The burial crowns found, which form part of the royal treasures uncovered in Vilnius cathedral. Source: PAP/Valdemar Doveiko.

Cache of Royal Treasures Rediscovered in Vilnius Crypt

The Old Cathedral of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, has given up one of her enduring secrets. The burial regalia of monarchs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has been rediscovered, hidden behind a wall in a crypt. The treasure, which includes crowns, chains, medallions and rings, was originally hidden during the Second World War to prevent the

The skeleton in the Octagon at Ephesus has long been believed to be that of Cleopatra’s half sister. Now a new analysis of the skull should answer the question once and for all. Source: Arienne King / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

The Cranium from the Octagon: Do We Have the Skull of Cleopatra’s Sister?

In 1929, archaeologists excavating an octagonal monument at the heart of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus in modern day Turkey found a well preserved skeleton in a sarcophagus inside. In the hundred years since there has been much speculation about who this person was. The prime candidate is also perhaps the most exciting: since

Big Bada Boom! Simushir Island in the Kurils with the Zavaritskii caldera in the center. Source: NASA / Public Domain.

Mystery Volcano Behind Enormous 1831 Eruption Identified

Between the years of 1831 and 1833 the northern hemisphere was a lot cooler than it should have been. Scientists have long known that this significant and sudden cooling was caused by an enormous volcanic eruption in the year 1831, but the precise location of the volcano behind the climate change has long been a

A 10th century burial in Hungary’s Carpathian Basin looks set to rewrite history. The grave holds a woman, but the bow she is holding tells us she was a warrior, the first found in the country.

“But No Living Man Am I”: Unique 10th Century Burial Contains a Warrior Woman

A research team led by Dr. Balázs Tihanyi has found something never before seen in Hungary’s Carpathian Basin. The grave, dating to the 10th century, is of a woman and her weapons. Such burials of warrior women are extremely rare across the archaeological records, and this is a first for Hungary. The discovery, published in

The map in all its glory, but you’re really going to want to get the original and zoom in to appreciate it. Source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17445647.2024.2434015.

Here Be Demons: New Map of Folklore Reveals the Dark Heart of Europe

Wake up honey, new map of demonic Europe just dropped. If you want to sort your incubi (male sex demon) from your spiritus domestici (vaguely helpful poltergeist), your gnomes from your mermaids, now you can find out all you need to know from one map (and it’s free, too). The map, painstakingly compiled by researchers

Very demure, very mindful: Napoleon’s coronation as French Emperor came only 15 years after the French overthrew their last autocratic ruler. Source: Workshop of François Gérard / Public Domain.

Right Man, Right Place, Right Time: The Rise of Napoleon

In 1799 France changed forever. After a decade of rumbling discontent regarding the concentration of wealth towards the powerful and the exploitation of the masses who were facing widespread starvation, the French rose up and killed everyone in charge, from the King on down. The failure of the ancien regime, the creaking feudal order of

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