Religious History

Gertrud Eysoldt as Salome in a Berlin production of Oscar Wilde's notorious play, circa 1902

Why Oscar Wilde's Play About a Biblical Temptress Was Banned From the British Stage for Decades

"Salome," a one-act tragedy by the Irish playwright, terrified the Victorian public with its provocative depiction of a teenage girl whose lust for a man quickly morphs into bloodlust

William and Mary had a relatively short reign, but they left an outsized impact on the dynamics of the monarchy.

The Ascension of William and Mary, Britain's First Co-Monarchs, Marked a Victory for Protestantism

The equal rulers returned England to Protestant rule and began a new era of royal leadership defined by parliamentary oversight

A ceremony at the the Great Mosque of al-Nuri marked the culmination of UNESCO-led restoration efforts in Mosul.

See Mosul’s Historic Leaning Minaret Tower, Rebuilt After Destruction by ISIS

Eight years after the Iraqi city was left in ruins, Mosul’s rich multicultural heritage is slowly but surely beginning to flower again

A selection of artifacts unearthed at the Hezingen site

Elite Germanic Pagans Buried 'Devil's Money' as Offerings for Their Gods at This Ancient Cult Site

Researchers excavated the deposits of coins and jewelry in the Netherlands, near the German border

The painting measures less than 15 inches tall and just over 5 inches wide. The verso of the panel includes part of a Marian prayer.

See the Miniature Portrait of Mary Magdalene That Raphael Painted When He Was Only 20

Created around 1503, the painting—which just sold at auction for $3.1 million—depicts the saint after the crucifixion of Jesus, when she entered a period of repentance

The marble head dates to Egypt's Ptolemaic period (305 to 30 B.C.E.), but it was found in a seventh-century C.E. house.

See the Haunting Stone Face of a Ptolemaic Statue Unearthed Near the Ancient Egyptian City of Alexandria

The statue was found at Taposiris Magna, an archaeological site where some researchers suspect Cleopatra and Mark Antony are entombed

The statue of Athena had been housed in William Weddell's estate in England since the 1700s.

See the Stunning Ancient Roman Statue of Athena That's Going on View for the First Time in Nearly 260 Years

After spending centuries on a British aristocrat's estate in North Yorkshire, the marble masterpiece will be unveiled in Chicago's Wrightwood 659 gallery later this week

The Derveni Papyrus, named for the location where it was found, is believed to date to between 340 and 320 B.C.E.

How Archaeologists Discovered Europe's Oldest-Known Book, Revealing Never-Before-Seen Insights Into Ancient Religion and Philosophy

Charred by the flames of a funeral pyre, the Derveni Papyrus has proved to be a fascinating—and confounding—artifact

Fascinating finds unveiled in 2024 ranged from a jade Maya funerary mask to a Roman dodecahedron.

Seventy-Seven Fascinating Finds Revealed in 2024, From a Mysterious 'Anomaly' Near the Great Pyramid of Giza to a Missing Portrait of Henry VIII

The year's most exciting discoveries included musket balls fired in the early days of the American Revolution, a lost composition by Mozart and a medieval chess piece

An illustration of Joseph Smith Jr. (right) and his brother Hyrum (left)

Joseph Smith, the Founder and Prophet of Mormonism, Was Born Into an Impoverished and Itinerant Family in Vermont

Throughout his childhood, the young Smith, born on this day in 1805, fought disease, poverty and spiritual battles of his own

The silver amulet contained a thin foil scroll.

Archaeologists Say This Tiny Amulet Is the Oldest Evidence of Christianity Found North of the Alps

Discovered in central Germany, the 1,800-year-old silver artifact held a tiny scroll, which researchers have now deciphered using high-resolution scans

An 1864 photo of General Ulysses S. Grant

Why Union General Ulysses S. Grant Issued an Order to Expel Jews From Certain Confederate States During the Civil War

An attempt to cut down on the illegal cotton trade, Grant’s decision, announced on this day in 1862, was immensely controversial and hounded him for years

In the early ninth century, a Frankish courtier used a story of demonic possession to criticize the realm’s leaders for their “manifold sins.”

How a Tale of Demonic Possession Predicted the Decline of an Early Medieval Empire

A new book examines the rise and fall of the Carolingian dynasty, discussing how people across social classes understood the momentous history of their day

Top: Rubble inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2019. Bottom: The cathedral's renovated interior (including the tabernacle designed by French artist Guillaume Bardet) in 2024

See Inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in These Breathtaking Images of Its Newly Unveiled Interior

The historic church was devastated by a fire in 2019. After five years of painstaking work, it's finally scheduled to reopen to the public this weekend

The temple's north tower, which holds a newly discovered chamber

Hidden Entrance to a Mysterious Ancient Temple Found Tucked Away in an Egyptian Cliff Face

Researchers have been carefully excavating the artifacts and decorative reliefs found at the 2,100-year-old site in the ancient city of Athribis

Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island

The Little-Known Story Behind the Oldest Surviving Synagogue in America

Through revolution and war, Touro Synagogue, which opened in Newport, Rhode Island, on this day in 1763, has long been a beacon for religious tolerance on the coast of New England

The amulet contains an image of King Solomon and a Greek inscription that reads, "Our Lord defeated evil."

Rare 1,600-Year-Old Pendant Discovered in Turkey Depicts King Solomon Defeating the Devil

The fifth-century artifact was found in the ruins of a structure that may have been connected to the military. Historians think it was used as a protective amulet

As part of the study, researchers created a 3D replica of the ancient mug.

Ancient Egyptians Drank Psychedelic Concoctions From This 2,000-Year-Old Mug, Study Finds

Scientists have discovered traces of hallucinogens in a small vessel depicting an Egyptian deity that may have been used in ancient rituals

The team used A.I. algorithms to combine more than 400,000 photos into a comprehensive, three-dimensional model of the Catholic church.

See Every Nook and Cranny of St. Peter's Basilica With This New, Stunningly Accurate 3D Replica

Microsoft and the Vatican used artificial intelligence to virtually recreate the historic Vatican City church

This marble tablet weighs 115 pounds and measures two feet tall.

An Ancient Tablet Inscribed With Nine of the Ten Commandments From the Book of Exodus Is for Sale

The marble slab, which dates to between 300 and 500 C.E., is the oldest-known stone tablet inscribed with the Commandments. Nobody recognized its significance until decades after its discovery

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