History

The Mysterious Hasanlu Lovers and Their 2800-Year Old Kiss

Even death cannot keep them part.

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Admit it or not, sometimes we hope for a love that can last forever. Well you might want to take your cue from the Hasanlu Lovers. Their gesture of love is an eternal kiss that survived for 2,800 years and they continue to mesmerize archaeologists, excavators and your regular museum-goers to this day.

The set of skeletons was discovered in 1972 inside a bin within the excavation site in Hasanlu, Solduz Valley, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran.

Since then, there have been many speculations about the skeletons but the sweet gesture of their shared kiss, even in death, always makes people ponder about their story.

Upon research by archaeologists from University of Pennsylvania, they discovered that the Hasanlu Lovers died around 800 BC and so they’re estimating that the skeletons were around 2,800 years old. The left skeleton is female and the right is male. Both were around 5 feet 2 inches in height.

Speculations on the cause of death is asphyxiation since the bodies were found inside a bin with a stone slab. Others note the hole in the skull of the male skeleton suggesting some form of struggle took place. He might have been beaten to the head with an object, and perhaps out of love- the female joined him in his death, dying while kissing her beloved.

To this day, nobody knows the real story of the Hasanlu Lovers. Only that they once lived and loved each other and that even death cannot keep them part.

History

13 Great Facts About Christmas Trees

The most celebrated tree has a rich history.

Justine Chen

The most celebrated tree has a rich history. In fact, they go way, waaay back. Go check out this fun and interesting list of 13 great facts about Christmas trees.

#1. The evergreen fir tree has been used by pagans and Christians to celebrate winter festivals for the longest time.

Source: honestabe.com

It's not certain when the fir trees were first used as Christmas trees but the closest estimate is around 1000 years ago in Northern Europe, where they were hung upside down from the ceiling.

History

The Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon: Historical Masterpieces of Kremlin

If you happen to visit Kremlin, do not miss the opportunity to visit these amazing structures!

Claire

It may sound surprising to some people, but bells and cannons are like siblings. Both are made of the same type of metal, and most of the time, the same metal itself. Historical accounts reveal that bells were melted and made into cannons during wars, and cannons were melted and made into bells in times of peace. So, it would not be unusual to find the best specimens of each featured in one place in Moscow, Russia.

Tsar Bell

Measuring at 6 meters in height and 6.6 meters across, and weighing in at approximately 202 tons, the Tsar Bell is considered to be the largest bell in the world. The bell, decorated on the surface with images of baroque angels and saints and almost life-size images of Tsar Alexey and Empress Anna, was never used. There were three attempts at constructing the bell, and each attempt was met by unfortunate events.

The intricately designed Tsar Bell was cast in the 1730s.

History

12 Popular Quotes that People Get Wrong All the Time

“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” – Abraham Lincoln

michpusa

Inserting famous quotes into a conversation will usually make you seem smart and well-read, but be careful who you quote! These popular quotes are now commonplace in perfectly filtered Instagram posts. However, if you look into the history and context of these quotes, you might find that their real meaning has been misinterpreted over the years.

1. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

Source: Frank Dicksee/Wikimedia Commons

This famous quote for "Romeo and Juliet" has been understood as Juliet asking where Romeo is. But "wherefore art" actually mean "why," as in "Why are you a Montague, my family's sworn enemy?"