What Knowledge Did We Lose With the Library of Alexandria?

Founding the Library of Alexandria

The famous story of the burning of the Library of Alexandria, and the centuries of knowledge that went up in flames along with it, is often told as a single dramatic event — but that’s somewhat misleading. While fires did occur, the library wasn’t destroyed all at once. Rather, it succumbed to a slow decline over centuries. Its destruction is now shrouded in myth and mystery, but what is certain is that the Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most significant collections of the ancient world, and its eventual loss was an intellectual tragedy.

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The Fabled Burning

Likely established during the reign of Ptolemy II in the early third century BCE, the Library of Alexander formed part of a larger research institute in Alexandria, Egypt, called the Mouseion (meaning “shrine of the Muses,” the origin of the word “museum”). This great undertaking represented humanity’s most ambitious attempt to collect and preserve human knowledge.

The library flourished for some six centuries, but by the fifth century CE it had all but ceased to exist. The infamous — and often overstated — fire occurred during Julius Caesar’s occupation of Alexandria in 48 BCE, when he ordered his troops to set fire to enemy ships in the harbor, possibly causing some collateral damage to the library. But Caesar certainly didn’t burn down the whole library. In reality, the collection’s slow demise was due to various factors, many of which were tied to Alexandria’s centuries-long decline as an intellectual center. The library’s books were sold or destroyed, its buildings were eventually razed or converted into churches or mosques, and, in the end, the library simply faded away.

What Was in the Library?

Exactly what happened to the ancient library and precisely what was lost when it ceased to exist remain areas of debate among historians. We do know that the Ptolemy dynasty that ruled Egypt from 305 to 30 BCE sought books from far and wide. The bulk of the books were written in Greek, but other languages, including Egyptian, were also represented in the vast collection. Estimates of the total number of books vary, but it’s possible that the library, at its height, contained between 200,000 and 700,000 books — by far the greatest collection of human knowledge ever assembled at that time.

According to historical records, the archives contained works by many of the famous Greek writers of classical antiquity. This likely included the philosophers Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras; the historian and geographer Herodotus; and the dramatic poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. The works of Aristotle were among the library’s biggest treasures, possibly acquired through a large sum of money. There were also medical texts by Hippocrates and scientific tracts by Thales, Democritus, and Anaximander.

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What Knowledge Was Lost

It's worth noting that even if the library had burned down in its entirety, its major works would not all have been lost. In many cases, copies (or the originals) would have been kept in other collections, whether in Egypt or beyond. According to historian Garrett Ryan, all “the most important [works] were widely disseminated elsewhere. What perished with the library were, overwhelmingly, lesser-known works of literature and philosophy, commentaries and monographs: all the residue and introspection of an extremely sophisticated literary culture.”

One often-cited example of what was lost are the works of the Archaic Greek poet Sappho. Sappho composed 10,000 lines of poetry over her lifetime, which historians believe were collected into nine books held at the Library of Alexandria. Today, only about 650 of those lines survive. It’s sometimes claimed that her body of work was lost with the destruction of the library, but that is speculation; the nine-volume tome might have endured as far as the Middle Ages.

As with Sappho, there is a tendency for any lost ancient works to be linked with the Library of Alexandria, often without strong supporting evidence. It’s perhaps a testament to the library’s enduring influence and fame that so many lost tomes are connected with it — but in all likelihood, most of these texts were simply lost to time.

Still, the loss of any works valuable enough to be housed in the Library of Alexandria marks a significant blow to scholars both then and now. Each book or scroll destroyed — whether through fire, mishandling, or simple decay — represents untold stories, forgotten discoveries, and intellectual achievements now vanished. In this sense, the Library of Alexandria has long stood as a reminder of the fragility of human knowledge and the importance of preserving intellectual heritage.

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What Did Mummies Smell Like?

Mummification in Egypt, 19th century

Although scent and memory are intimately intertwined, it’s not always easy to figure out what the past smelled like. But in the case of Egyptian mummies, historians may actually have an answer, and it’s “surprisingly pleasant.”

Recently, researchers from the University College London collaborated with the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to analyze the scents of nine mummies from a range of time periods in ancient Egyptian history. The resulting study, published in February 2025 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, combined somewhat traditional sensory analysis — a panel of trained human “sniffers” who described their findings — with techniques to pinpoint the chemical compounds the mummies were emitting.

They looked at nine mummies, dating from Egypt’s New Kingdom (roughly 1539 to 1077 BCE) to its Roman period (30 BCE to 642 CE), and the most common olfactory descriptors people noted were “woody,” “spicy,” and “sweet.” Less commonly, the mummies were described as smelling “incense-like” or “stale, rancid.” The human sniffers were also asked to describe the pleasantness of mummy aromas, technically known as their “hedonic tone.” The average hedonic tone was rated as “slightly pleasant” — not bad, 5,000 or so years after death.

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Some of the most common odor compounds isolated by the more high-tech analysis were “nonanal” (described as smelling fresh and similar to wax, orange peel, and fat), “furfural” (described as being sweet and reminiscent of wood, almonds, and bread), and terpenoids such as α-pinene, d-limonene, l-verbenone, and borneol. Terpenoids usually suggest the use of plant products such as juniper oil, myrrh, and frankincense, which have all been well documented as part of the mummification process.

Indeed, the smells emitted by the mummies come in large part from the materials used to preserve the corpses. While techniques and materials varied over time, Egyptian mummies were often embalmed with resins from trees such as pine, cedar, juniper, and mastic, as well as gum resins (such as myrrh and frankincense), incense, animal fats, waxes, and various other woods, spices, herbs, and flowers. The preservation process also often involved natron salts — a mix of sodium carbonate, hydrogen carbonate, and small amounts of chloride and sulfate.

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Did People in Ancient Rome Really Wear Togas?

