Ancient languages hold a treasure trove of information about the culture, politics and commerce of millennia past. Yet, reconstructing them to reveal clues into human history can require decades of ...

In ancient India, the most powerful god was known as “sky father,” or in the Sanskrit language, Dyaus pita. Sound it out. Can you see where this is going? In Greece, his equivalent was Zeus pater; in ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin. The classic Greek epic poem The Iliad attributed to Homer regales the listener with tales of the siege ...

Every boring email we type or moment of small talk we have at the grocery store is part of a historic and mysterious legacy: the creation of language. The kind of languages we speak — from Arabic to ...

Language is one of the most resilient components of culture. Though many languages have disappeared over the course of thousands of years, many are thriving today and carrying on the traditions and ...

Russell has a PhD in the history of medicine, violence, and colonialism. His research has explored topics including ethics, science governance, and medical involvement in violent contexts. Russell has ...

Although Chinese, Tibetan and Burmese languages sound completely different from one another, they are all derived from a common ancestral tongue. A new analysis suggests the ancient language might ...