Hellenistic period

Bees have appeared on coins for millennia, hinting at an age-old link between sweetness and value

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 24, 2023

Around 2,400 years earlier, a mint in the kingdom of Macedon had the same idea, creating a silver obol coin with a bee stamped on one side.

Key Points:

Around 2,400 years earlier, a mint in the kingdom of Macedon had the same idea, creating a silver obol coin with a bee stamped on one side.
Over the centuries between these two events, currency demonstrating a symbolic link between honey and money is surprisingly common.

What is currency and why is it important?

Currency is a physical manifestation of money, so coins are a durable representation of value.
A bee and honeycomb are shown on the 3 Mils coin, symbolising the fact that honey was used as currency in Ancient Malta.
The use of bees on ancient coins extended for many centuries including widely circulated bronze coins, and new varieties continue to be discovered.

Why we might like bees on coins

Our brain may thus be pre-adapted to liking bees due to their association with the sweet taste of honey.
Early usage of bees on coins may have been a functional illustration of the link between a known value (honey) and a new form of currency: coins as money.

The bee on modern coins

The use of bees as a design feature has persisted from ancient to modern times.
A honeybee visiting a flower is shown on a series of ten-centesimi bronze coins issued in Italy from 1919 to 1937.

Bees on coins, today and tomorrow

Public awareness of bees and environmental sustainability may well be factors in the current interest in bee coins.
The diversity of countries using bees as a design feature over the entire history of coins suggests people have valued the relationship with bees as essential to our own prosperity for a long time.

Cleopatra's skin colour didn't matter in ancient Egypt – her strategic role in world history did

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series on Netflix called Queen Cleopatra.

Key Points:

Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series on Netflix called Queen Cleopatra.
The fuss has provided an opportunity to look at her role in history and how she has been portrayed over time.

Who was Cleopatra and why is she so important?

In a very real sense, the reign of Cleopatra marks the final flourishing of ancient Egyptian culture.
When Cleopatra died, so did ancient Egyptian civilisation as a vibrant, living culture.

What do you make of the controversy over her ethnicity?

It tells us more about the preoccupations of our own time than about what was considered important in Cleopatra’s age.
There is no evidence that Cleopatra’s ethnicity was a matter of debate or interest during her own lifetime.
She came from a long line of Greek-speaking kings, but her family had lived in Egypt for 300 years.

Why do you think her looks have been foregrounded?

For example, she is often depicted with a long, aquiline nose and a pointed chin.
However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and history teaches us that power is a strong aphrodisiac.

What about her brain? What did she achieve in her time?

She forcefully asserted her right to rule, dispensing with her two brothers when they undermined or tried to thwart her objectives.
Her strategic liaisons with Caesar and then Antony were carefully calculated to secure her own position and her country’s autonomy.
Her leadership skills also enabled her to avert famine in Egypt when other lands in the eastern Mediterranean suffered from starvation.

Why do you think she still fascinates people?

Even in her own time, Cleopatra was a source of fascination – as a woman ruler in a man’s world.
The Romans found her exotic, intriguing and controversial; and the writings of Roman historians and commentators ensured Cleopatra’s posthumous reputation.
Her entanglement with Rome, especially her infamous love affairs with Caesar and Antony, scandalised contemporary Roman society and have fascinated subsequent generations.

Cleopatra's skin colour didn't matter in ancient Egypt - her strategic role in world history did

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series on Netflix called Queen Cleopatra.

Key Points:

Cleopatra, queen of Egypt in the years 51-30 BC, is back in the news thanks to a controversial docudrama series on Netflix called Queen Cleopatra.
The fuss has provided an opportunity to look at her role in history and how she has been portrayed over time.

Who was Cleopatra and why is she so important?

In a very real sense, the reign of Cleopatra marks the final flourishing of ancient Egyptian culture.
When Cleopatra died, so did ancient Egyptian civilisation as a vibrant, living culture.

What do you make of the controversy over her ethnicity?

It tells us more about the preoccupations of our own time than about what was considered important in Cleopatra’s age.
There is no evidence that Cleopatra’s ethnicity was a matter of debate or interest during her own lifetime.
She came from a long line of Greek-speaking kings, but her family had lived in Egypt for 300 years.

Why do you think her looks have been foregrounded?

For example, she is often depicted with a long, aquiline nose and a pointed chin.
However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and history teaches us that power is a strong aphrodisiac.

What about her brain? What did she achieve in her time?

She forcefully asserted her right to rule, dispensing with her two brothers when they undermined or tried to thwart her objectives.
Her strategic liaisons with Caesar and then Antony were carefully calculated to secure her own position and her country’s autonomy.
Her leadership skills also enabled her to avert famine in Egypt when other lands in the eastern Mediterranean suffered from starvation.

Why do you think she still fascinates people?

Even in her own time, Cleopatra was a source of fascination – as a woman ruler in a man’s world.
The Romans found her exotic, intriguing and controversial; and the writings of Roman historians and commentators ensured Cleopatra’s posthumous reputation.
Her entanglement with Rome, especially her infamous love affairs with Caesar and Antony, scandalised contemporary Roman society and have fascinated subsequent generations.

Ancient Curse Inscription Deciphered from Tablet Discovered During Archaeological Wet Sift on Mt. Ebal

Retrieved on:

Monday, March 28, 2022

HOUSTON, March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, the Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) announced the discovery of a formulaic curse recovered on a small, folded lead tablet. The defixio came to light in December 2019 when archaeologist Scott Stripling, Director of the Archaeological Studies Institute at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas, led an ABR team to wet sift the discarded material from Adam Zertal's excavations (1982–1989) on Mt. Ebal.

Key Points:

High-Tech Scans Reveal Ancient Hebrew Script, Centuries Older than any Other Known Tablets.
HOUSTON, March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, the Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) announced the discovery of a formulaic curse recovered on a small, folded lead tablet.
The ancient Hebrew inscription consists of 40 letters and is centuries older than any known Hebrew inscription from ancient Israel.
In collaboration with Stripling, Galil and van der Veen deciphered the proto-alphabetic inscription, which reads as follows:
Cursed, cursed, cursed - cursed by the God YHW.

A Play-to-Earn Journey Across a Lost Civilization with the Atlantis

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

In the Atlantis Metaverse,players will starta journey to explore, find resources, build squads, raid Bosses, breed demigods, produce weapons, items, equipment, and participate in tournaments.

Key Points:

In the Atlantis Metaverse,players will starta journey to explore, find resources, build squads, raid Bosses, breed demigods, produce weapons, items, equipment, and participate in tournaments.
Atlantis is unlike many fantasy games out there because it takes advantage of the massive potential that the Metaverse concept brings to the table.
Today, players will pick among 7 playable races, all descendants of the old world's legends, to rebuild this lost civilization.
Players will not only gain a sense of achievement but can also become the real owners of The Atlantis Metaverse.