hanging of the Barbadian pirate Stede Bonnet in South Carolina in November 1718. (From an edition of 'A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates' by D. Defoe/Charles...
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Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Reconstructed
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were said to have been built between between 605-562 BCE by King Nebuchadnezzar II as a gift to his wife. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This gif is a modern reconstruction...
Definition
Babylon
Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia whose ruins lie in modern-day Iraq 59 miles (94 km) southwest of Baghdad. The name is derived from bav-il or bav-ilim, which in Akkadian meant "Gate of God" (or "Gate of the Gods"...
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Hanging Gardens of Babylon
A representation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the fabled gardens which possibly adorned the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, built by its greatest king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605-562 BCE). A 16th century CE engraving by Dutch artist...