Ancient History

Every so often, researchers dig up treasure troves of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-archaeological-facts/pierce-nahigyan" target="_blank">cool archaeological finds</a>. While some of those <a href="/list/mysterious-ancient-scientific-discoveries-and-inventions/kellen-perry" target="_blank">ancient discoveries are a mystery</a> to us, others are easily explainable. We know what the people of yesteryear used anchors, keys, and helmets for, but the fact that those artifacts survived hundreds - sometimes thousands - of years is pretty amazing.

The objects listed here may seem mundane at first glance, but once you realize just how long ago they were made and used, the only thing left to say is, &quot;Whoa.&quot;

20+ Archaeological Finds That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’

General

Garri Chaverst

Picture the scene: It&#39;s summer in Egypt, and Cleopatra, the kingdom&#39;s <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rulers-who-executed-members-of-their-own-families/carly-silver" target="_blank">infamous ruler</a>, knows Augustus, her mortal enemy, is in Alexandria ready to dethrone her with&nbsp;his legion of Roman soldiers. Cleopatra senses the end is imminent -&nbsp;not just for her, but for her long-time partner, the Roman general Mark Antony.

While historians debate&nbsp;the particular events that transpired that&nbsp;August in 30 BC, it&#39;s certain that, by the end of the month, Cleopatra and Antony were no more. Over the centuries, the legend of Cleopatra&#39;s death has overshadowed the true history of this often misrepresented, self-proclaimed goddess&#39;s final days. However, the truth is sometimes more unbelievable than fiction, and no one proves this better than Cleopatra herself.

Facts About Cleopatra's Death That Sound Made Up - But Aren't

Facts About Cleopatra's Death That Sound Made Up But Aren't

Megan Summers

Lists about how people had, judged, and treated intimacy around the world throughout recorded history.

The History of Doing It

Rarely have women in history played a more deliciously mysterious role than that of&nbsp;the 600 years of the Ottoman Empire, when what is modern-day Turkey and lands from the Balkans to Syria&nbsp;sat at the center of a great Empire. These were the days of the harem, when women - and girls as young as seven years old - were held in a secret world where they could be governed, educated, and primarily&nbsp;enjoyed by the sultan and his court.

But as slaves or subjects? Given as gifts or claimed as spoils of war, these women represented the caliphate&#39;s&nbsp;power, wealth, and sexual prowess. Just like a scene from Arabian Nights, daily life in an Ottoman harem&nbsp;was a life suspended in a secret paradise full of sensual delights - as well as endless rules, expectations, and boundaries. Derived from the Arabic word haram meaning sacred or forbidden, the harem was part of a legendary patriarchy that tried to bottle&nbsp;the essence of woman, capture it in all its glory, and use it solely for its own felicity.&nbsp;

A Glimpse Of Life In An Ottoman Sultan's Harem

What It Was Like To Be In An Ottoman Sultan's Harem

Jen Jeffers

Lists about some of the worst people to ever live and the very bad ways things they did when they let their power go to their heads.

Real Historical Villains

In Ottoman history, Sultan Ibrahim I is known as one of the most&nbsp;extravagant rulers. Though he only ruled for a period of roughly eight years, his reign was defined by decadence, nepotism, sensuality, and, according to some,&nbsp;outbursts. Like many of the most captivating <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/beethoven-grim-life-facts/philgibbons" target="_blank">historical figures</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/crazy-marlon-brando-facts/thaneeconomou" target="_blank">celebrities</a>, Ibrahim&#39;s life was tragic&nbsp;and curious.&nbsp;

Born in<a href="http://www.theottomans.org/english/family/ibrahim1.asp" target="_blank"> Istanbul in 1615</a>, he was a&nbsp;son of Sultan Ahmed I. Ibrahim succeeded his brother, Murad IV, after <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Murad-IV" target="_blank">Murad passed in 1640</a>.&nbsp;His reign quickly became notorious. Lascivious tales of Sultan Ibrahim I&#39;s decadence soon began to spread. His subjects whispered about&nbsp;Ibrahim I&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=LVScQYzhx5oC&amp;pg=PA61&amp;lpg=PA61&amp;dq=sultan+ibrahim+orgy&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=T77gl67-hF&amp;sig=ACfU3U0boNm_A9U0onQNIuBi-A5nNxpR_g&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjJlqbVhNvgAhVC6oMKHVM8BTkQ6AEwCnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=sultan%20ibrahim%20orgy&amp;f=false" target="_blank">polyamorous encounters and other stories</a> of over-the-top decadence. He also<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ottoman-empires-life-or-death-race-164064882/" target="_blank"> displayed moments of&nbsp;cruelty</a> that can be read alongside other <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/french-revolution-bloodiest-moments/setareh-janda" target="_blank">shocking acts in history</a>.

