#1 "Translation Of The Text Written In Gold At The Entrance To The Temple Of The Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet, Karnak Temple"
When we move through the world with our smartphones, heated homes, grocery stores and fancy cars, it’s easy to forget that our world has been around for literally billions of years. And while Homo sapiens, or humans, have only been here for about 300,000 years, that still leaves us with an incredible amount of history. It’s impossible to know and understand everything that humanity has been through, but thankfully, there are people out there who live for discovering more about our world’s past, and some who are even willing to share that information online.
The Ancient Explorers Facebook page writes that their mission is to “explore the history of our ancient past to make an impact on today’s and tomorrow’s,” and they certainly do a great job of that. The account, which was created on New Year’s Day in 2013, has amassed an impressive 833k followers and has posted over 10k photos. One quick scroll through the page’s feed can teach you more about fossils, ancient architecture, ancient jewelry, ancient temples and anything else that you might not have learned in history class.
#5 After Undergoing Restoration Work, One Of The Most Expansive Floor Mosaics Ever Found Has Been Revealed At Hisham Palace In Jericho
To learn more about why it’s so important to study our world’s past, we reached out to ancient history expert David Lee. David runs the Roman History Blog, which also has accompanying Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, and was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about what inspired him to start studying Roman history.
“I got into Roman History as I was fascinated with Hadrian's wall as a child, and I liked visiting York, also known to the Romans as Eboracum in the North of England,” he shared. “I like the intrigue, the politics, the way the Republic changed into the rule of one man with a series of emperors. Rome expanded to encompass the Mediterranean and beyond.”
#7 The Inscriptions That Akhenaten Left For His Wife Nefertiti On The Walls Of The Amarna Temples
We were also curious if David could share any fun facts about Roman history that you pandas might not know, and he noted how important their legacy has been. “We still have their laws, culture, theatre, comedy, literature, buildings, military tactics and influence on the modern world."
And as far as why we should still value studying ancient history today, the history enthusiast says, “It's important to study the past so we can have a better understanding of who we are and what has happened to us and how it has influenced us in modern times.”
#10 The Cantalloc Aqueducts, Constructed By The Nazca Civilization In The Arid Deserts Of Peru Over 1,500 Years Ago, Continue To Serve Their Purpose To This Day
#11 Hin Sam Wan, Also Known As Three Whale Rock
#12 Located At The Intersection Of Eastern Europe And Western Asia, In The Country Of Georgia, Lies The City Of Vardzia
If you’d like to expand your knowledge of the ancient world but just aren’t sure where to start, David says, “There are plenty of documentaries on Youtube and other streaming sites. Also, books are a good source for learning, and we have the internet with plenty of websites with great content, including social media. I post Roman history on Twitter on a regular basis.”
“Ancient history is a fascinating subject, and you can learn so much from it. Do take the time to find out more,” he added.
If you’d like to learn more from David about the amazing history of ancient Rome, be sure to visit his blog right here!
#13 The Arkadiko Bridge Or Kazarma Bridge In Greece Is An Astonishing 3,300-Year-Old Chariot Bridge That Is Still In Use Today
#15 At The Age Of 17, Cleopatra Became Queen Of Egypt And Ruled Until She Was 39 Years Old
We also reached out to the ancient history experts at the website Ancient Origins to gain more insight on the topic, and we were lucky enough to get in touch with Co-Founder and Chief Editor Joanna Gillan. She explained that the site came about a decade ago when she and Dr. Ioannis Syrigos “[wanted] a project that would free [them] from the constraints of nine-to-five jobs and give [them] the flexibility to operate an online business from anywhere in the world.” They tossed around their top 10 topics, and ancient history emerged as the clear winner.
When it comes to what Joanna loves most about running Ancient Origins, she shared with Bored Panda, “I love that we’ve taken a really fun approach to ancient history, selecting the most captivating, weird, surprising, strange, shocking, or lesser-known facts from our ancient world - things like lost cities, bizarre artifacts, historical enigmas, ancient cold cases, hidden treasures, and more. By doing so, we've transformed a subject often studied in universities – which can sometimes be dry and dull – into something accessible and engaging for everyone, reigniting the public's enthusiasm for the mysteries and fascination of our distant past.”
Joanna also shared that her absolute favorite topic to study in ancient history is the Sumerians, whose amazingly advanced civilization seemed to just spring up out of nowhere in what is now Iraq. “Suddenly, around 6,000 years ago, they jumped from being hunter gatherers and then simple agricultural communities to establishing one of the world’s first civilizations," she explained. "They developed intricate writing systems, an advanced justice system, a complex social structure, well-organized cities, incredible art, literature, and architecture, sophisticated timekeeping and mathematics, and a rich mythology and religion. It is quite mind-boggling!”
