National Geographic History

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FROM THE EDITOR

National Geographic History

Medieval Sword Surprises Diver Off Israel’s Shores • A well-preserved weapon lay for centuries on the seafloor near the Carmel coast. Could it be connected to the crusaders?

PILGRIMS’ PORT

Wong Kim Ark, Face of U.S. Citizenship • Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Wong Kim Ark took his fight for his rights all the way to the Supreme Court as nativist men tried to steal his birthright from him.

Master Print: ‘Knight, Death, and the Devil’ • This 1513 engraving by Dürer, often read as an allegory of the Christian bravely battling temptations on the path of life, is regarded as the pinnacle of printmaking.

Message in the Mummy’s Wrappings • Mysterious markings written on an Egyptian mummy’s bandages were confounding to the 19th-century scholars. It took decades to decipher them and reveal the surprising identity of their authors—the Etruscans.

NARMER FIRST PHARAOH OF EGYPT • Five thousand years ago, a king of Upper Egypt unified two separate lands into what became the world’s first great territorial state—Egypt. That king, known today as Narmer, is celebrated as its first pharaoh.

Weapons of a Pharaoh

Important Identification

SACRED STONES • Starting around 4400 b.c., Egyptians made stone palettes designed to grind and mix cosmetic pigments. Around 3400-3100 b.c., palettes—which were decorated with images related to the monarchy and embossed on one or both sides—began to be used as votive objects.

DIONYSUS • Lord of wine and intoxication, the “twice-born” deity inspired dramatic myths, theater festivals, and mysterious cults all over the ancient world.

GOD OF WINE AND THEATER

DELIRIUM OF THE BACCHAE

SLEEPING BEAUTY • A Roman sarcophagus from the third century a.d. depicts Dionysus discovering the sleeping mortal princess Ariadne. The pair fell in love, married, and had children, including Oenopian (the personification of wine), Staphylus (associated with grapes), and Thoas.

THE DUOMO OF FLORENCE • Symbolizing the power and prosperity of the Tuscan capital, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore astonished the world with its colossal dome, engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi.

SOARING MASTERPIECES

BREAKFAST IN TUSCANY • On August 7, 1420, laborers, stonemasons, and other workers climbed up onto the drum of the yetto-be-built dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. Looking out over the Tuscan landscape, they enjoyed a breakfast of bread, melon, and Trebbiano wine to mark the beginning of construction on the dome itself.

PALENQUE MAYA CITY OF THE GODS • As Palenque rose in the seventh century, so too did its elegant stepped pyramids. Overseen by Pakal the Great, the city’s distinctive architectural style exalted its Maya gods, whose actions permeated every aspect of Palenque life.

THE CITY PAKAL BUILT

THE PALENQUE COMPLEX • The city was structured around the palace, a large central building, which was the seat of power of the ruling dynasty. Around it stood dynastic mausoleums and temples dedicated to the great deities.

BUILDERS OF PALENQUE

DEATH AND REBIRTH

TEMPLES OF SEA, EARTH, AND SKY

THE AJANTA CAVES • Cut from a sheer cliff face around 2,000 years ago, 30 caves in India are home to sacred spaces adorned with awe-inspiring works of ancient Buddhist art.

CARVED IN STONE

RAISING OF A WRECK

Time Capsule in The South China Sea • The 1987 discovery of a...