A small disclaimer is necessary, however: outlandish&nbsp;Ottoman Empire stories about Sultan Ibrahim should be taken with a grain of salt. Some historians believe Ibrahim may well have suffered from mental illness, or that stories of his indulgence and peculiar ways were spread at the time of his downfall&nbsp;to discredit him and tarnish his memory. After all, his court and those of his predecessors and successors were unstable and divided into various political factions. They knew&nbsp;smear campaigns were a reliable way&nbsp;to oust a leader. And oust Ibrahim they did: he was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ibrahim-Ottoman-sultan" target="_blank">executed in 1648</a>, and the throne went to his young son.

Whether or not these stories are 100% true, they nonetheless contribute to the&nbsp;memory of Ibrahim I as an intriguing, tragic&nbsp;historical figure.

Facts About Ibrahim I, The Man Who Lived In A Cage

Setareh Janda

History

Before the early 2010s, scientists were conflicted on the question of Homo sapiens interbreeding with Neanderthals,&nbsp;but since then, multiple studies have&nbsp;shown the incredible overlap between Neanderthal and human <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/shocking-secrets-from-genealogy-websites/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">DNA&nbsp;</a>- enough that approximately 1%-4% of modern human DNA traces directly back to&nbsp;Neanderthal ancestry.

Neanderthals coexisted with modern humans for tens of thousands of years, and the two groups certainly met. Evidence shows that Homo sapiens not only procreated&nbsp;with Neanderthals - they also slew and ate them.&nbsp;

It&#39;s not surprising that prehistoric humans&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/prehistoric-sex-facts/kellen-perry" target="_blank">mated&nbsp;with Neanderthals</a>&nbsp;since prehistoric people were notoriously promiscuous. But while science proves humans mated with Neanderthals, the evidence still leaves some questions open. When did they begin to interbreed? Was it&nbsp;consensual? And were there human-Neanderthal relationships?&nbsp;

Did Homo Sapiens Really Mate With Neanderthals?

Did Humans And Neanderthals Mate?

Genevieve Carlton

Lists of fascinating facts and lesser-known details about the lives of people whose names you learned in History class (or should have).

Down in History

Military

If you&#39;ve heard of <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/hannibal-9327767" target="_blank">General Hannibal (247-183&nbsp;BCE)</a>, you&#39;re probably thinking of the guy who rode several elephants into Italy, and that would be correct. In reality, though, there&#39;s more to Hannibal Barca&#39;s life story than his fabled crossing of the Alps with war elephants. This general&nbsp;made it a habit of outright embarrassing the Roman Army, defeating them by a landslide&nbsp;on multiple occasions. It wasn&#39;t until Rome drew upon the skills of another name from the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-general_s)/reference" target="_blank">list of notable&nbsp;generals</a>&mdash;Scipio Aemilianus Africanus (AKA&nbsp;Scipio Africanus the Younger)&mdash;that they were finally able to defeat Hannibal.

Hannibal Barca&#39;s team&nbsp;was nearly unstoppable, unparalleled in the ancient world. He was the General of all the teams of the ancient Punic Empire, the capital of which, Carthage, rivaled Rome in strength and influence. The Carthaginian Army was augmented by barbarian tribes that Hannibal had enlisted to help in his fight against Rome.

Hannibal himself was strong willed, and these&nbsp;lesser-known Hannibal Barca facts prove it. The timeline of Hannibal&#39;s life, from his early days to his ultimate defeat, tells the story of a man with a single purpose: to destroy the Roman Empire. None would ever come so close to achieving that goal as Hannibal&mdash;that is,&nbsp;until the breakup of Rome hundreds of years later.

