Islam was a religion which owed its rapid success to conquest. From 622 AD and led by Muhammed himself, Muslim armies swept across the Middle East and unified Arabia into a single entity. The greatest adversary they faced in their sweep eastward was mighty Persia. This ancient and venerable culture of fire worshippers had dominated
Urim and Thummim are an enigma, both at the same time a vital central aspect of the Bible and almost willfully obscure. In a narrative where God appears regularly but only when He chooses, they seem to be a way for the Hebrews of David’s kingdom to call Him directly. This could be useful, as
It is March, 1942, and the US is reeling from the Japanese surprise attack on her surface fleet at Pearl Harbor three months before. A lone, Clemson-class destroyer, the USS Edsall, crosses the Indian Ocean headed for Tjilatjap, the only deep-water port on the island of Java. The Edsall is far from cutting edge. Launched
A team of researchers from St Andrew’s University in Scotland have made an astonishing discovery regarding an ancient ruin at the other end of the country. The rectangular earthworks known locally as “King Arthur’s Hall” on Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor have been found to be much older than had been thought. The name itself was always
Writing is one of the most important inventions in the entire history of civilization. The ability to record conversations, agreements and stories is literally what separates history from prehistory, and those civilizations who wrote things down captured their cultural identity for all time in doing so. And now, in a new study published in Antiquity,
Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot! I know of no reason why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot! Read moreInterested in the Killing: Jack Ketch’s Infamous TradeFor children growing up in the United Kingdom, Guy Fawkes night was a hugely fun time. Nestled between the American holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving,