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The Muslim world often gets away with things that would send shockwaves through the international community if anyone else did them. On May 29, reports surfaced that Egypt was preparing to seize and potentially shut down the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine — the oldest continuously functioning Christian monastery in the world, nestled right at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Built by Emperor Justinian I around 550 AD on Mount Sinai, it has stood for nearly 1,500 years—making it centuries older than Islam.

At the foot of Mount Sinai -- where Moses is believed to have heard the voice of God -- stands one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world. For nearly 1,500 years, the monks of St. Catherine’s Monastery have kept watch over sacred ground, stewarding the faith through centuries of empire, conquest, and modern upheaval. Their presence a living testimony, not just to history, but to holiness. Now, that sacred presence is under threat. On May 28, 2025, an Egyptian court ruled to transfer ownership of St. Catherine’s Monastery and its assets to the state. Though the government claims...

An archaeological mission excavating at Tell el-Farma in the Northern Sinai have uncovered a temple dedicated to Zeus.Zeus is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion who ruled from his seat in Mount Olympus. Zeus is often depicted as an older man with a beard and is represented by symbols such as the lightning bolt and the eagle.Archaeologists were conducting excavations at Tell el-Farma, known by its ancient name of Pelusium which dates back to the late Pharaonic period. The site remained occupied from Greco-Roman times through to the Byzantine and early Islamic periods.Pelusium was first excavated during...

Considered one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world still in operation, the Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai is home to more than two centuries of history — and more than that of legend. Tradition claims, for example, that the main altar of the monastery is built on the spot where the Burning Bush first addressed Moses. But the monastery, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO, also holds other seats of honor. For example, it accommodates the oldest continuously operating active library in the world.From the day it was founded in the sixth century (between 548 and...

Dr. Mamdouh El Damaty announced the discovery of the remains of the eastern gate of Tharw fortres in Sinai which served as the Egyptian army headquarters in the New Kingdom. The discovery was made by the Egyptian team working at Tell Habwa in the east bank of the Suez Canal. The discovery also include mid brick royal warehouse belong to "Ramses II and Thotmoses III" and 26th Dynasty cemetery most of the graves are mud brick and group tombs of contains human remains showing battles injuries. The discovered part of the eastern gate of Tharw fortress are 3 fragments of...

Left-handedness common in Ice Age By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor A right-hand print signifys left-handedness The fraction of left-handed people today is about the same as it was during the Ice Age, according to data from prehistoric handprints. They were found in caves painted during the Upper Palaeolithic period, between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago. Left-handedness may have conferred prehistoric man advantages, such as in combat, say the researchers. The research is published in the February issue of the journal Biology Letters. Evolutionary advantages When Stone Age man produced their remarkable cave paintings they often left...

An ancient Egyptian manuscript may prove the biblical 10 plagues described in the Book of Exodus. Known as the Ipuwer Papyrus, the document takes the form of a poetic lament attributed to a scribe named Ipuwer. It recounts widespread catastrophes and societal upheaval in ancient Egypt, describing famine, mass death and environmental disasters.... The text also echoes the biblical plagues' attacks on Egypt's gods, with the river of blood, frogs, and darkness recalling Hapi, Heqet, and Ra. It references slavery and wealth, noting precious metals and stones fastened on female slaves, reflecting the Israelites' bondage ....

Albanian archaeologists made a surprising discovery near the city of Bulqiza after locals notified authorities about an unusual pile of stone blocks, Reuters reports. When a team from the Institute of Archaeology arrived to investigate the site in the village of Strikçan near the North Macedonia border, they identified the remains of a monumental Roman tomb, the only one ever uncovered in the Balkan country. Measuring 29 feet by 19 feet, the subterranean burial chamber is thought to date to the third or fourth century a.d., when the region was part of the Roman province of Illyricum. Once archaeologists entered...

Greek City Times reports that archaeologists renewed excavations at Mieza in northern Greece, a site connected with the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. According to Greek historians, it was in the ancient Macedonian city that Aristotle tutored the young Alexander the Great between 343 and 340 b.c. Recent work there centered on investigation and conservation of the monumental gymnasium, a space dedicated to both physical and intellectual training. New dating confirmed that it was built around the middle of the fourth century b.c., strengthening the site's ties to Aristotle, Alexander, and his father Phillip II. The enormous complex was planned and...

This carved relief from Nimrud, a major city of the ancient Assyrian Empire in present-day Iraq, regularly drifts around the internet as purported evidence for scuba diving nearly 3,000 years ago. But the wall panel actually depicts an army crossing a river, and soldiers are navigating the waves with the help of ancient flotation devices.The gypsum panel is one of several excavated in the 1840s from the Northwest Palace, which was built on the Tigris River around 865 B.C. on the orders of King Ashurnasirpal II. Originally located around the interior walls of the throne room and royal apartments, the...

The world's first pandemic, known as the Plague of Justinian after the sitting Byzantine emperor, killed an estimated 25 to 100 million people between a.d. 541 and 750... historical sources from the period suggest that it may have begun around Pelusium, Egypt, before spreading rapidly throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. According to a statement released by the University of South Florida (USF), researchers participated in an interdisciplinary study that has uncovered -- for the first time -- direct genomic evidence pinpointing the bacterium Yersinia pestis as the cause of the plague. The team sequenced genetic material from...

A Purdue University professor has confirmed the historical existence of 53 biblical figures mentioned in the Bible, lending new weight to discussions about the Bible’s connection to real-world history. Lawrence Mykytiuk, emeritus professor of library science, has spent decades analyzing ancient inscriptions to determine whether they refer to the same biblical figures recorded in Scripture. His findings include kings, pharaohs, governors, and scribes — names that appear both in archaeological records and biblical accounts. The confirmed names span multiple ancient empires, including Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Mykytiuk’s list includes well-known rulers such as King...

A mysterious manuscript hidden for centuries in Shakespeare’s childhood home has just been reattributed—and it wasn’t written by who everyone thought. =============================================================== Portrait Of William Shakespeare. Credit: Britannica | The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel A centuries-old manuscript once thought to be the work of William Shakespeare’s father has been reattributed to his sister, Joan Shakespeare Hart, in a new peer-reviewed study published in Shakespeare Quarterly. The findings challenge longstanding beliefs about the Shakespeare family’s religious affiliations and offer a rare glimpse into the intellectual life of a woman previously all but erased from history. The research, led by Dr....

A civilization confident in itself reads the Iliad. A civilization in decline denounces it. Guess which one we are. A confident civilization does not quake at the sight of Homer. It does not avert its gaze from Pericles or issue trigger warnings before mentioning Caesar. It does not treat the Iliad like some toxic spill to be cordoned off by hazmat crews. Yet ours does. As Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath warned in Who Killed Homer?, the gravest threat to the classics is not public indifference but professors themselves—men and women who, having ceased to teach Homer, now cower...

Science reports that recent analysis of an Inca recordkeeping device in the collection of the University of St. Andrews is upending what archaeologists previously thought about the pre-Columbian South American civilization. Hundreds of years ago, the Incas developed a unique system, using knotted cords known as khipus to record information such as dates, numbers, and transactions. These were typically made from long strands of llama or alpaca hair. It had been thought that the job of creating and maintaining these complicated tools was held by highly educated and elite administrative men who were among Inca society's upper echelon. A new...

Hieroglyphs appear beautiful but baffling. However, these ancient Egyptian signs are not as complicated as they seem. Once you realise that they can simply spell out words just like our alphabet does, hieroglyphs become much easier to understand. Let me show you how. Many thanks to Ilona Regulski of the Egyptian Museum at Berlin's marvellous Neues Museum. CORRECTION: At the end I get my quail chicks and my sparrows mixed up. The sparrow meant "small", not the quail chick. Sorry. Hieroglyphs are easier than they look | 21:22 RobWords | 723K subscribers | 576,945 views | August 23, 2025

Prior to construction of a highway through eastern Bohemia, archaeologists unearthed a 2,000-year-old Celtic settlement that is being called one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Czech history, reports Radio Prague International. Located outside of Hradec Králové, the site is spread across 65 acres, making it more than 10 times larger than most sites in the area at the time, and comparable with the largest Celtic sites found in all of central Europe. The settlement was likely built by the Celtic Boii tribe, from which the name Bohemia derives, and was a major regional center of commerce, production, and...

Archaeologists unearthed a massive trove of gold coins in the Czech Republic, minted by a long-lost civilization — with the site described by officials as "exceptional." The discovery was announced by the Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové. The Celtic settlement was found along the route of a future highway, the July release said. The site dates back to the La Tène period, with archaeologists finding that the settlement peaked in roughly the second century B.C. It served as a "supra-regional trade and production center" that linked Central Europe to far-flung corners of the ancient world. The La Tène...

Ancient Chinese written documents record that by the second century a.d., a vast trade network had already been established connecting peoples and goods from the Mediterranean, the Near East, India, and Asia. This has been confirmed by archaeological excavations throughout Southeast Asia, which have uncovered various items such as Indian jewelry, Roman glass, and Persian pottery. According to a Science News Today report, however, a comprehensive new study has revealed that silver coinage may be the key to truly understanding just how interconnected these distant regions actually were. Found at many archaeological sites across this region, the coins feature a...

In A Nutshell Regional divide: Northerners and Californians say “soda,” Midwesterners say “pop,” and Southerners use “coke” generically for any soft drink. Origins of soda: Began in the early 1800s as “soda water,” a health tonic sold at drugstore soda fountains and spas. Why “pop”? Likely from the sound of corks popping on bottled fizzy drinks; popularized in the Midwest by bottling companies like Faygo. Why “coke”? Coca-Cola’s dominance in the South made “coke” shorthand for any soft drink, much like Kleenex or Band-Aid became generic terms. Soft vs. hard drinks: “Soft drink” originally meant nonalcoholic, as opposed to “hard”...