Young Roman given a toga

When we think of ancient Rome, we often think of the toga, generally depicted as a flowing white garment arranged in folds around the body and typically worn over a tunic by senators, philosophers, and citizens in grand marble forums. It’s an image that has persisted for thousands of years and has been reinforced in mythology and history. In the epic poem “Aeneid,” the Roman poet Virgil refers to Romans as “masters of the world, and people of the toga.” And in Roman folklore, Romulus — the founder of Rome — is depicted wearing a toga.

To ancient Romans, the toga represented a symbol of citizenship, status, and identity — and not everyone was entitled to wear it. The evolution of the garment spans centuries and came to symbolize Roman culture and values. As Rome changed, so did its fashion, but the toga remains a lasting image of a civilization that shaped the Western world.

Romans Weren’t the First To Wear Togas

While the toga is quintessentially Roman, similar garments existed in other ancient cultures. The Greeks wore the himation, a large rectangular cloth draped over the body like a cloak. While less structured than the toga, it also served as a marker of status and decorum. The Etruscans, another ancient Italian society whose culture greatly influenced the Romans, wore the tebenna, a garment resembling the toga that didn’t carry any particular symbolic associations.

What set the Roman toga apart was its evolution into a distinctly Roman symbol. The toga became a visual marker of Roman citizenship, distinguishing Romans from the diverse peoples they ruled, and remained a symbol of Rome long after it fell out of fashion. Roman dress borrowed and incorporated elements from other cultures in the empire, resulting in a variety of toga styles and colors over the centuries that reflected the diversity of the Roman Empire.

Not Everyone Wore the Toga

Despite its iconic status, the toga wasn’t everyday wear for most Romans. In the early days of the Roman Empire, both men and women of all classes wore the toga. But after the second century BCE, the toga became a garment exclusively worn by male citizens of Rome, with the notable exceptions of prostitutes and women divorced for adultery, who wore the toga as a symbol of their disgrace. Most Roman women replaced the toga with the stola, a long, modest dress worn over their tunic.

Wealthy patricians, senators, and officials wore togas to signify authority and respectability, and how it was worn was as much a mark of distinction as the toga itself. Because of the complex folds and cumbersome bulk of the material, which often required assistance to arrange properly, ordinary citizens typically only wore the toga for special occasions such as public ceremonies, religious events, or legal proceedings. Enslaved individuals, Roman exiles, and noncitizens were prohibited from wearing the toga — and wearing one in order to claim citizenship was punishable under Roman law.

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Togas Came in Different Colors and Styles

While many Roman togas were indeed white, symbolizing simplicity and moral virtue, other colors and embellishments denoted specific roles and ranks. The toga’s variations of color, style, and occasion for wearing served as a visual language, communicating the wearer’s status or societal role. For example, the toga praetexta worn by magistrates and young boys of noble birth featured a purple stripe along the edge — a color associated with royalty and divine favor. The toga picta, worn by emperors for special occasions, magistrates during public gladiatorial games, and generals celebrating triumphs, was embroidered with gold and often dyed a deep purple to symbolize imperial authority.

Some togas were only suitable to wear during certain events. In periods of mourning, Roman citizens would don the toga pulla, a dark, somber version of the garment. There was also a specific type of toga called the toga virilis, or “toga of manhood,” which teenage boys wore during a coming-of-age ceremony, marking their transition from childhood to adulthood and their acceptance as full members of Roman society. And candidates for public office wore the toga candida, a bright white version treated with chalk to symbolize their purity and integrity.

The Decline of the Toga

The toga was the traditional garment of the Roman people for centuries, but it started to fall out of favor in the late first century BCE. In a bid to reestablish the ancient values and customs of Rome, the Emperor Augustus required all Roman citizens who conducted business in the forum to wear a toga to distinguish themselves from noncitizens. Despite his efforts, the toga’s prominence as a standard of dress continued to wane. Over time, the complexity and sheer impracticality of wearing a toga made it less common, a relic of a different era that was replaced by simpler and more functional attire.

Even the wealthy elite, who had enslaved people to help them manage the complex folds of the toga, gradually replaced the toga with simpler and more comfortable clothing such as the pallium and lacerna, cloaklike garments that allowed for greater freedom of movement. The toga was eventually limited to ceremonial use, surviving mainly in official contexts before fading out altogether by the end of the Roman Empire.

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What Were the First Units of Measurement?

Old rulers and measuring tools

The use of measurements has become such an indispensable part of everyday existence that it’s virtually invisible. We check the clock to determine how much time we have before running out the door. We put on clothes that are generally tailored to our bodily dimensions. We measure out a cup for our favorite recipe, run a mile for our daily exercise, or tell the barber to take an inch off the top. And these basic actions don’t even touch on the immense calculations behind the machinery that powers our phones, computers, homes, and vehicles.

It’s difficult to imagine life without these widely accepted designations to provide order to our actions. Indeed, it was in large part the consolidation of disparate measurements within the earliest human communities and villages that enabled the world’s first great cities and nations to take shape. From Babylonian minas to Egyptian cubits, here are some of those earliest known units of measurements.

Prehistoric People Formed Primitive Measuring Devices

There’s evidence that our prehistoric ancestors used tools to fashion rudimentary measurement systems. The 40,000-year-old Lebombo bone and the 20,000-year-old Ishango bone are two such examples. Unearthed in Africa, both are notched at regular intervals to indicate functionality as a ruler, and the latter bone was possibly also used to track lunar cycles.

Some of the earliest measurement systems began to coagulate around the Neolithic people who settled in Mesopotamia. Clay tokens used to mark possessions and transactions appeared as far back as 7500 BCE, and these eventually morphed into the cuneiform indentations that appeared around 3500 BCE and were largely used for accounting purposes. While the Sumerians of this era developed a complex counting system, by around 3100 BCE it had been simplified into the base-60 sexagesimal system (60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 360 degrees in a circle, and so on) that went on to enable developments in timekeeping and astronomy.

