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40+ Facts About Ancient Greece That Might Even Surprise a History Professor
By Michael Bullier - August 9, 2021

Amazing facts about ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is considered as one of the oldest civilizations of the world and truly so. The ancient Greek civilization is a treasure trove of uber-cool facts, surprising factoids, and astonishing nuggets of information that can baffle even the staunchest history professors. Here’s looking at such facts that can take us back to the glory of ancient Greece.




They Invented Yo-Yo

While the Greek language may be one of the oldest languages in the world, ancient Greece has some of other oldest inventions to boast of. One such invention is the yo-yo. Believed to be invented in 440 B.C.E, the yo-yo is considered one of the oldest toys of the world.
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They Invented Yo-Yo


A yo-yo was part of virtually every household of ancient Greece, and was made using wood, metal, or painted terracotta disks. It was decorated with the images of gods from the Greek pantheon.






One of the Oldest Scripts in the World

Greek has the distinction of being one of the oldest languages of the world. The Greek alphabet was invented at the beginning of the 8th century B.C.E. A lot of important works and seminal texts such as poems of Illiad, works of Aristotle and Plato were originally written in Greek.
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One of the Oldest Scripts in the World


The Greek language is said to be a source of Latin, Armenian, Coptic, and Cyrillic systems of writing. The Greek letters were also the first alphabet script in history to have well-defined letters for vowels.
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Dionysus Was One of Their Beloved Gods

Dionysus (also known as Bacchus) was one of the most popular and worshipped gods in ancient Greek mythology. He along with Demeter was considered to be the supreme deity on Earth.
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Dionysus Was One of Their Beloved Gods


Said to have taken birth out of the fire, Dionysus was affectionately known as ‘God of Wine.’ He was labeled as the god of grape, harvest, and fertility too. Several tragic and comic plays were organized in his honor.
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Infants Were Thrown Into a Pit

As per an immensely popular Spartan myth, it is said that the infant boys, who were considered weak, were thrown away in a pit. This finding was brought to light by the ancient Greek historian Plutarch.
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Infants Were Thrown Into a Pit


However, as per the current scientists, this practice didn’t take place at all. That puts Plutarch’s theory of ignoring cries of the babies and state’s involvement in deciding the fitness of babies to rest.
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About the Greek Gods

In Greek mythology, Zeus is believed to be the head god of the Greek Pantheon. This fact though is partially correct. Let us explain. Ancient Greece was divided into different independent states with each polis having its separate cult.
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About the Greek Gods


Though the ancient Greeks ardently believed in ‘n’ number of gods, they practiced the concept of henotheism – a practice of worshipping one god from the pantheon of gods while not denying the existence of other gods.
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Greeks Messed Up Royally

A lot of ancient Greek heroes and figures did pretty messed-up things. Even the nicest of heroes ended up doing some terrible things at times – and that included the pantheon of gods. While Gods such as Uranus, Athena, Zeus, Hades, Jason, and Athena, did some really terrible deeds; the mortals were no behind.
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Greeks Messed Up Royally


For example, Achilles abandoned his group of friends after having an argument in the middle of the Trojan War. Heracles is believed to have multiple lovers apart from having four wives.
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Tasteless Food

The ancient Greek (Laconian food) was quite unappetizing. One of their regular meals comprised of a black gruel, which was believed to be a mixture of lentils and beef blood.
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Tasteless Food


This dish (if you can call that) was the butt of various jokes among Spartans and often equated with Spartan courage. It was said that only a real Spartan had the courage to eat this on a daily basis. We second that!
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Of Hetaeras

The women in ancient Greece were regarded as second-rate citizens in general, and enjoyed a lowly status than the menfolk. But, there were certain women who were independent in their own right. These women were hetaeras.
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Of Hetaeras


Basically, hetaeras were high-profile escorts who dabbled in the art of intellectual stimulation as well. As opposed to pornai (another category of escorts in ancient Greece), they had a few but wealthy lovers. In order to become a heatera, a woman had to study at a special school from her childhood.
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Greeks Had a Peculiar Way of Eating Food

As per the prevalent beliefs, Greeks preferred to recline while eating. Well, this statement may not be completely true. This habit first began in 7th BC and was later adopted by Romans.
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Greeks Had a Peculiar Way of Eating Food


It is said that Greeks ate like that as eating food while lying down signified power and status in society. However, only men were allowed to recline. The women were in general barred from the banquets and on rare occasions, if they were allowed, they were expected to eat while assuming a sitting position.
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Greeks Were (Very) Messy

The ancient Greeks didn’t believe in Marie-kondoing their spaces or in the maxim of cleanliness is next to godliness. They liked to keep their spaces as dirty as possible. The walls of their home were normally darkened by the soot smoke that emerged constantly as they cooked meat for their meals.
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Greeks Were (Very) Messy