Facts About Ancient Military Genius Hannibal Barca You Didn't Learn In School

14 Lesser-Known Facts About Ancient Military Genius Hannibal Barca

Christopher Myers

The Mongols under Genghis Khan were fearsome conquerors who razed cities and took millions of lives, but <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mongol-empire" target="_blank">the Mongol Empire</a> also established a lasting peace that shaped history. While we often think of the Mongols as fearsome barbarians who vanquished any who opposed them, they were also surprisingly tolerant rulers.&nbsp;The Mongols promoted trade and diplomacy across their vast empire, leading to flourishing trade on the Silk Road. Genghis Khan himself established religious tolerance in the empire, and often placed&nbsp;the governance of his territories in&nbsp;the hands of conquered peoples. But the Mongol emphasis on travel and their expansive reach undoubtedly had negative effects; along with conquest and conflict, they&nbsp;may have spread&nbsp;diseases like the bubonic&nbsp;plague across Eurasia and unintentionally caused the Black Plague of 1348.

Genghis Khan single-handedly transformed the Mongols from a collection of nomadic tribes into a conquering force. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-mongol-conquests-battles/reference" target="_blank">Battle after battle</a>, the Mongols demonstrated the dominance of their light cavalry, showing off their tactics and precision by luring enemies into ambushes. While the empire lasted less than two hundred years,&nbsp;&nbsp;Mongol influence lasted for centuries after it&nbsp;crumbled, shaping European, Chinese, and Middle Eastern history for generations.&nbsp;

How The Mongol Empire Simultaneously Destroyed And Improved The Known World

How Did The Mongol Empire Change The World?

Lists about customs, rituals, and daily life in Ancient Rome and the Roman Republic, which ruled the Mediterranean from 8th Century BC until its spectacular collapse in 476 AD.

Rome If You Want To

Popular culture can inform our beliefs about many things. Historic events, people, and even entire civilizations are often over-simplified, stereotyped, or just plain reshaped to provide entertainment, action, or comedic relief. Often, this&nbsp;comes at the expense of the truth - or common sense. As a result, depictions of a historically accurate Rome can be difficult to find in movies, on television, and in video games - leading to an incredibly misinformed view of the ancient world.

Granted, many details about ancient Rome are lost to the ages, but sometimes popular culture presents some really egregious errors.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-errors-in-gladiator/setareh-janda" target="_blank">Gladiator</a> was full of mistakes and misrepresentations, and while that film is certainly included on this list of less-than-accurate pop-culture tropes about ancient Rome,&nbsp;it&#39;s hardly alone. Which one of the cliches below are just plain bad Roman history?

15 Of The Dumbest Things Pop Culture Has Us Believe About Ancient Rome

The Dumbest Things About Ancient Rome Pop Culture Has Us Believe

Melissa Sartore

Exploring the folklore, stories, and teachings in different cultures around the globe and throughout history.

Mythology Around the World

Greek mythology is full of stories about justice and vengeance. More often than not, the gods dealt with the transgressions of mere mortals by serving punishments that far outweighed the misdeeds. Hera&#39;s anger about her husband&#39;s illegitimate son, Hercules, for example, led her to send two snakes to destroy him (she didn&#39;t succeed). Still, there are a few satisfying revenge stories in <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/worst-punishments-in-mythology/edira-putri" target="_blank">Greek mythology</a>.

The most justified punishments doled out by <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/real-historical-figures-behind-ancient-myths/carly-silver" target="_blank">mythological characters</a> are often a result of someone&#39;s extreme arrogance, infidelity, or attempt to eat&nbsp;their own children.

The Most Satisfying Revenge Stories In Greek Mythology

Greek Mythology Revenge Stories: The Most Satisfying Tales

Hannah Gilham

Whoa Facts

Neanderthals lived hundreds of thousands of years ago, one of the many ancestors to modern humans. The species went extinct about 40,000 years ago, although it&nbsp;continues to <a href="https://www.the-scientist.com/features/neanderthal-dna-in-modern-human-genomes-is-not-silent-66299" target="_blank">live on in the DNA </a>of humans beings around the world.