Egyptians Introduced the Wide-Ranging Cubit

As described in James Vincent's book Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement From Cubits to Quantum Constants, some of the earliest unifying forms of measurement involve those inspired by body parts. Such systems have been adopted by cultures around the world: The Aztecs of Mesoamerica had measurements that included the tip of the fingers to the armpit and shoulder, while the Indigenous Māori of New Zealand had sizes that ranged from a finger joint to the length of a person's body with arms raised above the head.

The Egyptians are credited with developing perhaps the earliest and best known of the body measurements: the cubit. Created around 3000 BCE, this basic unit derived from the length of the arm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. The primary subunit was the digit, with 4 of those making up 1 palm, 5 becoming a hand, 12 comprising a small span, 14 a large span, 16 named a t’ser, 24 equal to a small cubit, and 28 serving as the amount for a royal cubit. The cubit was used to measure the Nile's floodwaters, from which estimates of crop production could be determined, and provided for symmetrical construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The Egyptian system of weights was based on the kite, which varied from 4.5 grams to nearly 30 grams throughout its history. Building from this basic unit, 10 kites equaled 1 deben, and 10 deben marked 1 sep. Liquid measurements were based around the unit of the hin, which was about 0.48 liters; 10 hin equaled 1 heqat, with 10 of those adding up to 1 khar.

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Civilizations in Asia Devised Their Own Measurements

Around the same time the Egyptians were thriving, the Harappans leveraged a standard system of measurements to raise their own civilizations in the Indus Valley of Central Asia. Although much remains to be learned about their methods, discoveries have revealed a system of weights that increase by consistent ratios, as well as length markers that roughly correspond to those of the modern foot and Egyptian digit.

Additionally, the Chinese independently formulated a system of body-based measurements similar to those in Egypt, with a noticeable difference in the form of an acoustic element. Following the establishment of the 12 fundamental pitches of the octave, known as the lü, in the third millennium BCE, measuring containers were required to produce a specific sound when struck, as evidence of conformity to a standard size.

Babylonians Made Their Mark With the Mina and Shekel

Emerging as the dominant culture of Mesopotamia following the Sumerians, the Babylonians developed a calendar with the familiar components of 12 months at 30 days each by 2000 BCE, and contributed other forms of measurement that became widely recognized throughout the region.

Chief among these was the mina, a unit of weight with known variances between 640 grams and 978 grams. Sixty minas were the equivalent of 1 talent, while 1 mina was the same as 60 shekels. All the way at the lightest end of the scale was the grain, of which 180 equaled 1 shekel.

The smallest unit of length was the barleycorn or she, equivalent to about one-tenth of an inch. Six she made 1 shu-si (or finger), while 30 fingers equaled the standard unit of the kush, similar to the cubit. Larger sizes included the 12-cubit nindan (approximately 20 feet), the 120-cubit cord or rope (roughly 200 feet), and the 180-cord league (roughly 7 miles).

The Babylonians also possessed a system of liquid measurements featuring the qa, which held approximately 100 milliliters. Three hundred qa was equivalent to 60 gin or 1 gur, a volume of approximately 80 gallons.

The Greeks and Romans Built on Earlier Systems

Influenced by their Mediterranean predecessors, the Greeks incorporated many of the same units, if not the same exact sizes, into their collection of measurements. These included the lengths for small distances including the cubit, finger, and palm. The Greeks also created larger units that could be applied to longer distances covered by sailing, such as the stadium, equivalent to around 600 feet.

The Greek system then passed to the Romans, who put their own mark on this process of categorization with names and values that are familiar to modern eyes. The Roman foot, for example, measured about 11.65 inches, with 5,000 feet equal to 1 mile.

By this point, of course, humanity had reached a point where tens of millions of people of different nationalities and faiths could coexist under a system of numerical standards applied by a ruling entity. Although distinct regional forms of measurement endured for centuries in less populated areas and among Indigenous cultures, there was no turning back from the push for inclusive systems that helped unite large swaths of the globe.

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Which Came First: Wine or Beer?

Glasses of beer and red wine

Whether you’re enjoying a glass of cabernet with a meal or downing IPAs with friends, you’re taking part in the multifaceted, multicultural act of alcohol consumption that dates back many thousands of years.

Indeed, although the dangers of excessive drinking are well known, and even small amounts of alcohol are now believed to come with health risks, imbibing has been part of the fabric of human existence since the dawn of recorded time. Some anthropologists argue that alcohol featured prominently in social customs that facilitated the rise and progression of civilizations. Others suggest that civilization itself was formed as a result of people settling in one area to domesticate crops for the production of alcohol.

Because spirits such as whiskey or vodka involve a more complex distillation process, beer and wine (and wine’s less-prominent cousin, mead) are the earliest forms of alcohol, left over from a time before any of humanity’s famous names, wars, or inventions etched themselves into history. Which sets up the ultimate bar debate: Which of these two ancient libations is older?

Early Humans Likely Discovered Alcohol by Accident

To let some of the air out of the suspense, we’ll note that it’s difficult to pinpoint when people first began drinking wine or beer, since proto-versions of both drinks can be formed with little to no human intervention.

Ethanol, or drinking alcohol, is created through the fermentation process that takes place when sugar meets yeast. In the case of beer, that occurs when a grain such as barley is exposed to moisture and its starches are converted into sugar, priming this component for catalyzation by deliberately introduced or naturally appearing yeast. Similarly, crushed or even overripe fruits with high sugar content including grapes or figs will naturally begin to ferment, creating the basis for wine.

It’s likely that early humans (or even animals) stumbled upon the intoxicating effects of fermented grains and fruits, and maybe even figured out how to replicate the experience by leaving their collected wares out in the elements for too long. We can only speculate on the concoctions that may have been experimentally produced by pre-Neolithic people, although they were almost certainly different from the beers and wines that emerged under more controlled conditions in later epochs.

Mesopotamians and Egyptians Enjoyed Beer and Wine

Unsurprisingly, such conditions were well established by the civilizations that introduced writing and other major advancements in math and science: the ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians.

