Women were relegated to secondary roles in Ancient Greece, which is why most queenly names belong to mythology: Jocasta, Leda, Pelops, Gorgophone, Aglaea… A few historical ones could be added, but they ruled only as consorts, such as Stratonice of Cappadocia, Philistis, Nereis of Epirus, or Stratonice of Pergamum. However, during the Hellenistic Period, things […]
Afghanistan
Posted inModern Era
Charles Masson, the traveler, spy, and archaeologist who was the first European to see the ruins of Harappa
Today we’ll take a brief look at the life and work of another one of those characters we can define as unclassifiable, a mix of soldiers, travelers, adventurers, scientists, and scholars, who often fly free. The one we’ll see next was English, named Charles Masson, and both the British Museum and the British Library owe […]
Posted inAntiquity
Ai-Khanoum: The Lost Greek City in Afghanistan
At the confluence of the Kokcha River and the Amu Darya, in northern Afghanistan’s Takhar province, lie the ruins of Ai-Khanoum (which means “Moon Princess”). This ancient settlement was home to a major Hellenistic city from the late 4th century BC to the mid-2nd century BC, whose original name remains unknown (some researchers propose Estobara, […]
Posted inModern Era
Saragarhi, the Battle in which 21 Sikhs Faced Thousands of Afghans
Every September 12th, the Indian armed forces celebrate a festival called Regimental Battle Honours Day. The regiment referred to in the name is the Sikh regiment, the protagonist of a heroic episode in 1897 during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. During that time, 21 men from a small detachment defended their position against thousands of enemies, […]
