History

January 29, 2021

A Brief History of Ballet From European Courts to Modern Dance

Every winter, millions flock to see The Nutcracker, perhaps the most famous ballet of all time. Ballet's beginnings actually began centuries before little Clara began capturing hearts as she flew through a world of sweets with her gallant nutcracker. While the oldest ballets performed today date from the 19th century, choreographed dances in a style known as ballet were actually performed in the Italian Renaissance.

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January 1, 2021

Discovery of a 9,000 Year-Old Burial of a Female Hunter Challenges Prehistoric Gender Roles

It is common knowledge that our prehistoric ancestors were hunters and gatherers. Men stalked game while women collected edible plants—or so the accepted story goes. A new paper published in Science Advances upends this accepted division of gendered labor. In 2018, a team of anthropologists discovered an important 9,000-year-old grave at Wilamaya Patjxa, a site in the Peruvian Andes.

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December 12, 2020

What Did the Romans Eat and Drink? Learn About Dining and Diets in the Ancient Empire

Have you ever wondered what the ancient Romans ate? After all, their lavish banquets are legendary, but the focus on the ultra-elite obscures a wider Roman culinary tradition. The diets and dining habits of everyday people throughout the Roman Empire varied greatly. Many provinces adapted their pre-Roman cuisines to take advantage of new trade networks within the empire. Italian wine was drunk in Gaul while grain from Northern Africa supplied populations across the Mediterranean.

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November 26, 2020

Archeologists Discover an Advanced Water Filtration System in an Ancient Mayan City

As the first cities emerged in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago, water systems became critical in order to continually supply growing urban populations. Ancient Romans built giant aqueducts; the Greeks developed pressurized plumbing. Perhaps most famous for their stepped-pyramids, the Mayans were also among the ancient civilizations to develop a sophisticated use of water.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.