Neanderthals have long been thought of as base, unintelligent creatures who dragged their knuckles and wielded clubs. Reddit says otherwise, providing a lot of information to combat this negative view. The subreddit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/" target="_blank">Today I Learned</a> has offers some eye-opening facts about Neanderthals, many of which may surprise you.&nbsp;

12 Fascinating Things We Learned About Neanderthals That Make Us Say 'Really'?

Exploring the unknown worlds, motives, and visits of extraterrestrial life and UFOs.

Aliens.

Ancient&nbsp;history is filled with impressive human&nbsp;achievements -&nbsp;the Pyramids of Giza, the Mayan Long Count Calendar, beer&nbsp;- or maybe that&#39;s just what &quot;they&quot; want you to think. Since the 1960s, a growing&nbsp;contingent of people believes ancient civilizations were contacted by extraterrestrial beings who provided humanity with the knowledge and skills needed to create civilization. According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/21/style/ancient-aliens.html" target="_blank">Ancient Astronaut Theory</a>, aliens built grand monuments,&nbsp;left behind&nbsp;artifacts, and may have even caused certain civilizations to disappear <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/full-cast-of-without-a-trace-cast-list-for-the-show-without-a-trace/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">without a trace</a>.

Historians and archaeologists have criticized the theory since it started to gain mainstream popularity with Erich von D&auml;niken&#39;s 1968&nbsp;best-selling book Chariots of the Gods? -&nbsp;but what do you think? Did these ancient civilizations create&nbsp;genuine&nbsp;human marvels or were they the benefactors of&nbsp;interplanetary encounters?

What Ancient Civilizations Do You Believe Were Contacted By Aliens?

Brenden Donnelly

Lists about the fascinating, often brutal customs and rituals about the legendary Norse seafarers.

A Viking's Life for Me

The Vikings were a brutal group of conquerors and explorers who were famous for ransacking villages and riding around in ornately crafted boats. As a concept, they&rsquo;ve grasped ahold of the public&#39;s consciousness and pillaged their way into our homes via television, but it turns out that there were some brutal Viking acts that were too hot for TV. Audiences are used to seeing warlords and clans of warriors fight&nbsp;en masse, but some of the things Vikings did go beyond being historically interesting and are vile enough to make you rethink ever opening a history book again. Bloody Viking rituals applied to animals, children, and especially their slaves, who&nbsp;were treated with as little respect as possible.

The Viking practices too graphic for TV have one major theme in common: not knowing when to stop. From torture methods like the &quot;blood eagle&quot; to the filing down of their teeth to appear more frightening, there are multiple moments in Viking&nbsp;history when the ancient Scandinavians could have chilled out or pulled back the reins, but instead, they pushed forward and turned their crazy up to 200%. You may think you know about the brutality that Vikings dished out on a daily basis after watching shows - like History Channel&#39;s Vikings -&nbsp;about the ancient Norse people, but until you read about these incredibly graphic rituals, you&rsquo;ll never truly know how the Vikings lived.&nbsp;

15 Brutally Violent Things The Vikings Did That You Won't Be Seeing on TV

Viking Sh*t Too Brutal for TV

Jacob Shelton

Torture

Emperor Elagabalus&nbsp;was the Roman emperor for a brief time from 218 to 222, but he packed a lot of scandal into those years. When it comes to the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-royals-in-history/danielle-ownbey" target="_blank">weirdest royals throughout history</a>,&nbsp;Elagabalus&nbsp;might be the wildest of all. It&#39;s hard to separate the fact from the fiction in these legends about him, but with tales this eye-popping, who would want to?

A devotee of the Syrian god he was named for, Elagabalus brought the deity&#39;s&nbsp;cult to Rome and tried to make it the main religion of the empire. He wasn&#39;t above physical aggression, either; Emperor&nbsp;Elagabalus&nbsp;stories have him harming unsuspecting guests while they dined on <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-foods-in-ancient-rome/carly-silver" target="_blank">bizarre Roman cuisine</a>, and even depict him as making human sacrifices. But he got the most attention for his private life. Elagabalus had multiple wives as well as a husband, and some reports suggest he was transsexual and enjoyed dressing up in traditional female garb.

If that wasn&#39;t intriguing&nbsp;enough, consider this: Elagabalus was only 14 when he became emperor, but the good times didn&#39;t last. At the age of 18, the young emperor was slain by his own soldiers.

