Automatons – the “A.I.” of Ancient Greek Mythology?
Automatons were lifelike machines designed to perform tasks such as protection, entertainment, or assistance. This is similar to the purpose for which we build AI today. Automatons were mentioned in Greek myths as early as the 8th century BC, during Homer’s time. The modern definition of automaton today is a self-operating machine made to imitate […]
Symbolism of the Rose Window: 5 Hidden Concepts Revealed
Origins of the Rose Windows The traditional rose window– the one with geometrical shapes spanning out from a centre, and made of stained glass – blew up in Gothic France. We’re talking about the 12th and 13th c. particularly in and around Paris. From there, the stereotypical rose windows spread throughout the world, starting with […]
Tricks to Instantly Recognize the 12 Greek Gods in Classical Art
Although you’re familiar with greco-roman mythology, you may have a hard time recognizing each of the 12 greek gods on sculptures and classical paintings. There is a trick! Learn their symbols and characteristics, and you’ll be able to recognize them instantly on every piece of ancient art. Let’s begin with Zeus Roman counterpart: […]
Why 7 Days In A Week? Mystery EXPLAINED
The making of the calendar All over the world, humans from as early as the Bronze age have been observing and recording nature’s cycles, and with it have created systems to organize time. Today you’d call this system a calendar. Calendars were not uniform across the world. The South Americans had their own calendar. The […]
What Are the 12 Months Named After?
Each day of the week was named after a god. How about other units of time, say… months? Well, it turns out that the 12 months of the year were also named after gods. But not all of them – some months were named after political figures, another after a ritual, and others were simply […]
Western Mythology on a Timeline
I created this timeline with the classical era in mind. (Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, etc.) I wanted to visualize their period of prevalence in humanity’s timeline, along with other religious eras that came and went (and remained as mythology). The timeline is simple. The rough periods of humanity are shaded in different colors. There is prehistory, […]
6 Common Themes Found in Underworld Myths from Around the World
A popular idea today is that: good souls go up to heaven, and bad souls burn in hell, beneath the earth – the underworld. But this belief is an evolution of an ancient one shared by many cultures across the world; that the underworld was a place where all of us go when we die. […]
Why the Hell Do Devils Have Horns?
Ask a child to draw a devil and without a doubt, they will draw a face with horns. Why do devils always have horns? In fact, it seems like the devil usually has a tail, hooves and a trident as well. Where do these devil features come from, and why do they also appear on […]