Along with the 5,000-year-old remnants of barley beer discovered at the Godin Tepe ruins in modern-day Iran, evidence of a Sumerian drinking culture has surfaced in the cuneiform receipts of beer sales as well as in the “Hymn to Ninkasi,” an ode to the Sumerian beer goddess, which includes a recipe for brewing. Grain-rich beer provided nutritional benefits for Bronze Age drinkers, and may have been safer to consume than the water from rivers, which could be contaminated with animal waste.

Beer also figured prominently into the lives of Egyptians around the same time; it’s believed that workers on the pyramid of Giza received more than 10 pints per day in rations, while even children consumed low-alcohol varieties.

Meanwhile, non-native wine grapes were grown in both areas, although wine was typically reserved for the palates of royalty and priests. The Egyptians were the first known culture to document their winemaking, and left behind records of the process to go with jars of their handiwork in the burial chambers of rulers and other prominent figures.

A 9,000-Year-Old Wine-Beer Hybrid Was Found in China

Of course, humans lived in settlements for thousands of years before these celebrated civilizations emerged, and alcohol played a part in many such early cultures.

Thanks to the discovery of drinking vessels in prehistoric Andean sites, archaeologists believe that the popular South American maize-based beer known as chicha may have been around since 5000 BCE. Going back even further, the detection of wine residue in jars and grape pollen in the soil around two sites near Tbilisi, Georgia, dating to around 6000 BCE showed that the residents of these former villages were among the earliest known wine producers.

To date, the earliest confirmed chemical evidence of an alcoholic concoction is neither specifically beer or wine, but something of a combination of the two: As detailed in a 2004 paper, an examination of 9,000-year-old pottery jars from the Jiahu Neolithic site in northern China revealed the residue of a fermented beverage of rice, honey, and fruit.

New Evidence Continues To Emerge

Meanwhile, ongoing discoveries continue to push the beginnings of boozy beverages even further and further into the past.

While it was once thought that humans domesticated grapevines no earlier than 8,000 years ago, a 2023 study of the DNA of more than 3,500 vine samples showed that wine grapes were domesticated in the Caucasus region of Western Asia and Eastern Europe as far back as 11,000 years ago. Table grapes were also domesticated in the Middle East around that same time, and it was these crops that were crossbred with wild versions to launch the wine varieties that became popular throughout the continent.

The idea of an 11,000-year-old wine is certainly impressive, but the archaeological record suggests the possibility of an even older brew: In 2018, a Stanford University research team found the 13,000-year-old remains of starch and plant particles called phytolith, which result from wheat and barley beer production, at a Natufian gravesite near modern-day Haifa, Israel. Although critics believe the evidence points to breadmaking, the Stanford team contends that both bread and a thick, grog-type beer were created at this site.

For now, we’ll give the edge in this battle of seniority bragging rights to beer. But with more discoveries sure to pop up in the coming years, it's likely this debate will be revived — and continue past many a closing hour.

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What Is the World’s Oldest Story?

Inscribed “Epic of Gilgamesh” tablet

Whether relayed by way of a novel, poem, movie, or word of mouth, stories have served as a means of connecting people through shared experiences and emotions since we first learned to communicate with one another.

Some of the most famous stories have endured for hundreds or thousands of years. William Shakespeare penned his celebrated plays in the 16th and 17th centuries. Beowulf was written several hundred years before that, while the Iliad and Odyssey epics push back even further into the first millennium BCE.

And yet there are even older and far more obscure examples of storytelling that won’t turn up in a college literature course. Which inspires the question: How far back do we need to travel to find the world’s oldest story?

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The “Epic of Gilgamesh” Is the Oldest Surviving Written Tale

The ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh is often cited as the oldest known surviving story. This epic poem tells the tale of King Gilgamesh, the part-divine ruler of the ancient city of Urek, who battles terrible monsters sent forth by spiteful gods and seeks out a plant that brings eternal youth. Derived from sources that date back to approximately 2100 BCE, the first full version of Gilgamesh appeared on cuneiform tablets early the following millennium.

But while this would be an early example of a story that could be held and read, it’s more accurate to refer to Gilgamesh as the oldest known work of narrative literature. If you consider visual art capable of telling a story, then there are plenty of surviving creations that predate the written word.

Neolithic Carvings Have Been Shown To Portray Narratives

One such creation is the collection of carvings at the ruins of an 11,000-year-old settlement in modern-day Turkey. Found on a limestone bench in a communal building, the carvings show ferocious animals surrounding a male figure who conspicuously holds his genitalia.

According to archaeologists, the carvings represent separate scenes meant to be read together, rendering this display the oldest narrative sequence on record. However, while some believe the carvings are meant to convey a show of masculinity, the exact story being communicated is a mystery.

If a single image can tell a story, then a recently discovered cave painting on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is the oldest physical example of a story. Depicting three humanlike figures with sticks alongside what appears to be a giant pig, the painting is believed to be more than 50,000 years old.

This scene may be the abstract representation of a hunt, but again, we can only guess at the narrative being depicted in this ancient painting.

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Aboriginal Dreamtime Myths May Be Even Older

Given the absence of a concrete narrative in prehistoric art, better candidates for the world's oldest story are found among the Dreamtime creation myths of the First Nations (Aboriginal) people of Australia. Shared by way of song, dance, and body painting, these stories describe the world's spiritual beginnings in the foundational period of the Dreamtime, also known as the Dreaming, the mythology of the Aboriginal culture.

Because the First Nations people lived on the continent for more than 60,000 years before Europeans arrived in the late 18th century, they were able to pass along their oral stories without outside influence for hundreds of generations. What’s more, the events depicted in creation myths have been shown to coincide with geologic and cosmic events that allow experts to deduce when the stories may have been spawned.

For example, the Palawa of Tasmania have a story about when the strip of land connecting the island to Australia was submerged in a flood. By examining the terrain and deposits around the Bass Strait, which now separates Tasmania from the rest of the continent, a research team found that the land bridge was swallowed by a rising ocean around 12,000 years ago, making that time period the likely origin point of the story.

The Palawa also tell of a "Great South Star" named Moinee, which never budged from its position in the night sky. Determining this to be the star now commonly known as Sirius, the team analyzed astronomical data to find an epoch when the celestial marker seemingly never moved, a period between 12,000 and 14,000 years in the past — likely around the same time the story was first told.

The Budj Bim Creation Story May Be More Than 30,000 Years Old

Which brings us to the creation story of Budj Bim. According to the Gunditjmara people of Southwest Australia, a god named Budj Bim emerged from the earth in the form of a volcano, his head becoming the rocky protuberance, his teeth forming the basalt deposits, and his blood spilling over the land as lava. The volcano still exists, albeit in dormant mode as a feature of the Gunditjmara ancestral lands, now known as the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape.

In the 1940s, an artifact known as the "Bushfield axe" was found beneath a layer of ash from the Tower Hill volcano complex, located about 25 miles from the Budj Bim complex. More recently, thanks to advancements in radiocarbon dating, scientists were able to determine that both Budj Bim and Tower Hill last erupted more than 30,000 years ago.

Since the axe was found beneath the ash, it stands to reason that people inhabited the region at the time the volcano erupted. As such, the local Dreamtime myth about the lava-spewing god that changed the landscape may also be more than 30,000 years old.

Constellations May Have Inspired an Even Older Story

Is there an older story still? According to a pair of astronomers, the answer can be found by again turning to the stars.

The Pleiades are a cluster of stars commonly known as the "seven sisters," although only six are visible to the naked eye since two of them are close enough to appear as one. As described in a 2021 paper by researchers Ray Norris and Barnaby Norris, stories about the missing sister can be found among European, African, Asian, Native American, and South Pacific cultures. Specifically, the Greeks of antiquity and First Nations people of Australia share similar tales about the sisters escaping the lustful yearnings of the nearby constellation Orion, despite there being no contact between the two cultures.

They did have a common ancestor, however, as humans are believed to have begun migrating out of Africa approximately 100,000 years ago. At that time, the seven sisters were more visibly distinct, providing reason to think that the original Pleiades-Orion story crystallized in Africa in this mind-bogglingly distant era.

There are reasons to be skeptical, however. One critic cautions that many cultures ascribe male and female identities to constellations, so this alone is not strong evidence that the stories came from a common source. Also, a period of 100,000 years is far longer than most oral traditions are thought to survive.

Which isn’t to say the Pleiades-Orion story is not the world’s oldest story, only that we don’t know for sure. After all, one can easily envision this tale being dreamed up by stargazers in the plains of Africa, using the same power of imagination that has spurred the creation of the greatest stories known to humanity.

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How Were the Egyptian Pyramids Built?

Engraving of the Pyramids of Giza

Ancient Egypt was home to more than 100 pyramids, many of which still stand today. One of the oldest monumental pyramids in Egypt, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, was built sometime between 2667 BCE and 2648 BCE and began a period of pyramid construction lasting more than a thousand years. The most famous monuments are found at the Giza complex, home to the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure, all built during the Fourth Dynasty around 2600 to 2500 BCE — the golden age of ancient Egypt.

The Egyptian pyramids stand as one of humanity’s most remarkable architectural achievements, and their incredible precision and massive scale have confounded researchers for centuries. Despite numerous theories and extensive archaeological research, the exact methods of their construction remain a subject of scholarly debate. How did ancient Egyptians erect pyramids using millions of massive blocks weighing as much as 2.5 tons each? And how, more specifically, did they move those blocks up the superstructure?

To this day, there is no known historical or archaeological evidence that resolves the question definitively. While popular speculation often veers into fantastical explanations — yes, including aliens — serious historians and archaeologists have given much thought as to how these monumental structures might have been erected using the technological capabilities of the time. Here are three of the most likely construction theories.

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The Herodotus Machine

The first historical account of the construction of the pyramids came from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the fifth century BCE. In his Histories, he wrote that the Great Pyramid took 20 years to build and demanded the labor of 100,000 people. Herodotus also wrote that after laying the stones for the base, workers “raised the remaining stones to their places by means of machines formed of short wooden planks. The first machine raised them from the ground to the top of the first step. On this there was another machine, which received the stone upon its arrival and conveyed it to the second step,” and so on.

These “Herodotus Machines,” as they later became known, are speculated to have used a system of levers or ropes (or both) to lift blocks incrementally between levels of the pyramid. Egyptian priests told Herodotus about this system — but it’s important to note that this was a long time after the construction of the Great Pyramid, so neither the priests nor Herodotus were actual eyewitnesses to its construction. It is certainly feasible, however, that the machines he described may have been used, either by themselves or, more likely, in conjunction with other methods.

The External Ramp Theory

Archaeologists generally agree that a system of ramps must have been used, in some form or another, to drag the millions of blocks into their positions in the various pyramids. While there’s no remaining physical evidence of external ramps at the Great Pyramid, traces can be seen around some of the other Old Kingdom structures. One initial theory posited the use of a single, linear ramp built on one side of the pyramid, which would have been gradually raised as the pyramid progressed. But, considering that an 8% slope is about the maximum possible slope for moving such heavy blocks, a ramp such as this would have needed to be about a mile long to reach the top of the pyramid. That would mean constructing the ramp would have been as much of a task as building the pyramid itself, making the theory unlikely, especially for larger structures such as the Great Pyramid.

There are a few other ramp theories, however. One proposes that a series of switchback, or staircase, ramps could have been built, zigzagging up just one face of the pyramid. Traces of these have been found at the Sinki, Meidum, Giza, Abu Ghurob, and Lisht pyramids. Other archaeologists have speculated that a spiraling ramp could have been used, which would have wrapped around the entire pyramid. This is a popular theory, although it does have its problems. As with the straight or linear ramp, this ramp would potentially have been a mile long if it was used to build the Great Pyramid, making it in itself a massive construction project. It’s also not clear how workers could have maneuvered 2.5-ton blocks around the corners of the ramp. Archaeologist Mark Lehner did make a practical demonstration of how this could be done, but it was on a far, far smaller pyramid.

