Flo's History

Out of all the cultures in our history, the Cushites are one of the most mysterious that existed. They only make an appearance in the Hebrew Bible, and it says very little about them. So, who were they? They are said to be the southern neighbours of the ancient Egyptians. Across the centuries, the relation between the two nations greatly varied. From allies and trade partners to bitter rivals, it happened more than once that Cushites and Egyptians conquered one another. This means that it wasn’t uncommon for both people to heavily mix with one another, especially for military matters. Indeed, the Cushites people were a militaristic culture, meaning that their warriors were quite formidable and many saw services in the Egyptian Military force. After all, they weren’t called the "nation mighty and conquering" for nothing. It also happened on few occasions that the Egyptian Pharaoh was of Cushite origin. Yeah, people back then were far less picky on nationality. Pharaoh Taharquo...

  Taking back from where we left in the last episode, Novgorod just survived the Mongol invasion by not fighting it. Now, let's turn to what must be the single most important historical section of the city, the Novgorod Republic. The republic covered much of the western-northern section of modern Russia. Technically speaking, it started in 1136, when they dismissed (read: evicted) Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich for various reasons, including screwing up a couple of times. The expulsion was seen as the end of Kievan control over its northern regions, considering upcoming Princes of Kyiv couldn't truly control the region. Then the Mongols nuked Kiev, so this issue regarding their sovereignty over Novgorov was resolved by itself. Novgorod controlled a large group of cities, including Staraya Russa, Staraya Ladoga or Oreshek (a golden star for originality to this one). The city of Pskov was initially part of the republic until they formed their government after joining the Hanseatic L...

  The Rus have a long and rather rich history, with many cities bearing significant importance in the past. One of such places is Veliky Novgorod, or more commonly called Novgorod, and it’s one of the oldest cities still standing in Russia. The city was mentioned in Rus’s history in the  Sofia First Chronicle  in 859. However, its first authentic appearance was Novgorod First Chronicle (shocking!) around the same time. It was already described as a central trade hub between the Varangians of Scandinavia and the Greek city-states. This means that the city must have been even older than that because it certainly didn’t rise to this extended power in one day. A few years later, Novgorod became the Kievan Rus’ capital for a time – thanks to its significant political, economic, and cultural impact. However, as the confederation was formally settled when Oleg of Novgorod conquered Kiev in 882, Novgorod lost its title of capital to the latter. Out of the fact that Kiev was the o...

  Carcassonne is a (very) diverse board game, having so many variations that simply naming them would need an entire post on their own. But this blog isn’t about games; it is about history. The real Carcassonne is actually a giant castle located in southwestern France. The site itself is vast and complex, with the oldest fortification dating all the way back to the Roman Empire. Quite ironic that one of the most famous medieval castles of Europe came from Antiquity, whilst we tend to believe they were built during the middle age. The inner walls of the castle date from 485 CE and were built by the Visigoths king Euric I to defend his kingdom. It was efficient enough because it prevented the Frankish king Clovis from invading the Hibernian Peninsula in 508. However, this initial bastion wasn’t perfect because it was conquered on not one but two separate occasions. The first time was when the Umayyad Caliphate invaded the Visigoth kingdom in 728. It was then taken back from them in 7...

  Ravana is a well-known figure in the Hindu pantheon and one of the most disputed in his achievements. A cruel demon and a benevolent emperor, some even argue that Ravana was a Buddhist King, but there is little evidence to support this claim. Stories about him differ depending on where they are told. In the Ramayana, Ravana was considered an evil tyrant with an iron fist and he even held the Gods under his thumbs. Tolkien's Sauron wished he was that cool. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, portrayed him in a different light. He was more of a benevolent king and a devoted follower of Shiva. However, the latter was because he accidentally pissed off the god of destruction and worshiped him for forgiveness, and also because he was scared of him! Anyways, under his rule, the city of Lanka prospered into becoming one of the most advanced civilizations in the world. All this came crashing down because Ravana once again angered the wrong person. In this case, it was Rama, a reincarnation of ...

