The national literary work par excellence of Mongolia is the Secret History of the Mongols, of which the author is unknown, but it is known to have been composed between 1227 and 1228, shortly after the death of Genghis Khan. The original document is not preserved, but a copy a century later and written in…Continue readingThe Great Taboo, the 240 square kilometer area sealed for eight centuries where the tomb of Genghis Khan is believed to be
Tombs
One of the best-known legends of antiquity is that of the Phrygian king Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold. According to Aristotle, he died of starvation when it was impossible to touch any food without transforming it into the precious metal. The problem is that there are at least three kings with that…Continue readingHow archaeologists found the origin of the legend of King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold
Archimedes was probably the greatest mathematician of antiquity. He was born in the Sicilian city of Syracuse in 287 B.C., then an independent Greek colony. It is surprising how little we know about him and his life, as well as the oblivion into which he fell a few years after his death. It is known…Continue readingWhen Cicero found Archimedes’ tomb in Syracuse.