Literature, Links, Pics

Historical

Past events, memory, discovery, interpretation.
Learn More

 Alternative 

Causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument .
Learn More

Periodicals

Newspapers, magazines, journals.
Learn More

Book Index

Links to more books.
(Files too big to upload to website)
Learn More
Collaboration g346dc2118 1920

Glossary

Definitions of interesting words, people, places, things.
Learn More
Sutterlin gc77eed13b 1920

Interesting Excerpts

An assortment of noteworthy excerpts.
Learn More
Photos gae8da679d 1920

Pictures

Prominent figures, structures, illustrations.
Learn More

Sophia and the Fall: The Gnostic Creation Myth Explained

Mystical depictions of Sophia and Gnosticism

Gnosticism is an esoteric religious movement which has flourished in the first centuries AD. It offers a truly unique view on existence, and blends theology, mysticism and cosmology.

Divine wisdom, human redemption, and cosmic error - these are the foremost themes of the Gnostic creation myth, which is itself a compelling alternative to the traditional Judeo-Christian narratives. And at the very center of this creation myth lies Sophia, a central figure of Gnosticism, whose actions and consequences set the stage for the creation of the material world and humanity’s spiritual struggle. The myth of Sophia is usually considered an allegory for divine wisdom, and it reflects the Gnostic view which posits that the cosmos is flawed, and that humanity is yearning to reconnect with the divine.

Neolithic Communities in Europe Featured Surprising Gender Equality

Image of what a typical Neolithic European farming settlement might have looked like.

As genetic research into the characteristics of ancient DNA has increased, scientists have uncovered a wealth of valuable information about how prehistoric people really lived.

In a study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of experts from the United Kingdom, Austria, and the United States, led by archaeologist Penny Bickle from the University of York, evidence emerged to show that Neolithic agricultural communities in Europe were highly mobile and deeply interconnected. Furthermore, the people who lived in them enjoyed a suprising amount of individual freedom and gender equality, with the latter being perhaps the most unexpected find to emerge from this new research.

The Egalitarian Linear Pottery Culture of Prehistoric Europe

When the earliest farmers migrated from the Near East to Europe, they brought innovative agricultural techniques with them, which would have a revolutionary impact on societal and cultural evolution in the area.

Footprints Reveal 2 Extinct Hominin Species Living Side By Side

Excavating the new trackway site, with footprints from hominins, birds and other animals visible in foreground.

Anna K. Behrensmeyer, Kevin Hatala & Purity Kiura/The Conversation

Human footprints stir the imagination. They invite you to follow, to guess what someone was doing and where they were going. Fossilized footprints preserved in rock do the same – they record instants in the lives of many different extinct organisms, back to the earliest creatures that walked on four feet, 380 million years ago.

Discoveries in eastern Africa of tracks made by hominins – our ancient relatives – are telling paleontologists like ourselves about the behavior of hominin species that walked on two feet and resembled us but were not yet human like we are today. Our new research focuses on footprints that amazingly record two different species of hominins walking along the same Kenyan lakeshore at the same time, roughly 1.5 million years ago.

Studying ancient tracks like these fills in exciting pieces of the human evolution story because they provide evidence for hominin behavior and locomotion that scientists cannot learn from fossilized bones.