  River spirits are present in almost every mythology imaginable. To name a few the Japanese Taki Reio, the Greek River Nymph, the Scottish Each-Uisge, pick up any ancient culture and chances are they have a water spirit. The Slav’s culture is notorious to trace back thanks to the many revolutions and political turmoils that plagued these people history. However, one of the monsters of legends that managed to survive throughout time is a water spirit named Vodyanoy. This water beast was known to live in the frozen rivers and lakes of the Siberian tundra. Translating to “The one in the water”, it generally looked like a merman, but instead of the fairy tales sexy bodybuilder, the Vodyanoy had a frog-like face, a long bear and grey or green skin. Yeah, not exactly the thing you want to encounter in the middle of the night. This water beast was known to live in the frozen rivers and lakes of the Siberian tundra. Translating to “The one in the water”, it generally looked like a merman,...

  The Japanese Yokai must be some of the most diverse and widespread monsters in mythology. Some are feared demons, and others are benevolent spirits. From divine animals to living objects, they come in all shapes, powers, and moral alignment. Of course, such diversity means that some are more well-known than others, and today we will cover one of the most mysterious Yokai: the Umibozu. This water Yokai tends to be in the least known, directly reflecting the mysterious aura that the sea had in those times. However, one thing is certain, the Umibozu was the terror of all sailors in Japan due to its hostility. They appeared in the dread of the night during calm weather, bursting out of the water in a sudden storm. Depending on their size and the size of the targeted ship, they would either destroy their target in one slash or bit by bit. Sometimes, they would ask the sailors for a barrel to flood the deck and sink the ship. If they gave them a bottomless barrel, the Umibozu would be ...

  From all the wonders created by humans throughout our history, one of the most iconic must be the great walls. Quite a few were constructed all around the world, so more famous than most. Of course, the iconic two are the Hadrian's Wall – located in Northern England and built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian – and the legendary Great Wall of China. More modern one includes the Berlin Wall – the symbol of the Cold War between the US and the USSR – and the Belfast Peace Wall in Northern Ireland. However, another great wall in the Middle East was built sometime between the Great Wall of China and the Hadrian's Wall. Guarding the borders of the Sassanian Empire between the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains, its name is the Great Wall of Gorgan. Although its date of construction is a subject of debate, many sources pinpoint it to the 5th-6th century AD. This would suggest that the great Khosrow I, one of the greatest Shah who led the Sassanian Empire, built it. We don't know wh...

  When people talk about early ethnic groups from Europe – generally before the Roman Empire – the Celts are the first ones to come to mind. But indeed, some people lived long before the Celts. One of the most well-known clans was the Hallstatt Culture (bonus point for whoever knows how to pronounce it). They were metal-working people mainly dwelling in central Europe and were seen by many as the for-father of the "La Tene" culture, part of the greater Celt collective. Although they lived in the early Iron Age, from 800 BC to 450 BC, they mixed up with the Urnfield culture, which existed in the Late Bronze Age between 1300 BC and 800 BC. After all, we are talking about people who lived around 3000 years ago, so things are bound to be mixed up as we try to decipher history this far back. Another significant ethnic group that inhabited Europe before the rise of the celts was the Unetice. They lived between 2300 and 1680 BC in Eastern Europe – mainly in the region that is now th...

  When looking at human history as a whole, kings and emperors have always been present. There is, however, always a first to everything. That's not to say that someone 'invented the concept of a king. Many probably came up with this idea without knowing others did as well. It is also hard to know exactly what happened that far back in time. However, we can trace it back to the person who is still considered the first true king in human history. His name is Sargon of Akkad, founder of the Akkadian Empire (also believed to be the first empire). Even if the Sumerian civilization predated the Akkadian Empire, they were more like independent cities (like Ur, Uruk and Kish) rather than a unified nation. Sargon is the man who laid down the duties of a leader beyond military might. Concepts like a common language, global trades and central taxations were created under his reign. He also taught his son, Rimush, how to lead an empire – instigating the concept of a dynasty. Sargon was so...

