French Egyptologist Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, a professor at the University of Paris-Sorbonne and the Catholic Institute of Paris, has discovered a series of hidden inscriptions on the obelisk in Place de la Concorde. These texts, previously unnoticed, reveal new information about the reign of Ramesses II, the pharaoh who commissioned this monument at the entrance to […]
France
Posted inModern Era
Magenta, the Color Born from a Battle
The history of colors is intertwined with the evolution of humanity, reflecting scientific advances, cultural conquests, and historical moments that have left an indelible mark on our perception of the world. Each color contains within it a fragment of the human story, and some, like magenta, shine not only because of their chromatic intensity but […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
A Celtic Iron Age Necropolis Found in France Without Human Remains but With Complete Swords in Their Sheaths and Other Treasures
At the top of the archaeological site of Creuzier-le-Neuf, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, a team from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) has uncovered an extensive necropolis dated to the Iron Age. Although soil conditions have prevented the preservation of human remains, the site offers valuable insight into funerary practices and the prestige […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
An Unusual Wooden Box of Unknown Function Found in a Huge Bronze Age Village in Northern France
In the Hauts-de-France region, archaeologists have discovered a massive village inhabited between the Late Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age. This settlement, which spans more than three hectares, features a high concentration of buildings, making it an exceptional site within the archaeological landscape of northern France. Excavations have revealed more than twenty […]
Posted inGeography
The Forgotten Plan to Flood the Sahara and Create an Inland Sea
On July 1, 1905, and for a month, the Magasin d’Education et de Récréation serialized a novel by Jules Verne titled L’invasion de la mer (The Invasion of the Sea), the last work the French author published in his lifetime, as he passed away that same year. The novel tells the story of a French […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Tower of Nesle: The Medieval Scandal That Led to the Revival of the Salic Law, Barring Women from the Throne
Alexandre Dumas, the renowned author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, lived a life nearly as eventful as his characters. Among other things, he fought several duels, both with swords and pistols, one of them against the writer Frédéric Gallardet, who accused him—rightly—of having appropriated his theatrical drama The Tower of […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Strange Carolingian-Era Graves with Unusual Positions and Orientations Found on the Island of Ré
Located on the northern coast of the island of Ré, in southwestern France, La Flotte has been a strategic enclave since ancient times and may have served as a mooring port. Its archaeological history suggests that this area has witnessed intense maritime interactions since Antiquity, playing a key role in the commercial and military movements […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
More than 400 Flint Artifacts Used by Neanderthals to Make Tools Found in Northern France
A recent study on the geological and stratigraphic context of the L’Enclos site, located in Mainvilliers (in northern France, near Chartres), has shed new light on human occupation in the region during the Middle Paleolithic. The research has revealed that the lithic artifacts found at the site were preserved within sedimentary colluvium accumulated over a […]
Posted inModern Era
Louis-Sébastien Lenormand, the Man Who Made the First Documented Parachute Jump in 1783—Which He Himself Invented
The list of inventors is constantly being revised: Marconi and the radio, Bell and the telephone, Edison and the light bulb, Benz and the automobile… All are debatable and debated because, often, what they did was simply register the patent before others or develop a commercially viable model. The parachute is another example of multiple […]
Posted inModern Era
The Revolutionary Aristocrat Who Voted for the Execution of Louis XVI, Changed His Name to “Philippe Equality” and Was the Father of the Last King of France
“Let’s not waste time. You’ll do it more easily when I’m dead. Let’s get it over with as soon as possible!” These were the last words spoken by Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, addressed to his executioner on the scaffold as the latter tried to remove his boots before guillotining him. The condemned man […]