Horner’s poem describes the soot ruining the weapons that hung on the walls of an average Greek household. In a nutshell, black walls were a common occurrence in an average house back then.
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A Spartan Kid’s Childhood Was a Series of Hardships

Spartans were known to be very (very!) strict towards their children. Their parenting style bordered on authoritarian. A Spartan child was sent off to a special military camp once he turned seven years of their age.
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A Spartan Kid’s Childhood Was a Series of Hardships


Until 12 years, a Spartan boy was not allowed to wear clothes and had to survive naked. They were also expected to arrange food for themselves and be proficient in physical fitness, swordsmanship, and throwing spears.
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Women Were Banned From Olympics

In ancient Greece, women were not allowed to attend or participate in the Olympics. That means the Olympics was more or less, a male domain. The historians have enlisted a host of possible reasons for such exclusion.
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Women Were Banned From Olympics


Some of the potential reasons behind the ban include the second rate status of women in the ancient Greek culture, lengthy training ( up to ten months) required in order to prepare for the Olympics among others.
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Spartans Banned Epicurean Meals

Delicacies were a strict no-no in an ancient Spartan household. Remember, the lentils with beef blood. That was a norm. A Spartan meal, to politely put, was a humble affair without any fanfare.
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Spartans Banned Epicurean Meals


A normal Spartan meal usually consisted of a lentil soup or gruel of barley with cabbage and turnips. According to Homer, Spartans liked to relish grain-based meals and often used to eat barley with wine and goat’s cheese.
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Symposiums: The Hallways of Gaiety

In ancient Greece, symposiums were another male-dominated area characterized by bacchanalian revelry. These all-male banquets were the hallways of gaiety accompanied by music, dance, and other forms of celebration.
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Symposiums: The Hallways of Gaiety


A symposium was presided over by a symposiarch – a person who acted as an in charge for the evening. A lot of competition-based games were also organized in this social setting. Symposium as a word, however, has now evolved to denote an academic congregation.
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Spartans Knew How to Dress Up for War

Spartans knew how to dress up for warfare. And, they carried a lot of equipment and protective gear in a war. A Spartan soldier, also known as hoplite wore a breastplate, ankle guard, and a gigantic bronze helmet before going for a kill.
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Spartans Knew How to Dress Up for War


Besides that, they used to carry a round shield primarily made of bronze and wood, a long spear, and a sword. A Spartan soldier often sported long hair and largely dressed in a red cloak, as shown in the movie 300.
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The Olympic Truce

At the start of the Olympics, all military wars in ancient Greece were put to an end or rather postponed by three months. The tradition, which is known as Olympic Truce dates back to 776 BC and was started to ensure that the host city is free from attack during the event of the Olympics.
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The Olympic Truce


It also enabled the visitors to reach the site of games safely without having to worry about their commuting. That said the wars still took place during that period, just not in the location of the Olympics.
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Before Spartans, There Was the Sacred Band of Thebes

The Spartans are known to have a vast amount of courage, endurance, and self-control. The 300 Spartans, now immortalized in popular culture, with the movie of the same name, was based on the Battle of Thermopylae.
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Before Spartans, There Was the Sacred Band of Thebes


The hard to defeat Spartans were defeated by the Sacred Band of Thebes. The band which comprised of a hundred and fifty men, all of them lovers, put an end to Spartan’s eminence. The band rose to glory with the Battle of Leuctra in 371 B.C.
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Rhodopis Inspired Cinderella

Rhodopis was a famous hetaera in ancient Greek culture. Her story inspired the cult fairytale Cinderella. As per the folklore, when Rhodopis was having a bath; an eagle stole her slippers and straightway deposited it onto the lap of an Egyptian Pharaoh.
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Rhodopis Inspired Cinderella


Enamored by the slippers, the Pharaoh decided to launch a search party to discover the owner of the slipper. His search led him to Rhodopis. They eventually married and Rhodopis became the Queen of Egypt.
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Women Were Considered as Mere Objects

In ancient Greece, women were treated as a pollutant. They had no mobility, literally no rights, and had to depend heavily on their husband. In Athens, a woman was regarded as an object of a man’s household. So, in ancient Greece, women were often denied of their personhood and entity.
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Women Were Considered as Mere Objects


They were encouraged to remain within the four walls of the household and discouraged from venturing out alone. It was also considered a sacrilege to utter a married woman’s name in the public surrounding.
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Ancient Greeks Were Paid Well

The ancient Greeks drew a handsome salary every month as compared to other civilizations. During its economic development era in the 4th and 5th century B.C.E, ancient Greece became the most developed country in the world.
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Ancient Greeks Were Paid Well


The economic development was reflected in the salaries of common people. An average citizen of Greece used to earn 12 kg of wheat during that period. This was almost four times higher than an average Roman, who used to earn 3.75 kg of wheat in a month.
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Spartan Women Were Freer