Credit: Classic Image/ Alamy Stock Photo

The Internal Ramp Theory

In 2007, the French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin offered a new theory to solve the mystery of how Egypt’s Great Pyramid was built. Using archaeological research combined with 3D computer modeling, he argued that the Egyptians used an internal — rather than external — system of ramps to build the pyramid. Workers, he theorized, used an outer ramp to build the first 141 feet, then constructed a spiraling inner ramp to carry stones to the apex of the 482-foot-tall pyramid. Using this technique, Houdin argued, the pyramid could have been built by around 4,000 people instead of 100,000, as other theories suggest.

The internal ramp theory was met with much intrigue, with some archaeologists skeptical and others arguing that it’s as valid as any other concept. Interestingly, Houdin’s proposal would explain why no evidence of ramps has been found at the Great Pyramid: They could be still there, hidden inside the structure. He and his team continue to work on the hypothesis, in search of definitive evidence of internal ramp structures with the help of 3D scanning technology.

Whether concrete proof will ever be found to support one particular theory is yet to be seen. It’s entirely possible, of course, that the Egyptians utilized various construction techniques when building the pyramids, combining levers and both external and internal ramps — as well as other possible methods — to overcome whatever challenges came their way.

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What Were the Earliest Hotels Like?

Maids Head Hotel in Norwich

Whether we’re checking into a five-star resort or a shack with a roof and cable TV off the interstate, we all expect a base level of service for a stay at a hotel. Of course, this is a luxury that comes with 21st-century lodging. Amenities such as running water, clean sheets, and free coffee are taken for granted nowadays, but they certainly weren’t the industry standard in the early days of hospitality.

Given that it’s easier to enjoy the view from our comfy modern chairs, let’s take a look at the rise of this form of transitory housing in various parts of the world, and revisit what it was like for guests to experience the earliest hotels.

Caravanserai of the Middle East

As ancient civilizations flourished in the modern-day Middle East, it ignited the spread of trade routes into Asia and Europe, and with that development came the need for lodging to shelter travelers who were on the road for weeks to months at a time.

As described in Elaine Denby’s Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion, these early shelters populated the regular paths at frequent enough intervals to accommodate travelers, who often covered 15 to 20 miles in a single day. Known by such names as caravanserai, khan, or han, these mud-brick buildings typically provided guests with beds, stables, and a well or cistern for drinking water, although food was not necessarily part of the arrangement.

A more elaborate and still-standing example of caravanserai is the Ribat-i Sharaf in modern-day Iran. Built in the 12th century, this fortified complex boasted an inner and outer courtyard, a mosque, and detailed stucco decoration, rendering it suitable for royals and government officials.

Roman Mansiones and Tabernae

With their extensive network of roads that blanketed much of Europe, the ancient Romans also produced a system of lodging at regular intervals for travelers. High-ranking officials and well-connected merchants with official government documentation could enjoy a comfortable night's sleep, a full meal, and fresh horses to take for the next leg of the journey at a stone-built inn known as a mansio.

Those who were less fortunate often had to take their chances with the lower-scale tabernae, which presented an array of hazards that included uncomfortable reed-stuffed mattresses, unsanitary kitchens, poor drinking water, and vermin.

Travelers in rural areas, meanwhile, often found themselves bedding down in what were essentially glorified stables. Such remote lodging, with its poorly fastened doors, could leave customers at the mercy of other ill-intentioned guests or an unscrupulous innkeeper.

Asian Post Houses and Ryokan

The caravanserai that dotted the western sections of the Silk Road took on similar forms in the lodgings found nearer to the east end of the trade route, in China. Those in the employ of the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan enjoyed what tended to be luxurious stays in these dwellings, as documented by Venetian explorer Marco Polo: "Every 25 miles there is a beautiful, palatial post house where the messengers can stay in magnificent beds with silk sheets and every other luxury suitable for a king," he wrote. "There are always 400 well-kept horses ready, which are supplied and fed by nearby towns. There are more than 10,000 such palaces, all beautifully furnished, and more than 200,000 horses in all."

Elsewhere in Asia, a different form of lodging took root. When pilgrimages to Buddhist temples in Japan became popular among the eighth-century aristocracy, the temples were arranged to accommodate guests; this hospitality was said to mark the beginnings of the ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn often built in the vicinity of natural hot spring baths.

Some of the ryokan that emerged from this early period remain popular with modern travelers seeking a respite from their busy urban lives. Dating back to 705 CE, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously running hotel in the world. The second-oldest, Houshi Ryokan, has been operated by the same family since opening in 718 CE.

Credit: Brian Maudsley/ Alamy Stock Photo

Inns of Medieval Europe

Along with the traffic of traveling tradesmen, the paths carved out by religious pilgrims prompted the need for places of shelter in medieval Europe. Although many of the hostels and hospices were overseen by benevolent monks, lodgers still had to deal with such discomforts as flea-infested floors and a log in lieu of a pillow.

Other long-standing inns of the region offered accommodations that were literally fit for a king. The Angel and Royal in Grantham, England, was said to have hosted King John in 1213, while its current restaurant was the site of Richard III receiving the Great Seal in 1483. Similarly, the historic Maids Head Hotel in Norwich provided lodging for Cardinal Wolsey in 1519 and for members of Queen Elizabeth I's entourage in 1587.

By the Late Middle Ages, England's larger cities had somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 20 inns. A typical inn featured a kitchen, stable, storage rooms, and varying degrees of private and communal sleeping quarters. Their proprietors stood out as prominent figures about town, with many innkeepers also serving in local government posts and as banking agents.

As it became increasingly common for vacationers to travel for pleasure, many older European coaching inns, so named for the coach travelers they received, began adding private sitting rooms and entertainment venues geared toward the longer-staying guests. One such example is the U.K.'s Lion Hotel Shrewsbury, which unveiled an elegant ballroom in the late 18th century.

