Many of us are familiar with Thor and his hammer due to their appearance in Marvel’s Thor and the Avengers movies. But the legends of Thor and his hammer, Mjolnir, go back hundreds of years. The Vikings commonly wore Mjolnir amulets, so why did the Vikings wear Thor’s hammer? The Vikings wore Thor’s hammer for …
When you think about where you want to vacation, Abu Dhabi may not come immediately to mind, but it is one travel destination you will not soon forget. What should I know about Abu Dhabi? Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a small island located on the southern coast of …
Religious anthropologists have long attempted to trace religion back to its source. Due to the antiquity of Egyptian civilization, it is not uncommon for those dabbling in religious anthropology to wonder, “Is Egyptian religion the oldest?” Mesopotamian religion preceded that of ancient Egypt, though some claim that Egyptian animism is older. According to the biblical …
While globalization has brought various challenges to nations or countries since the 1990s, the bonds of common culture, values, and family remain strong in many such nations. We often use the terms “country” and “nation” interchangeably, but have you ever wondered what the difference between a country and a nation is? The expressions “country” and …
While it lasted, the British Empire was the largest empire the world has ever known, and no other empire has yet come close to its grand scale. At its core was the Kingdom of Great Britain, ruling over vast overseas territories. Yet have you ever wondered, “What’s the difference between an empire and a kingdom”? …
With the popularity of 23andMe, there is a renewed interest in our individual ancestry and heritage. Also, government census bureaus are interested in gathering information about the various ethnic groups lying within their jurisdiction. For example, does Irish qualify as an ethnicity? Yes, Irish is an ethnicity, with the Irish people sharing common history, traditions, …