  Horse riders have many representations in mythologies. They can be heroic knights who save the people or be the carriers of the apocalypse. Today, we will dive into one of the most sinister monsters that ever carried the mantle. Let me present you to the calamity of Orkney, bringer of drought and disaster, the incarnation of evil in northern Scotland, the Nuckelavee. The legacy of the monstrous rider is one of the darkest that exist. The people of Orkney feared nothing more than this grotesque abomination that was the fusion between a human torso and a horse. The beast was skinless, leaving its black blood veins and flesh exposed; its arms were so long that they touched the ground and its mouth so large that it could be compared to a maw. It was anyone's worst nightmare. And of course, its personality only matched its charming look. When I say it was considered the incarnation of evil, I am not exaggerating. Everything terrible that happened on the Orkney islands was the work of ...

  Europe abounds with castles, let them be in good shapes or ruins they have become part of the landscape. Of course, some had a greater impact on history than others, and one of such bastion is the Fortress of Rheinfels. The place had a long history, going all the way back to the latter days of the medieval era as it was originally built in 1245. The Comte Dieter Von Katzenelnbogen, part of the greater Holy Roman Empire, in order to tax the ships travelling on the Rhin river. It was part of a group of other such fortifications built by the Comte to ensure better control over the river as it was a major trade route in central Europe. Of course, the Fortress of Rheinfels was the greatest of this group, so it became the main court of the Comte. This claim would rapidly be put to the test as a coalition of 26 smaller cities, tired of the heavy taxes put by the Katzenelnbogen organized an army to destroy it. The army was nothing short of formidable for the time, no less than 1000 knigh...

  The field of Hastings is famous for one major event in England history, the Battle of Hastings. This battle opposed King William of Normandy, referred to as “the bastard” due to his commoner mother, and Harold, who seized the throne from his father Edward the Confessor. This conflict came from the fact that Edward had proclaimed William to be his successor. The decision was initially supported by Harold, swearing upon holy relics, that he’ll serve the Norman king once his father dies. It is speculated that Harold did so because William was holding his family hostage, and the Norman wasn’t known for being the nicest person. Anyways, once Edward died, Harold proclaimed that his father changed his mind on the succession and crowned himself the very same day. This claim is quite dubious since Edward was famous for being relatively close to the Norman and William. Furthermore, Harold had no proof of what he was saying outside of his words. He broke protocol by crowning himself the sam...

  The various Inuit people inhabiting the artic region have their own spirits and monsters. The Tupilaq was one of such creatures, coming straight from the native tribes of Greenland. The Tupilaq was a rather feared beast, they were vengeful spirits casted by someone to punish someone else that had wronged him. It is said that conjuring (i.e. making) a Tupilaq was extremely easy as anyone, let they follow the instruction properly, could do it. All they need was some animals or human parts, like bones, skin or hair to make a statue. The Tupilaq has no define form other than being animalistic. You can make it have the body of a seal with polar bear forearms and walrus tusks if you want to, as long as you have the proper ingredients it will count as a Tupilaq. Once the sculpture is completed, you must attach to it something that belongs to the targeted person and then place it to the sea. From here your vengeful spirit is set to hunt down its target on its own. However, calling upon a...

  Today, let's dive into the Aztec (or, as they called themselves, the Mexica). The deity that interests us today is Huitzilopochtli, god of war and sun. He is the one who pushed the Aztec to leave their legendary home of Aztlan (around southern America and Northern Mexico) to their future capital city of Tenochtitlan. Huitzilopochtli was a ruthless and bloodthirsty god. Even the battle-hungry Thor and Ares would find this guy completely nuts. Some of his actions included butchering his sister Coyolxauhqui and scattering her body in the sky, creating the moon and the milky way. Those that read my post on Ymir could say that Odin and his brothers did the same. Unlike Coyolxauhqui, Ymir was an evil being who started the fight first. Huitzilopochtli also did atrocious things like brutally murdering his nephew for being raised by his sister, the sorceress goddess Malinalxochitl. He told the Mexica priest to carve his heart out and throw it in a lake to accomplish this. Oh, and his neph...

