The Persian Gulf marked the southeast corner of the world of the Old Testament, with the Caspian Sea marking the northeast corner. Many rivers flow into the Persian Gulf including the famous Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In Old Testament times the northwestern border of the Persian Gulf extended much further, perhaps 50 miles or more, closer to one of its famous cities, Ur of the Chaldees where Abraham was born.
Source: The Old Testament World
Augustus, the first emperor of Rome had in his empire 25 legions of approximately 6,000 soldiers each. A legion was formed of 10 Cohorts (540 men in each Cohort). Each Cohort was subdivided into 6 Centuries (90 men formed a Century), and each legion ...
The etymology of the name Jerusalem is not certain; it is apparently of Semitic origin. An Egyptian notice from the third quarter of the nineteenth century B.C. mentions Urusalimum. The Assyrians called it Ursalimmu. Modern scholars take these names ...
In the Bible, the crown of thorns is mentioned in the account of Jesus' crucifixion. Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, and John 19:2 describe how the Roman soldiers twisted thorns into a crown and placed it on Jesus' head as a form of mockery and humiliatio...
The Hostile Plough was used by the Romans to utterly destroy a city by burying and removing it. When the Romans were brought to wrath it was customary to drive a plough over the walls of a conquered city to signify that the ground on which it stood s...
Ancient Egyptians had a complex and elaborate process of mummification to preserve the bodies of the deceased for the afterlife. The process involved several steps: Removal of organs: The embalmers would first remove the internal organs, except for t...
In the Bible, a watchtower, also known as a lookout or watchman's tower, was a raised structure used for surveillance and observation. It served as a strategic vantage point from which watchmen could keep watch over the surrounding area, looking out ...
The Passover Papyrus is a letter from among the elephantine papyri that dates back to the time of Darius II, in 419 BC. In 1907 archaeologists discovered in Aswan papyrus fragments of a letter that bears the royal authority of the Persian Empire (not...
The land of ancient Assyria was located in the far north of the Tigris river near modern Mosul. In their earliest history Assyria was a small territory on the left bank of the northern Tigris River. Over time their borders extended to the area be...
The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall or Kotel, is a significant religious site in Jerusalem, Israel. It is a section of the retaining wall that once surrounded the Second Temple's courtyard and is revered as the most sacred site for Jewis...
Ancient Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made significant contributions to the development of civilization. Here are some of its notable achievements: Writing System: Mesopotamia is credited with the invention of one of ...
The fall of the Roman Empire was a complex event with multiple contributing factors. Some of the main causes include: Internal Decay and Political Instability: The empire faced a decline in effective leadership, political instability, and corruption ...
The Black Sea was known in ancient times as the Euxine and in the Roman Empire as Pontus Euxinus, and many ships sailed along its borders. The Black Sea was not mentioned in the Bible, although it was a northern boundary in the Roman Empire and the N...
The main historical sources for the life of Nero were Tacitus Tacitus Publius Cornelius (55-120 A.D. approx.), Suetonius Svetonius Tranquillus (70-140 A.D. approx.), Cassius Dio Dion Cassius Cocceianus (155-235 A.D. approx.), Jewish and Christian Tra...
The Bible does not provide specific details about Abraham's dress or clothing. However, we can infer some general information about the attire of people during that time period and cultural context. Abraham lived during the early second millennium BC...
In ancient Rome the “centurion” meant “captain of 100”, and the Roman centurion was captain over 100 foot soldiers in a legion. The centurion was loyal and courageous, beginning as a soldier in the army and working their way up the ranks. The...
Pompey was a military genius and his soldiers recognized this and referred to him as “Magnus” which means the great, thus the name Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Source: Pompey the Great...
The Colosseum was known in ancient Rome as the Flavian Amphitheatre, named after the 3 emperors who were all involved in its construction. Vespasian conceived the idea and began building in 72 AD and his son Titus dedicated it in 80 AD with a 100 day...
The Bible does not specifically mention the Adriatic Sea as a place of sudden storms. However, the Bible does contain accounts of storms and tempests occurring at sea in various locations, emphasizing the unpredictable and perilous nature of such eve...
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