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There are many similarities between Alexander the Great of Greece and Cyrus the Great of Persia. Alexander admired Cyrus from infancy and strove to be a conqueror like him. Interestingly, both individuals possessed a remarkably uncommon characteristic. Alexander the Great and Cyrus the Great both featured in Jewish prophecies. Jewish prophecies The ancient scriptures of the Jews feature numerous prophecies, declarations about the future that the Jews believe came from God. They constitute a significant portion of the Old Testament section of the Bible. The Jews produced many prophetic books, especially between the ninth and the fifth centuries BCE. These...

Reseachers uncover a pyramid-like structure in the Judean Desert, photo taken March 2025 (photo credit: JUDEAN DESERT SURVEY UNIT, ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY) =============================================================================== Experts uncover a massive pyramid-shaped structure, ancient papyrus documents and rare artifacts from Hellenistic-era rule in southern Israel, shedding new light on the region’s history. An excavation in the Judean Desert unearthed a massive 2,200-year-old pyramid-shaped structure alongside ancient papyri, weapons, tools, and fabrics, which experts are calling one of the richest archaeological excavations in the area. The Israel Antiquities Authority and the Heritage Ministry, which are jointly leading the dig north of Nahal Zohar, say...

The Battle of the Granicus was Alexander's first major clash with the Persian Empire, signaling the start of his conquest of Asia Minor. The victory not only demonstrated Alexander's military brilliance but also opened the gateway for his future campaigns that would ultimately dismantle the Persian Empire and lay the foundation for the Hellenization of large parts of Asia. However, this Hellenization was relatively short-lived, as about a century later, the rise of the Parthian Empire saw large parts of the former Achaemenid territories reclaimed under Iranian rule...The research team used ancient texts to map Alexander's journey to the Granicus....

Azeri president says apology isn’t enough, in confrontation that shows Moscow’s waning influence over former Soviet territories. Azerbaijan’s president accused Russia of trying to cover up its role in a plane crash that killed 38 people, delivering a harsh condemnation that signaled a reversal of the power dynamics that long saw Moscow hold sway over its former Soviet republics. President Ilham Aliyev said Sunday that Azerbaijan had laid out for the Kremlin the necessary conditions to satisfy the country, demanding that Russia take responsibility for causing the crash, provide compensation for the country and victims’ families, and bring those guilty...

An international team of archaeologists, led by Antonis Bartsiokas with Democritus University of Thrace, in Greece, has uncovered evidence that a tunic found in one of the Royal Tombs at Vergina once belonged to Alexander the Great. In his paper published in the Journal of Field Archaeology, Bartsiokas outlines the evidence surrounding the purple and white tunic and also claims that he and his team have definitively identified the remains of three of the people entombed at the famous burial site. Prior research has suggested that several members of Alexander the Great's family were laid to rest in the Royal...

Mystery of The Ancient Greek City Bizarrely Located in Afghanistan | 8:05Discovery Future | 24K subscribers | 13,393 views | October 12, 2024

Modern society's focus on credentials has created a two-tiered system, where multi-talented individuals are criticized, and elites oversee a dependent underclass. The songwriter, actor, country/western singer, musician, U.S. Army veteran, helicopter pilot, accomplished rugby player and boxer, Rhodes scholar, Pomona College and University of Oxford degreed, and summa cum laude literature graduate, Kris Kristofferson, recently died at 88. Americans may have known him best for writing smash hits like “Me and Bobby McGee” and “For the Good Times,” his wide-ranging, star-acting roles in A Star is Born and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, his numerous solo albums, especially with...

Watch as Josh Gates and researchers use augmented reality to match a Macedonian funerary block from the Crypt of St. Mark to a sarcophagus found in Alexandria, suggesting the remains may belong to Alexander the Great. By reconstructing the missing blocks, they reveal the complete tomb’s appearance for the first time, confirming a precise physical fit between the sarcophagus and it's casing.Josh Gates Uncovers Alexander's Lost Tomb | Expedition Unknown | 4:09Discovery | 5.88M subscribers | 88,165 views | July 5, 2024

Grapefruit is weird even among other citrus fruits.The Weird History of Grapefruit | 16:20The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered | 1.36M subscribers | 117,898 views | September 18, 2024

Alexander the Great was the world most feared warrior king. He died Pharaoh of Egypt and his body was a powerful political tool that enabled anyone possessing it to claim Egypt for themselves. His tomb was seen in the 4th Century AD in ancient Alexandria, and ever since people have searched hoping to find this holy grail of archaeology. Now using evidence from Alexander’s own journey through Egypt, we are perhaps close to solving one of history’s most enduring mysteries.

Both Buddhism and Stoicism emphasize self-control, ethical living, and the attainment of a passionless state. However, the Indian philosophy predated Stoicism by about 500 years. Did Buddhism influence Greek Stoicism and thought, and, if so, how did it do so a continent away? Similarities between Stoicism and Buddhism: A shared path to inner peace Practitioners of Stoicism and Buddhism deeply understand life’s impermanence and the need to overcome desires. The philosophies teach mental discipline and detachment from external circumstances as paths to inner peace. In Stoicism, “apatheia” means freedom from emotional disturbance, closely mirroring Buddhism’s “nirvana,” the liberation from suffering....

Alexander the Great, who lived from July 356 BC to June 323 BC, was an intrepid conqueror and one of the most brilliant military generals in history. More importantly, however, he laid the cultural foundations for the establishment of the ancient Hellenistic world, all the way from Alexandria in Egypt to the borders of India. By his own admission, Alexander endeavored to conquer lands all the way to the “ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea.” He and his legions invaded India in the year 326 BC, winning an important victory over the Pauravas at the Battle of...

Just like in modern times, many people in antiquity enjoyed visiting the tombs of famous historical figures. One of the most famous historical figures in the Greco-Roman world was Alexander the Great. According to ancient records, one of the Roman emperors visited his tomb. However, while doing so, this Roman emperor ended up breaking off Alexander the Great’s nose. Did this really happen, though? The tomb of Alexander the Great Alexander the Great died in the fourth century BCE in the year 323. He was buried in a magnificent tomb, which was just as famous in antiquity as it is...

The center of Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, a Balkan country born just 33 years ago as an independent state, is awash in history. A statue of Alexander the Great looms over the central square. One of his father, Philip II of Macedon, towers above a nearby piazza atop an oversize pedestal. The city is also littered with tributes in bronze, stone and plaster to generations of other heroes from what the country sees as its glorious and very long history. The problem, though, is that most of the history on display is claimed by other countries. Present-day North...

It was unearthed by metal detectors Finn Ibsen and Lars Danielsen who were conducting survey work in a field outside Ringsted, a city on the island of Zealand, 50km southwest of Denmark's capital Copenhagen.The bronze fitting, known as a bracket, was given to Museum West Zealand... It's about 2.7 centimetres in diameter and made of a bronze alloy.The mini portrait dates to about 200 CE. This places it at roughly the same time as the Roman emperor Caracalla...Caracalla often "dressed with the same style and believed he was Alexander the Great reincarnated," Oldenburger adds. "Caracalla is also the only emperor...

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.