  In today's post, we will explore something a little different from usual. Indeed, I've decided that this week's post should be about a particular castle. This bastion was built by King Herod The Great, the last king of Judea before the Romans officially took over (they were the ones who installed Herod on the throne in the first place). Masada Castle was ordered sometime around 37 and 31 BCE by the king for unknown reasons, most likely as a symbol of power. It was viewed as Herod's greatest bastion and one of his most significant architectural projects. Sometime after his death, the Jewish revolt of 66 BCE started, and Masada was their last stand after the fall of Jerusalem. The Romans abandoned it after they conquered it. The fortress can be found in Israel, close to the Dead Sea. It is located on top of a rock cliff, elevated at around 450 meters from the ground, and is 400 meters above sea level. The fact that it was built on top of such a remote place makes it one...

  Let's go back in time by a couple of millions of years as we talk about dinosaurs for this week's post. The Liliensternus was a bipedal dinosaur that lived roughly 210 million years ago in the Late Triassic era. They were medium-sized bipedal carnivores long before early predators like Diliphosaure or Syntarsus (the latter could potentially even be a descendent of the Liliensternus). Eventually, that makes it one of the oldest carnivores in the dinosaur era. It shared the same time frame with his closest cousin: the Coelophysis – another small predator. Its adult size is still unknown, however. It was still considered young at 3 meters long, meaning that it could be much more significant. This dinosaur was first discovered in Germany in 1934 and was fully classified 50 years later. More recently, fossils were found in New Mexico, and they could potentially belong to Liliensternus.

  The Citadel of Aleppo is one of, if not, the oldest castle ever built in history. Still standing, the fortress was constructed around the middle of the 3rd millennium BC in what is known today as northern Syria. What is most remarkable about this castle is that it still stands relatively intact despite having been conquered many times. Going from the Greeks, to the Byzantium as well as the Ayyubids and the Mamluks it seems that every middle eastern dynasty once wanted to possess it!  In reality, the fortress we can see today isn’t the one that stood during the 3rd millennium BC.  It was actually built in the 12th century and was constructed as an answer by the Arabian state of Zangids against the threats of the crusades. It was then taken over by the Ayyubids dynasty when the legendary leader Al-Nasir Salah Al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, more commonly known as Saladin, unified the Muslim states against the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This place served as a purely defensive structure...

  The Marathon is probably the most widespread sport event in the world. Most countries have at least one organized every year, like the New York Marathon or the Berlin Marathon, to name a few. A Marathon was first held during the re-inauguration of the Olympic games in 1896, and a Greek won. Marathons have a famous legend tied to them, and let's look at it further. The semi-mythical story states that during the first Greek-Persian war in 490 BC, the army of Athens crushed the Persians due to a Marathon. With the threats of the Persian fleet being very present, a soldier ran 42km or so back to Athene to tell the people not to surrender as their army was still standing. The runner eventually died of exhaustion on the spot of his arrival. Soon after, Hoplites, on the Athenian's side, arrived to threaten the Persians, who then retreated. Who was this runner? And is this story even real? First of all, the most well-known identity of the mysterious runner is Pheidippides, who was a ...

  During Rome's rise into power, it faced many threats from all around the Mediterranean world. None of them, however, came as close as the Great Hannibal. Where exactly does this man come from? In this post, I'll introduce you to the once-great city of Carthage, the birthplace of Hannibal The Phoenicians built Carthage 814 BC on the coastline of what is now Tunis. This location allowed for total control over ships coming from North Africa to Sicilia – making the city a major trading port. Its newfound power will, however, upset Rome. When the city-state conquered the Italian peninsula, the two forces confronted each other and came into armed conflict twice, known as the Punic Wars. Unfortunately for the trading city, Rome cannot be defeated. Despite Hannibal's legendary rampage across the Italian peninsula, annihilating two of Rome's largest armies, Carthage ultimately fell and was destroyed. The city will be re-established as a roman colony soon after, which later wil...

  This week's post will be a little bit special since we will explore a semi-fictive place, the House of Juliet. As many would know, Juliet is a protagonist in one of Shakespeare's most famous plays: Romeo and Juliet . If you haven't read the play, do that right after you read that post because you're missing out. Realistically, the House of Juliette isn't the house where Juliet Capulet lived. The main reason being that she, like the rest of the play's characters, never existed! Shakespeare never even set foot in Verona – where the story takes place. The city, however, is real and can be found in Italy between Milan and Venice. How on earth is this random house Verona called The House of Juliet? Well, it's not a random house at all. When Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet , he was inspired by an old Italian legend relating a love story between two opposing families. These families were real, and one of them owned the house in question; it was the house of De...