United States: From Taverns to Modern Luxury

Spawned from the inns that populated Britain, the taverns of North American metropolitan centers took on their own distinct character by the early years of the new republic. Typically featuring six to 10 rooms in nondistinct buildings, these taverns were notorious for filthy conditions and indifferent service, with lodgers often forced to share rooms and even beds with strangers.

However, it wasn't long before the modern hotel emerged from these settings. From its opening in 1794, the City Hotel in New York came equipped with a ballroom, a bar, public parlors, and the largest circulating library in the country. Most important, the 137-room hotel offered its guests a luxury that was largely nonexistent in the downscale taverns: private sleeping rooms.

Boston's Exchange Coffee House upped the ante for extravagance: A seven-story behemoth with more than 200 rooms, the hotel featured a glass-paneled atrium, a ballroom, retail stores, a coffee house, and an exchange floor. Its mammoth dimensions led to its downfall, though, as firemen were unable to reach the 1818 blaze that began on its top floors and spread until the structure was incinerated less than 10 years after it was completed.

The quest to further refine the guest experience continued with the 1829 debut of Boston's 170-room Tremont House, which offered such amenities as indoor plumbing, individually keyed locks, and a bell communication system. While this sort of luxury accommodation was the exception instead of the norm, the widespread acceptance of the term “hotel” over “tavern” by this time demonstrated that there was no going back to the lax standards of the previous century.

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5 Gladiators Who Deserve Their Own Movie

Commodus at the Colosseum

The first known gladiator competition in ancient Rome occurred in 264 BCE at the funeral of Brutus Pera, where three sets of combatants fought to the death. Before long, gladiator fights became extremely popular among the Roman public and were treated as entertaining spectacles despite the brutal violence displayed.

As the sport gained popularity, the number of gladiators grew, peaking in the year 107 CE when the Roman Emperor Trajan welcomed around 5,000 pairs of gladiators to perform during a 123-day series of celebrations throughout the city of Rome. Many of these battles took place at the Colosseum, which was built between 70 and 72 CE, and served as the site for the grandest gladiatorial contests. But there were also various smaller arenas and amphitheaters throughout the Roman Empire that played host to these competitions.

The gladiators of ancient Rome came from all kinds of backgrounds; some participated for the thrill of the sport and to earn the adoration of their fellow Romans, though most were enslaved people or prisoners fighting for their freedom. But regardless of social standing, successful fighters were often considered heroes throughout Roman society. While most of these gladiators have been forgotten to the annals of history, a few warriors are still known by name and discussed today. In honor of the 2024 release of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, the sequel to his Oscar-winning 2000 film Gladiator, here are five famous real-life Roman fighters who deserve their own movies.

Spartacus

Spartacus is the one gladiator on this list who already has his own movie, the eponymous 1960 film starring Kirk Douglas. That’s in part because Spartucus’ fame came not from his success in the arena, but from leading a major revolt of enslaved people against the Roman Republic from 73 to 71 BCE.

The details of Spartacus’ early life are murky. Some historians suspect he served as a soldier before abandoning the Roman army, and was later caught, sold into slavery, and sent to a Capuan gladiatorial training school. Spartacus never fought gladiatorial fights in the Colosseum, which wasn’t built until nearly 150 years after his death. Instead, he fought most of his battles with fellow trainees — that is, until he and around 70 fellow students escaped gladiatorial school and fled to take refuge on nearby Mount Vesuvius.

As leader of this new rebel alliance, Spartacus led raids against his former oppressors, pillaging various locations throughout the Roman countryside. His exploits attracted the attention of other escaped enslaved people, who went to Mount Vesuvius to join the rebellion, and in time, the group eclipsed 90,000 members. The guerrilla attacks continued, and the conflict became known as the Third Servile War, or Gladiatorial War. Spartacus and his men traveled across the Roman Empire amassing victory after victory, fighting against the oppressive rule that had forced them into slavery. These revolts came to an end in 71 BCE at a battle roughly 35 miles southeast of Naples, Italy, the likely location of Spartacus’ death.

Crixus

Crixus was a contemporary of Spartacus and was among the enslaved gladiator trainees who fled Capua for refuge on Mount Vesuvius. After their unlikely escape, Crixus, Spartacus, and a gladiator named Oenomaus were chosen as leaders of the rebellion. As a trusted ally of Spartacus, Crixus played an important role in the Third Servile War.

In his book The Spartacus War, author Barry Strauss wrote that Crixus was far more popular than Spartacus, who “had only a small number of supporters.” Crixus was a cunning tactician who earned the trust of his fellow rebels, and, Strauss wrote, “had behind him the majority of his fellow Celts as well as the majority of the Germans.” Due to strategic disagreements, Crixus and his followers splintered off from the group led by Spartacus, which the Greek philosopher Plutarch claimed was because of Crixus’ “arrogance and presumption.” Shortly after this schism, Crixus fell in battle in the year 72 BCE, one year before Spartacus.

Credit: incamerastock/ Alamy Stock Photo

Marcus Attilius

Unlike many enslaved people who were forced into becoming gladiators, Marcus Attilius was born free and willingly chose to fight. Attilius’ gladiatorial career is believed to have taken place around 70 to 79 CE, and his first fight was against a storied veteran named Hilarus at an amphitheater in Pompeii. This was unusual, given that gladiators of equal skill sets were often pitted against each other. But Attilius shocked the masses by handedly defeating Hilarus, and that feat was followed by the defeat of yet another veteran in his next match.

Attilius’ wins were so notable, they inspired contemporary artists to draw graffiti-like sketches of his triumphs. Today, these sketches can be found within the Nuceria Gate necropolis at Pompeii, as they were well preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The drawings feature the triumphant Attilius with a “V” — meaning “victory” — next to his likeness, while his two veteran opponents are depicted as the losers.