Roman Emperor Elagabalus Was A Capricious Tyrant Who May Have Invented The Whoopee Cushion

The Most Unrepentantly Naughty Things Emperor Elagabalus Ever Did

Carly Silver

You likely know the name Commodus as the bad guy from Gladiator, the Best Picture winner from 2000. Played as a pervy psychotic by <a href="http://www.ranker.com/review/joaquin-phoenix/1294213?q=Joaquin%20Phoenix" target="_blank">Joaquin Phoenix</a>, Emperor Commodus is portrayed as a man with insecurities motivating his actions. And while that may be an accurate, historical understanding of the emperor's persona, there's a lot more to Commodus’ biography than the made-up bits starring <a href="http://www.ranker.com/review/russell-crowe/1951181" target="_blank">Russell Crowe</a>.&nbsp;Who was Commodus? Believe it or not, the movie version of the Roman emperor was actually white-washed to cover up his degenerative insanity. Born into a world that prepared him to be a ruler, Commodus grew up believing some pretty fantastic things about himself. Sure, Commodus fought in the arena with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ancient-roman-gladiator-facts/aaron-edwards">ancient Roman gladiators</a>, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the atrocities Commodus inflicted on the people around him. If you were fascinated by the profoundly creepy emperor in Gladiator, you haven’t seen anything yet - read on to discover insane tales about Commodus.&nbsp;

The Real Commodus Was An Even More Over-The-Top Emperor Than Gladiator's Version

True Stories of Commodus, The Inept Emperor Who Fought In The Colosseum

Justin Andress

Gross

The Roman Empire, which lasted for around 1,500 years,&nbsp;stands as one of the most significant examples of the rise and fall of a civilization&nbsp;in human history.&nbsp;And while it would have been fascinating to meet epic Roman emperors&nbsp;like Caligula or Commodus, in reality, <a href="/list/what-was-life-like-in-ancient-rome-golden-age/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">living at the time of their reigns</a>&nbsp;probably wouldn&#39;t have been so great. In fact, the nasty realities of ancient Rome &ndash;&nbsp;from tapeworms to mass enslavement &ndash; create a pretty unappealing picture of life at the time.

There are&nbsp;nearly unlimited examples of Roman squalor.&nbsp;Despite their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermae">vaunted baths</a>, the Romans still had a host of parasites and diseases.&nbsp;Some of their medical remedies were absolutely disgusting (as in dung, anyone?). Emperors, not exactly the paragons of virtue they purported to be, seduced siblings and marrying children.&nbsp;Even <a href="http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub369/item2071.html">tasty dinner dishes</a> were made out of repellant things, ranging from&nbsp;dolphin meatballs&nbsp;to flamingo&nbsp;tongues. Such disgusting conditions in <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-roman-emperor-facts/pierce-nahigyan" target="_blank">Imperial Rome</a>&nbsp;are enough to make anyone queasy.

16 Disgusting Details Of Every Day Life In Ancient Rome

The Most Disgusting Things About Living in Imperial Rome

Walk a mile in the sandals, boots, high heels, and huaraches that regular people wore in different places around the world at fascinating points in history.

What Life Was Like

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was at its apex from the second century BC&nbsp;through the second century AD. During the Pax Romana of the first and second centuries AD, Rome benefited&nbsp;from the expansion of its&nbsp;empire, with vast amounts of wealth and diverse cultural&nbsp;influences flooding into its borders.&nbsp;

What was Ancient Rome like? It had a little bit of everything.&nbsp;The city of Rome was a bustling urban center&nbsp;full of commoners,&nbsp;animals, and politicians - all running into each other on crowded streets, in&nbsp;public buildings, and at any number of sporting events. Life in Ancient Rome was full of excitement, with plenty of opportunities for entertainment and spectacle contributing to the cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Living in Ancient Rome was not without challenges, however. The life of a Roman citizen depended on social and economic status. Poverty and noise were just two problems that prompted the government to regulate the difficult conditions within the city, with moderate levels of success.

To live in Ancient Rome was like living in any major city, full of pros and cons - but rarely with a dull moment.

What It Was Like To Live In Ancient Rome During Its Golden Age

What Was Life Like In Ancient Rome's Golden Age?

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