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During their numerous conquests across much of the known world, Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalas led the elite Macedonian cavalry. According to one legend, they even discovered Himalayan salt, famous today for its pinkish tint and its essential trace elements required by the body. The horses had worked hard in battle and on the trail and during a moment of respite licked the salt-covered rocks in the hills overlooking the Hyaspes River. This alerted the soldiers to the salt deposits there. Whether the anecdote is true or not, it speaks to the bond between horse and rider and...

Yet another Netflix documentary on the ancient world has proven controversial, this time with the depiction of Alexander the Great as gay. In the opening episode of “Alexander: The Making of a God,” which started airing on Netflix on January 31, Alexander, played by Buck Braithwaite, kisses his friend Hephaestion on the mouth and body, as they engage in an intimate embrace. The portrayal of the ancient Macedonian king as a homosexual has generated angry responses from some viewers who feel that the documentary is distorting history. Meanwhile, The new Netflix series promises to reveal the “extraordinary life of Alexander...

The identities of the occupants of the unspoiled 4th-century BCE Royal Tombs at Vergina in northern Greece have been identified. The burials contain the remains of Alexander's father, stepmother, half-siblings, and son, along with armor and other items belonging to the man himself...The researchers examined the skeletal elements with the aid of macrophotography, radiographs, and anatomical dissection. The study authors combined osteological analyses, macro photography, X-rays, and anatomical dissections of the ancient remains with historical sources from the ancient past.A knee fusion was found in the male skeleton of Tomb I consistent with the historic evidence of the lameness of...

A coronation site for one of the world’s greatest military leaders is open again. On Sunday, the Palace of Aigai in Vergina, Greece, where Alexander the Great was crowned King of Macedonia around 2,400 years ago, started welcoming back guests. The historic property, formally known as the Royal Metropolis of the Macedonians, spans approximately 161,500 square feet, according to the Greek Cultural Ministry. It was mostly built by the young king’s father, Philip II of Macedonia, in the 4th century BCE and was once the largest building in the country. Related Articles Temple ruins, ca. 330 CE, Spello, Italy. Newly...

"The Sacred City presents compelling evidence that suggests the holy city of Mecca is in the wrong location and that the worlds 1.6 billion Muslims are praying in the direction of the wrong city. Compiling evidence from both historic sources and new technologies point to the correct location in this seismic, revelatory new film.

The Palace of Aigai in northern Greece was fully reopened Friday following a 16-year renovation that cost more than 20 million euros ($22 million) and included financial support from the European Union.It was built more than 2,300 years ago during the reign of Alexander's father, Phillip II, who had transformed the kingdom of Macedonia into a dominant military power of ancient Greece. Aigai was its royal capital...The palace contained column-rimmed courtyards, courts, places of worship, and spacious banquet halls, its floors decorated with patterned marble and intricate mosaics. The building covered a ground area of 15,000 sq. meters (160,000 sq...

...In prison, he began to study the Quran in greater detail, and focused on the aspects that most puzzled him. Among these was the figure called Dhu-l Qarnayn, “the two-horned one,” who appears in the Quran’s 18th chapter and is believed by many to refer to Alexander the Great. Cerantonio did not see a resemblance between Dhu-l Qarnayn and the Alexander of history—but he noted similarities between Dhu-l Qarnayn and a heavily fabulized version of Alexander’s story written in Aramaic. He considered that the Aramaic version may have plagiarized the Quran, but after acquiring a copy of the Aramaic and...

The mystery surrounding a 4,000-year-old Iraqi temple has finally been solved as archaeologists uncover signs that Alexander the Great was worshipped as a divine figure.Scientists had been puzzled by the discovery of more recent Greek inscriptions at the ancient Sumerian temple of Girsu, in the modern-day town of Tello.Now, British Museum archaeologists believe a Greek temple to Alexander the Great was founded on the site, possibly by Alexander himself.The discovery of a silver coin minted around 330 BCE by Alexander's troops suggests that the conqueror may have visited the temple after defeating the Persians.This would make founding the temple one...

Most are unaware that there were Ancient Greek kingdoms in China and that Hellenism spread all the way to Japan and Korea via India. However, the fact is that the Greeks were indeed in China, and, in addition to this, Hellenism spread to the entirety of the East Asian Buddhist world. In fact, the first anthropomorphic statue of Buddha was created by the Greeks. The famous Silk Road that connected Europe to China actually opened because of a war between Greeks of Alexandria Eschate. Alexandria Eschate, meaning “Alexandria the Farthest,” is located in the Fergana Valley in what is modern...

