China and the continental United States are roughly the same size, yet while this section of the US has four time zones, China has only one. This means that while the sun may rise on a given day in Beijing at 6:30am, the first crack of dawn won’t be until 9am in the w...
Learn the history of the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. Discover how the Pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom strengthened its trade, culture, and...
Ancient Egypt is divided into three separate periods: the Old Kingdom (2686-2134 BC), the Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 BC), and the New Kingdom (1552-1070 BC). The earliest settlers inthe Nile River valleycame into the region around 3,500 BC. This was called the Predynastic period because...
Different Sections of the Great Wall: Mutianyu (left), Jinshanling (middle), and Jiankou (right) What's the Great Wall Made of? Most parts of the Wall are built with stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other unremarkable materials. But a surprising material was found in the wall - gl...
There is also a border shared with France on the Caribbean island of Saint Maarten. Please note that Netherlands on the European continent is one country of the four countries that belong to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Dutch kingdom consists of these four countries: Netherlands, Aruba...
Despite its massive size, astronomers calculate that Vega is only about one-tenth the age of our sun and is likely approaching middle age in its stellar life cycle. Given that our sun is roughly 4.5 billion years old, Vega is just 450 million years old and may only live another 450 milli...
Right now, we're in the middle of one such cycle. While that's going on, the boundary line that defines the Arctic Circleretreatsabout 46 to 49 feet (14 to 15 meters) northward per year. Remember Grimsey Island, the Icelandic outcrop we mentioned? Well, scientists project that the Arctic...
Thousands of steles depicting Seth, especially from the Middle Kingdom onward, were made in the hopes that the god would grant the devotees their wishes. These included wishes for success in litigation, protection of late relatives in the afterlife, and enhanced virility. Seth served as a ...
The most common form in which Horus appears in iconography is as a falcon. Sometimes, and especially from theMiddle Kingdom(c. 1975-1640 BCE) onward, Horus is shown as a winged sun disk, representing theHorus of Behdet, a town in the Nile Delta and an important cult center of the fal...
The Chinese name for “China” is “Zhong Guo” –which translates as “Central Nation” or “Middle Kingdom”—reflects their ancient worldview that China was at the center of the world.Zhong Guo (中国), which is still used today, was first used almost 3,000 years ago during the Zhou...