In the historic center of Alkmaar in the Netherlands, a team of municipal archaeologists made an extraordinary discovery during the renovation of a building on Achterdam Street: a section of an ancient floor partially composed of animal bones. These types of findings are extremely rare and, to date, have only been documented in the North […]
Buildings
Harpedonaptai, the Indispensable “Rope Stretchers” of Ancient Egypt
In the long and fascinating history of Ancient Egypt, there were figures without whom many monumental and artistic achievements would not have been possible. Moreover, without them, chaos would have taken over the Nile country year after year, making them essential for maintaining order. We are not talking about the pharaohs or the priests. We […]
The Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia was so Large it was Visible from Rome 22 Miles Away
The Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia is a significant sacred complex dedicated to the goddess Fortuna, located in the ancient city of Praeneste (now Palestrina, 35 kilometers, about 22 miles, east of Rome). It is the “largest complex of late Republican architecture in ancient Italy”, as scholars have defined it. It was built in the late […]
Bucharest’s Palace of the Parliament is the World’s Heaviest Building
Neither the tallest skyscraper in the Middle East or China, nor even the largest temple in the world, the heaviest building constructed by mankind is the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, weighing in at just over 4 million tons (in size, it’s the third-largest administrative building in the world after the American Pentagon and […]
The Sphinx Astronomical Observatory is the Highest Altitude Building in Europe
The spectacular Piz Gloria is a revolving restaurant built on the summit of Schilthorn in the Swiss Alps, at an altitude of 2,970 meters. One of the sections of the Eiger Ultra Trail passes through there, a race held every July as part of the Ultra-Trail World Tour, covering a distance of 101 kilometers with […]
The History of the Prinkipo Orphanage, the Largest Wooden Building in Europe
Büyükada is the largest of the nine Princes’ Islands located in the Sea of Marmara, so close to the city of Istanbul that they are considered its neighborhoods. Its barely 5 square kilometers, where motorized vehicles are prohibited, boast some historical monuments, Byzantine churches and monasteries, along with a mosque, an abandoned amusement park, and […]
Archaeologists find King Hinz’s Hall, the Largest Meeting Hall of the Nordic Bronze Age
Archaeologists made an unparalleled discovery from the entire Nordic Bronze Age (2200 to 800 BCE) near the burial mound of King Hinz in Seddin, Brandenburg, Germany. There, the remains of the largest meeting hall of the Bronze Age have been uncovered, measuring 10 by 31 meters, a size unique for this period, at least in […]