The tomb of a courtesan who seduced the elite 'during Alexander the Great's campaigns' has been discovered after 2,300 years.Found south of Jerusalem, Israel, it contained the cremated remains of a young woman, and a rare box mirror that looks 'as if it was made yesterday'.Experts say she was a hetaira – a high-class escort from ancient Greece, who offered elite clients not only sex, but also companionship and intellectual stimulation.And she may have plied her trade accompanying the armies of Alexander the Great, or those who warred for his vast empire after the conqueror's demise.The discovery, which is detailed...

(at 10:42, video contains an ad Curiosity Stream, YouTube seems to have redacted from the transcript, which skips from 10:41 to 11:04)The Aral Sea: The Toxic Soviet Sea | 23:46Geographics | 1.05M subscribers | 1,782,979 views | February 13, 2020

Over the centuries, humans have always been fascinated by the vices and virtues of history’s most consequential figures. As one of the towering figures of history, Alexander the Great often attracts some of the closest scrutiny in this regard. At the time of his death in 323 BCE, Alexander the Great had conquered a vast empire that stretched across three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. His conquests had a profound impact on the ancient world and left a lasting legacy. One of Alexander’s worst vices may have been his relationship with alcohol. His biographers chronicled several sessions of especially heavy...

A centuries-old tomb stele smuggled from the ancient Turkish city of Zeugma to Italy has been returned to its home, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on July 13.A stele is a standing stone slab used in the ancient world for several purposes, including grave and tomb markers, dedications, commemorations and demarcations.The repatriated tomb stele depicts a noblewoman, wearing a veil and a tunic. Her right hand is placed on her left breast. Under the bust refiguring the deceased is an inscription in ancient Greek reading, "Satornila, the wife who loves her husband, farewell!"The Venetian authorities seized...

A new version of how the face of the legendary Greek king and army leader Alexander the Great might have been in real life is presented by Royalty Now Studios on YouTube. Researchers have often employed modern technology and historical records to try and answer the question what Alexander’s true face might have looked like, also based on numerous surviving busts of the great Greek leader who was born in 356 b.C. and died in 323 b.C.. In his short but fascinating life, Alexander created a vast empire that stretched from Greece to northwestern India and established him in the...

For more than two centuries, much of northern India was ruled by Greek kings. Eventually, these kings and many of their Greek subjects converted to Buddhism, with far-reaching historical consequences.Chapters:0:00 Introduction1:16 Alexander in India2:00 The Indo-Greek Kingdom3:28 Buddhism in Mauryan India4:18 Greek converts to Buddhism5:41 Contacts between India and the Roman Empire6:46 Buddhism in classical texts7:32 Buddhism and Greek Skepticism8:27 The Greek influence on Buddhist art9:54 Conclusion

Archaeologists said on Saturday they had discovered what was believed to be the tomb of a Seleucid satrap or general in Hamedan, providing an extraordinary insight into the Hellenistic life in west-central Iran.According to the senior archaeologist Mohsen Khanjan, who leads the excavation, they have discovered a tomb, which is probably the burial place of one of the satraps, ILNA reported.The discovery is made in Tepe Naqarechi near what archaeologists have long been tracing to unearth the Seleucid Laodicea Temple under the modern town of Nahavand in Hamedan province...Over the past couple of years, Khanjan has led several archaeological seasons...

New research suggests that this coin marks an eclipse of Jupiter by the moon. It happened on January 17, 121 BC and was visible in Antioch, the capital of the Seleucid Empire. The coin itself show Zeus with a crescent moon above his head and a star like object hovering above the palm of his right hand... On one side is a portrait of Antiochos VIII, the king who minted it. On the reverse is a depiction of Zeus, either nude or half-draped, holding a sceptre in his left hand. Above the god's head is the crescent of the moon,...

This video estimates the amount of gold in the Roman Empire - and the approximate chances of that gold ending up in your smartphone.How much Gold did the Romans have - and where is it now? | December 7, 2022 | toldinstone

For centuries, Bactria - a region shared by modern Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan - was part of the Hellenistic world. Conquered by Alexander the Great, Bactria became the heart of a powerful Greek kingdom. And even after the Greco-Bactrian kingdom was overrun by nomads, its cities continued to thrive. This video explores their fates.The Lost Greek Cities of Central Asia | September 3, 2021 | toldinstone

Western governments seem to be driving their citizens towards “Lockdown II: The Delta Variant,” an unnecessary sequel that no one asked for but that most of us will be forced to endure. Resistance to these policies has been growing of late: France and Germany are currently dealing with large-scale protests against COVID mandates. Meanwhile, the Australian government has just enlisted the military to enforce a massively unpopular lockdown in Sydney. Things are not much better here in the United States. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio has imposed a de facto vaccine passport for a variety of indoor...