The Hurrians establish the Kingdom of Urkesh c. 4000 BCE, with the creator God Kumarbi as patron deity. Their greatest power arises...

With spiritual meaning as well as dusky allure, powdered black kohl (kajal, kajol, or tiro) is one of the oldest widespread types of...

Myrrh ( Commiphora sp) has a history older than humankind. Deeply connected to death, healing and the divine, myrrh is a smoky, strongly...

A small kingdom with a big kick, Ugarit has an independent pantheon of Godesses and Gods, central administration, trade routes inland or...

Asherah (Ashera) is one of the most powerful goddesses of the ancient world. She's mentioned in Hebrew texts, in records of Ugarit as...

Puduḫepa ( Puduḫepa, Pudu-Kheb ) is one of the greatest women of the ancient world. In the 13th century BCE she rules beside her...

With the favored practice of naming early civilizations after their grave types, here is the Catacomb culture. The progressive and...

The Yamnaya or Yamna people occupy the Ponti-Caspian Steppe about 3300 BCE, with a tribal origin going back to Neolithic times. In the...

The concept of the evil eye exists since the beginning of humanity on earth. The curse is cast with a malevolent look or glare. The evil...

The ancient town of Kültepe (Kultepe, Kanesh, Kaneš), where the earliest writing originates, rises to a prosperous trade city and kārum ...

In the Bronze Age, the Trzciniec culture (2400 - 1300 BCE) occupies areas of Central-East Europe in Poland and parts of Lithuania....

The Philosopher's Stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum ) conjures elements of primal lore and eternal powers. In history and legend, the...

In the 1st century BCE Julius Caesar writes about the tribes of Germania. He's struck by the apparent sparsity of the Germanic pantheon,...

Copper (Cu) is one of the original seven metals of antiquity and has been used for thousands of years. This metal is found in the ground...

From the southern Germanic lands, past the Swiss border come tales of der Türst, the dreadful huntsman who rides like a demon through...

Tannenbaum is often equated with Christmas tree. Fir is best for the holidays. Its branches have flat soft foliage, it's easy to hang...

Kriemhild marries Germanic hero Siegfried of Xanten . A princess of Burgundy, she grows up in the halls of royal plots and suspicious...

A symbol of strength and virility, the Bull appears i n ancient art and architecture. Blood sacrifice of bulls and oxen usually involves...

Inspired by Persian Mithra, Romans recreate ancient cult rituals and religious mysteries in the worship of Mithras, based on the older...

Worship of bears and bear sacrifice is an ancient practice, going back to early humans. Twenty thousand years ago, in boreal forests and...