Current Date: 19 Sep, 2025

Tag: ancient

The World’s First Seismograph: How Ancient China Detected Earthquakes 1,800 Years Ago

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Over 1,800 years ago, long before modern technology, the ancient Chinese astronomer and inventor Zhang Heng created the world’s first seismograph in 132 AD. This ingenious bronze device could detect distant earthquakes by releasing small balls from dragons’ mouths into toads’ mouths—each indicating a different compass direction. Its historic detection of an earthquake 400 miles away astonished the imperial court and transformed the way societies understood and responded to seismic events. […]

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The Mouth of Truth: Ancient Rome’s Legendary “Lie Detector” That Bit Off Hands

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Discover the chilling legend of the Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità) in Ancient Rome—a massive carved stone face believed to bite off the hand of anyone who lied while inserting their hand into its gaping mouth. Uncover the truth behind its eerie reputation and how this ancient artifact became a symbol of honesty and fear. […]

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Inside China’s Footbinding Tradition: The Painful Ritual of Lotus Shoes and Bound Feet

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In China, Lotus shoes were used to bind women’s feet to keep their feet small […]

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Saudi Arabia camel carvings dated to prehistoric era

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Archaeologists were shocked to discover that a series of camels carved into desert rock faces in north-western Saudi Arabia are actually prehistoric, dating from 7,000-8,000 years ago – before either the Pyramids of Giza or Stonehenge were built. […]

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Tunnels Dug by ancient giant sloths, A South American Megafauna

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For years, scientists didn’t know what caused mysterious cave networks in South America. In 2010, they learned that the caves were actually tunnels dug by ancient giant sloths […]

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The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

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Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling. […]

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chand baori stepwell in Rajasthan India, Ancient cooling technique

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This Chand Baori stepwell in Rajasthan, India is over 1200 years old. It’s called Chand Baori. The air at the bottom of the well is 5-6 degrees cooler than at the surface, so in addition to being a water source, it was used as a community gathering place where locals could escape the heat. […]

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Qasr al-Farid, the Lonely Castle of the Nabataeans

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The remote tomb of Qasr al-Farid, situated in the Saudi Arabian desert, dates back to the 1st Century CE. It was built by the Nabataean people, who also built Petra in Jordan. This site has remained largely undisturbed. […]

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