Flamma

Flamma was a gladiator of Syrian origin who thrived as a professional combatant during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian (117 to 138 CE). There are no reliable records of Flamma’s early life, or how he ended up in gladiatorial school. But what we do know is that Flamma was highly revered among spectators of the sport, and he relished in the adoration.

According to Rachael Hanel’s book Gladiators, Flamma “exhibited the most well-known case of this love of attention.” Despite being awarded the rudis — a ceremonial baton that was granted to enslaved gladiators to grant them their freedom — on four separate occasions, Flamma refused to accept it and opted to return to the arena. He inspired a cult following among fans, before being struck down in gladiatorial battle at the age of 30. According to his gravestone in Sicily — where many of his gladiator fights took place — Flamma fought 34 times, winning 21 contests and tying nine.

Commodus

Commodus is best known for being the emperor of Rome from 177 to 192 CE, and you may remember the villainous fictionalized version of him portrayed by actor Joaquin Phoenix in the 2000 film Gladiator. But unlike other emperors, Commodus was known to take up arms and enter the gladiator arena himself, largely to stoke his own ego. In fact, he was considered to be among the most volatile, selfish, and unsuccessful emperors in Roman history, and he even attempted to rename Rome “Colonia Commodiana” after himself. Commodus also believed that he was the god Hercules, which likely added to his delusions about his skills as a gladiator.

According to the fourth-century CE text Historia Augusta — a series of biographies about Roman emperors — Commodus was “born a gladiator, not really a prince.” It’s said he fought in hundreds of gladiatorial bouts, though these contests were often heavily skewed in his favor. No opponent wanted to harm the emperor of Rome, giving Commodus an unfair advantage. He was known for being ruthlessly violent in his quest for glory. According to legend, he once killed 100 bears from up in his imperial balcony, and he was also known to shoot a bow and arrow at lions from a safe distance.

Many of Commodus’ contemporaries viewed his gladiatorial obsession as unbecoming of an emperor, given that many gladiators were from lower social classes. These tensions finally came to a head in 192 CE, when Commodus was assassinated by a wrestling partner.

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How Did the Romans Represent Zero?

The number zero

The origins of zero as a mathematical symbol — and concept — are fascinating. As early as 5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, Sumerian scribes used a slanted double wedge between cuneiform symbols to denote the absence of a number. In the third century BCE, the Babylonians developed a numerical system based on values of 60 and used a symbol of two small wedges to differentiate between tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. Around the fourth century CE, the Maya independently developed their own symbol to represent zero on their calendar. But each of these early systems only recognized the symbolic zero as a placeholder, not as a unique number with its own properties and value.

It was around the fifth century CE that mathematicians in India first formalized the use of zero as both a placeholder and a number with intrinsic value, using a small dot to signify zero. This innovation spread through Islamic scholars, who refined the concept and integrated it into advanced calculations and algebra. It wasn’t until the 12th century that this zero reached Europe, transforming mathematics by making complex calculations possible. Given this was several decades after the fall of the Roman Empire, it begs the question: What did the Romans do without zero?

The Roman Numeral System Didn’t Have Zero

In contrast to other ancient cultures, the Romans — whose numerical system was constructed quite differently — had no mathematical symbol for zero. Roman numerals relied on seven specific symbols for values: I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), D (500), and M (1,000), which were stacked next to each other to represent all other numbers, usually through addition. For example, XII represents 12 (10 + 1 + 1). Subtraction was used as well, though it wasn’t common until the Middle Ages. This was done by placing a smaller numeral before a larger one; for example, IX represents 9 (10 – 1). Simple arithmetic such as addition and subtraction was done on a counting board known as an abacus, and the value of “none” could be represented on the tool by an empty row.

The Romans did not have a symbol for zero in mathematical computations because they didn’t need it — but they did need a way to denote the absence of a quantity, such as in record-keeping. In these cases, the Latin words nulla or nihil, meaning “none” or “nothing,” served as linguistic placeholders and were abbreviated using N. These words, however, had no mathematical function; they were simply an expression of emptiness rather than part of the formal numerical system. This convention shows that Romans recognized the practical need to denote “nothing” even while they lacked the abstract mathematical understanding of zero as its own number.

The Romans Were Resistant to Zero

The Roman numeral system, though effective for basic counting and trade, became cumbersome as calculations grew more complex. Without a zero symbol, Roman mathematicians and merchants struggled with place values, making arithmetic operations such as multiplication or division challenging. This absence of zero also meant the system was unsuited to large-scale mathematics or scientific calculation, though that didn’t seem to significantly impact the Romans’ impressive engineering designs.

When the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which included zero, arrived in Europe through Islamic scholars in the Middle Ages, the Romans initially resisted using it. Zero was not just a foreign concept but was also seen as a potential philosophical threat, symbolizing “nothingness” in a way that seemed unsettling to those accustomed to tangible numbers and symbols. Aristotle believed that “nature abhors a vacuum” and asserted there was no such thing as nothing. The Catholic Church also rejected the numerical concept of zero due to its association with the infinite, an idea that conflicted with religious teachings at the time.

An Italian Mathematician Helped Bring the Zero to Europe

Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano, better known as Fibonacci, introduced the Hindu-Arabic numeral system to Europe through his groundbreaking book Liber Abaci (The Book of Numbers) in 1202. He referred to zero as zephirum, a term derived from the Arabic word ṣifr, meaning "empty" or "nothing." This Arabic term, in turn, originated from the Sanskrit word śūnya, which also means "empty." Over time, zephirum evolved linguistically, becoming zefiro in Italian and "zero" in modern English.

By the late Middle Ages, zero and the Hindu-Arabic numeral system were being used throughout Europe, especially in fields such as commerce, astronomy, and engineering. Accountants and merchants had discovered the usefulness of zero in bookkeeping and calculations, while scholars used it to advance mathematical theories. Though Roman numerals retained ceremonial use, the acceptance of zero signaled an important mathematical and philosophical shift, making it possible to conceive of innovations in science and technology that required a more comprehensive numerical framework.

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