Darius the Great - the Zenith of Persian Empire

“Darius the King says: Ahuramazda, the greatest of the gods, created me, made me king, bestowed upon me this kingdom, great, possessed of good horses, possessed of good men.” 

– Darius, Palace foundation inscription

8 Things to Know about Tenochtitlan's and the Aztecs' Foundational Myth

The Aztecs or the Mexica possessed a very fascinating history. Difficult for its lack of simple written languages matched with mixing with myths, legends, and gods. Such as the case of the Aztecs’ origins and the foundation of their capital Tenochtitlan. Here are 8 things to know about their foundational myth.

Tenochtitlan and the Mexica Foundational Myth

They say childhood shapes an individual and the same could be said of a culture or a society. Its foundational myths set a people’s mindset, perspective, and morality. The Aztecs or Mexicans, told a foundational myth familiar to every Christians that defined their actions throughout the duration of their empire.

Aztlan in Codex Aubin

Huitzilihuitl - the Second Tlatoani of the Aztecs

What do you search for a date in Tinder?

Is it the face, the body, or hobbies and interest. The 2nd leader of the Aztecs looked beyond this stuff and focused on the political value. Huitzilihuitl combined a heavy dose of marriage diplomacy with a dash of Zeus-like romance giving an entertaining story of skillful diplomacy and betterment of Aztec standard of living.

A Calendar of Horror? The Aztec Veintena - Part 2

They make the cruel Assyrians and Genghis Khan look like human rights activists. The Aztecs conjure up words of blood lust, human sacrifice, and heart plucking. They are brutal, but after reading the 18 Months in a year of the Aztecs based on the Florentine Codex, the level of horror just goes up. Following 18 months and the rituals involved are: 

Tlaloc, one of the major Aztec deities

A Calendar of Horror? The Aztec Veintena - Part 1

They make the cruel Assyrians and Genghis Khan look like human rights activists. The Aztecs conjure up words of blood lust, human sacrifice, and heart plucking. They are brutal, but after reading the 18 Months in a year of the Aztecs based on the Florentine Codex, the level of horror just goes up. Following 18 months and the rituals involved are: 

Sikhism: The Basic

Sikhism is one of the major religions in India and recognizable in the world for their long beards and turbans that exude an aura of mystery. But what is Sikhism? And what are its teachings and principle?

Founders: Guru Nanak of Sikhism

Guru has been used informally to mean an expert in a particular field – financial guru, fitness guru, business guru, etc. For the Sikhs, however, the word meant something sacred. A guru meant a spiritual and wise mentor that share his word of Enlightenment. And such the case of 10 of Sikhism’s Guru which began with its founder Guru Nanak.

Who was Ismail Pasha?

A visionary desiring to transform Egypt into a beacon of modernization in North Africa, but Ismail Pasha left a legacy of debt that brought his country to the hands of imperial powers.

Persian Achaemenid Architecture

The Achaemenid Persians established the greatest land Empire in the ancient world commanding vast wealth and power. This brought about the development of Persian architecture that blended the architectural ideas from its diverse population and merged it to its own unique style that inspires awe from then and now.

Jainism: The Basic

Depiction of Mahavira (Wikimedia Common)

A religion that originated in India, it stood overshadowed by two other prominent Indian religions – Hinduism and Buddhism. A belief that followed the same path of spiritual enlightenment and detachments. It is the religion known as Jainism.

Monuments of Southeast Asia: Borobudur

Borobodur (depicted in Civilization V)

It serves as the biggest Buddhist temple in the world. It stands as a reminder of a once great kingdom in Central Java. It is one of the greatest monuments in Southeast Asia. It is the temple of Borobudur in Java, Indonesia.

Shotoku: Sinification and Buddhism

Prince Shotoku (Middle)

From the troubles of succession and division about religion, Prince Shotoku emerged as one of the famous regent during the time of ancient Japan. He contributed a lot in changing the religious and administrative landscape of country.

Monuments of Southeast Asia: Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat (Drawing by Henri Mouhot)

Lying in the center of marsh and jungle, the Angkor Wat stood as one of biggest temple in the world. Cambodia took pride of this temple and depicted it in its national flag, lying in its center. It became a monument of Hindu influence to Southeast Asia and to the belief that Kings become Gods once they died. But most importantly, Angkor Wat stood as legacy of the once mighty Khmer Empire.

Printing: Tang Dynasty and the Diamond Sutra

Front piece of the Diamond Sutra 

Printing is one of the greatest innovation that changed mankind's history. It allowed the mass production and spread of knowledge in a massive scale. Without it, mankind's progress would have been slower. Printing traced its origins from the old style woodblock printing, which began wide usage during the time of the Tang Dynasty in China.

Olmecs: Before the Aztecs and Mayans

Olmec Civilization

The Mesoamerican region was home to numerous civilizations. The famous Aztecs and the Mayans filled history books of flourishing cities and gruesome human sacrifices. But before the huge Aztecs pyramids and the amazing stone structures of the Mayans, an older civilization flourished mysteriously in the area. Well known for their giant head statues, the Olmecs showed the characters that later Mesoamerican civilizations also showed.

Dinning with King Louis XIV

King Louis XIV dinning with Moliere

King Louis XIV was the ruler of France.  An egocentric King, he wanted to make his everyday life a show for every aristocrat to watch in his beautiful and magnificent palace of Versailles. From the time he wakes up in the morning, towards his every meal, and until the time of his sleep in the night, all of daily activities were ritualized to become small shows for the nobility. Even when it was time for his meals, all of it was turned into a show. Aristocrats gather around the King, waiting a chance to be notice and spoken to. Among of these ritualized meals was the Grand Couvert.

Catal Hoyuk: The First City of the World?

The Neolithic Age saw humanity’s great leap forward in its history. Agriculture, animal domestication, and sedentary living developed building the foundations of future civilizations. In Asia Minor, Çatalhöyük have been the most famous example of Neolithic settlement in the region.

Tragic Death of Francois Vatel

Louis de Bourbon, Prince de Conde

The story of Francois Vatel is, said to be, a display of French honor for their culinary careers. Efficiency and perfection is the standard for hard work. It began as a grand feast to impress the nobles and King Louis XIV himself in 1672 in a town of Chantilly. Francois Vatel served as the maître d’hôtel for the auspicious visit. However, with some minor problems and misunderstanding that unfolded during the festivities, the event turned out to be final for Vatel.

My Egg is Better Than Your Egg - The Origin Story of the Faberge Eggs

Wealth, power, prestige, and control over the largest country in the world, having all of it will surely bring some bigtime flex. Before stories of golden Lamborghini of oil-rich Sheikhs or macadamia nut-fed cows of tech tycoons, Tsar Alexander III made an exceptional splurge on a mundane Easter egg to cheer up his wife. This flex of wealth resulted in fabulous pieces that even today cost fortunes in auctions.

Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna