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World History Encyclopedia

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Featured Definition
Helios
Definition

Helios

Helios (also Helius) was the god of the Sun in Greek mythology. He was thought to ride a golden chariot which brought the Sun across the skies each...
Featured Image
Thebes Funerary Stele
Image

Thebes Funerary Stele

A funerary stele from Thebes, Egypt. Plastered and painted wood. 7th-4th century BCE. (Archaeological Museum of Milan, Italy)

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Serpent Mound
Definition

Serpent Mound

Serpent Mound (also known as Great Serpent Mound) is an archaeological and historic site in Peebles, Ohio, USA, enclosing an effigy mound 1348 feet...
Cullinan Diamond
Definition

Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in Transvaal, South Africa in 1905 and presented as a birthday gift to Edward VII of England (r. 1901-1910) by the...
Pre-Colonial North America
Definition

Pre-Colonial North America

Pre-Colonial North America (also known as Pre-Columbian, Prehistoric, and Precontact) is the period between the migration of the Paleo-Indians to the...
Interview: The Werewolf in the Ancient World by Daniel Ogden
Interview

Interview: The Werewolf in the Ancient World by Daniel Ogden

In this interview, World History Encyclopedia is talking to author Daniel Ogden about his new book The Werewolf in the Ancient World. Daniel Ogden...
Koh-i-Noor
Definition

Koh-i-Noor

The Koh-i-Noor diamond (also spelt Koh-i-Nur or Kūh-e Nūr), with a weight of 105.6 carats, is one of the largest and most famous cut diamonds in the...
A Gallery of 12 Roman Amphitheatres
Image Gallery

A Gallery of 12 Roman Amphitheatres

In this gallery, we showcase 12 amphitheatres, a structure built throughout the Roman empire where ordinary people could watch such spectacles as gladiator...
Ull
Definition

Ull

Ull (also known as Ullr), with his bow and skis, is such an elusive presence in Norse mythology that no conclusive remarks can be made about him. The...
Poverty Point
Definition

Poverty Point

Poverty Point is an archaeological and historic site in Louisiana, USA, enclosing one of the most significant Native American mound sites from Pre-Colonial...
Legions of the Rhine Frontier
Article

Legions of the Rhine Frontier

After Julius Caesar’s (100-44 BCE) conquest of Gaul, Roman legions pushed the borders of the Roman Empire’s frontier to the banks of the Rhine River...
Ten Great Native American Mound Sites
Article

Ten Great Native American Mound Sites

The Native Americans of Pre-Colonial North America built thousands of mounds across the continent which served various purposes – burial, ritualistic...
A Gallery of Fabergé Eggs
Image Gallery

A Gallery of Fabergé Eggs

The tradition of giving miniature Easter eggs was not a new one but when Tsar Alexander III (r. 1881-1894) commissioned Peter Carl Fabergé (1846-1920...
Native American Enslavement in Colonial America
Article

Native American Enslavement in Colonial America

Slavery was practiced by the Native Americans long before any Europeans arrived in the region. People of one tribe could be taken by another for a variety...