  Remember a few months ago I talked about the Jörmungandr from the North-Mythology, if you haven’t read it yet go check it here. Speaking of sea monsters, the Scottish got their own version of it, named Cirein-Cròon. He was recorded to be the biggest creature from this mythology. One particular aspect of this monster was its shapeshifting ability, he would often take the form of a fish to lure fishermen into catching him. Once captured he would take back his true form and eat the fisherman, talking about irony. This eating habit of his leads us to believe that Cirein-Cròon might be a malevolent creature. Since it is highly unlikely that eating humans would be a sustainable diet considering his size. Indeed, an old rhyme talking about the beast said that it could easily eat seven whales. This can mean that his habit of hunting humans might be more for sport. It was speculated that the Cirein-Cròon was based on the remains of the Atlantosaurus, a dinosaur belonging to the family of ...

  Persia The Persian empire is one of the most important and iconic nations in the Middle-East. Spamming from Northeast Africa to India's border and Anatolia, the empire was one of the greatest of its time. Small fact, its real name is the "Achaemenid Empire" since it was the name of its only dynasty. It collapsed when Alexander decisively defeated Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela, shattering the Persian king's army. Sassanid Another great empire shared the same localization as the Persians of old. This empire was known as the Sassanid. Their territories covered the Eastern half of the Persians lands. Although its northern part wasn’t as far-reaching, it did incorporate some of Saudi Arabia's coastline. They did not possess the region of Anatolia, Egypt and the coastland in Between, being the heart of their arch-rival, the Byzantines. Similarities The two empires shared more than common territories. Their art styles were extremely similar. They shared the sam...

  Wendigo is a sinister creature belonging to the Algonquin first nation tribe culture. The appearance and origin of the creature vary greatly, but they all have few details in common. All of them state that Wendigo originated from a man who turned into a predatory monster after committing an act of cannibalism and dwells in cold weather. Although his appearance isn’t specific, he is generally depicted around 15 feet tall, having a semi-animalistic and skeletal appearance. Another common characteristic is that the Wendigo has antlers, some time on a human head and some time on an elk one. Wendigo is a feared creature amongst the Algonquins. As a great predator, he always hunts to satisfy its insatiable hunger for human flesh. The many unexplained disappearances among the tribe were blamed on this beast. Although Wendigo is more of a beast than a man, he has proven itself to be a crafty predator. Often, he uses clever stratagems to lure his victims into the woods to captur...

  In the previous post, we explored the events that led Prometheus to be trapped on Mount Caucasus, having his liver eaten by a giant eagle. So, you can say that he got in one hell of a pickle. But would he ever get out of this? Fortunately for him, he would ultimately escape thanks to the demigod Heracles (or the famous Hercules for the Romans). All you need to know about him is that he is a demigod son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. He had a happy life until Hera's had a tantrum, suddenly he found himself on a quest to complete a bunch of impossible tasks to redeem himself. Heracles The latest was travelling to find the Golden Apples as one of his Twelve Labours. They were given by Hera to Zeus as a wedding gift, something she probably regretted doing. And to answer the question that may be burning your lips, as to what was the biggest mistake? Well, in fact, it was probably both giving him such a powerful present as the Golden Apples to a cheating husband and therefore marrying...

  Origins of Prometheus   Family Prometheus was one of the rare Titan that could be considered pleasant toward humans, unlike most other immortals in general. But before we talk about his confrontation with Zeus regarding our fates, it is best that we look at his family history. His father was Lapetus, one of the elder Titans and a direct child from the Primordial of the sky Ouranos and the earth Gaia. This familial connection makes Prometheus the nephew of the infamous Titan of time Chronos and light Hyperion.  His mother is an Okeanides, sea nymph daughter of Okeanos and Tethys, named Klymene. She was also a Titan representing fame and renown, and unlike her husband, she wasn't cast to Tartarus when the Olympians took over. Later on, she would serve Hera as a handmaid. She would even be present during Paris's judgment, prince of Troy, but that is a story for another time. Klymene is also referred to by the name Asia, giving her name to Anatolia, being Asia min...