Though the condition of women of ancient Greece was terrible; the women of Sparta were a little liberated than their Greecian counterparts. They enjoyed a certain share of privileges and freedom, otherwise denied to the rest of the woman folk.
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Spartan Women Were Freer


A woman in Sparta could own her land and play sports. They also received an education. Though they had to perform domestic chores, they had their spheres of freedom unlike their Greek counterparts.
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The Marital Lives of Spartans

In Sparta, arranged matrimony was the norm. Love marriages were a few and far between. Again, most of the marriages were sham in the sense that a man often used to have multiple partners.
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The Marital Lives of Spartans


Cheating on a spouse was a common practice. Ironically, Spartans were heavily punished if they decided to remain single. There was legal machinery in place to indoctrinate youngsters into marriage upon attaining a set age. Those choosing to marry late were not spared either.
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A Loophole in the ‘No-Woman Policy’ of Olympics

Though women, in general, were not allowed in Olympics – neither as a participant nor as a spectator; there was a minor loophole that granted women’s entry on horses in equestrian games.
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A Loophole in the ‘No-Woman Policy’ of Olympics


Cynisca, the Spartan Princess, leveraged this rule to create a historical moment in the women’s history when she won the event without even participating in it. Cynisca’s horses finished first in the games twice in 396 and 392 B.C.E making her a clear-cut winner.
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Greeks Knew the Worth of ‘Salt’

Greeks just like their Roman counterparts used salt for trading purposes. They used to buy slaves in exchange for salt. They also believed in the saying: no one should trust a man without first eating a peck of salt with him.
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Greeks Knew the Worth of ‘Salt’


The word ‘alas’ is a Greek word for salt. Greeks are also known to invent the phrase ‘not worth his salt.’ They also used salt to make soaps and detergents with animal fats and ashes.
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Olympiad Was an Anticipatory Event

Olympiad was a big-ticket event in ancient Greek culture. It was highly anticipated and attended by droves of people. The ancient Greeks loved the Olympics so much that they designed their social calendars around it.
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Olympiad Was an Anticipatory Event


The event was held once every four years in the month of July or August. As mentioned earlier, Olympiad was followed by an Olympic truce – a peace declaration that postponed war in the host nation to three months.
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They Invented ‘Shaking Hands’

Greeks in a way revolutionized the manner in which people all around the world greet. They gave the world – handshakes. Yes, Greeks invented handshakes and this can be seen in various ancient Greek paintings, sculptures, and artworks.
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They Invented ‘Shaking Hands’


The practice of shaking hands was, however, known as dexiosis in ancient Greek. Numerous artworks show Hera shaking hands with Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. However, in ancient Greece, the hand-shakes were done between equals.
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Greek Women Were Quite Fashion Forward

In retrospect, Greek women were quite fashion savvy. Let us elaborate. The statement brows and unibrows may be trending today (Thanks, Cara Delevingne); but the women of Greece were at the forefront of this now prevalent trend.
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Greek Women Were Quite Fashion Forward


The unibrow in ancient Greece culture was a mark of intellect and considered a beauty ideal. The women who didn’t have unibrows used to draw them using makeup. They often used soot, black powder, or stuck goat hair in the middle of their eyebrows to give an illusion of unibrow.
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They Believed in Taking Siestas

The ancient Greeks were also a leisurely bunch of people who believed in the therapeutic benefits of an afternoon siesta. In ancient Greece, it was customary to take an afternoon power nap especially during the months of summer.
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They Believed in Taking Siestas


The Greeks believed that a nap during the afternoon can prevent the body from drying out. After their naps, the Greeks used to eat something and carry on with their work till dusk. We too think that the afternoon naps should be made mandatory – by law.
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They Created the Word ‘Idiot’

The word idiot is etymologically derived from the Greek word idiōtēs; which meant a private person. Initially, the word was used in an altogether different context and setting. The word in its original form was used to refer to anyone who distanced themselves from politics.
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They Created the Word ‘Idiot’


Ah, how the ancient Greeks loved politics. Anyway, the world evolved to denote someone possessing a low level of intelligence. If you’re smart enough; you will connect the dots between its former and current meaning, and get the message it is trying to convey.
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They Gave ‘Music’ to the World

The Greeks can also be credited for giving the world the gift of music. At least, in the word form! The word music is derived from the Muses, the goddess of arts as per the Greek mythos.
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They Gave ‘Music’ to the World


The music of ancient Greece laid the base for western music both in theory and composition. It was also studied by prominent philosophers such as Pythagoras to gain insights into other spheres of life.
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Throwing Apples Was a Declaration of Love

Ancient Greece had a cute and subliminally violent way (depending on how you look at it) of proposing to someone. That someone being their loved one! The Grecians used to throw apples to ask for someone’s hand.
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Throwing Apples Was a Declaration of Love


In some cases, these apples became a reason for discord. The apples were thrown on married couples too to wish them a lifetime of prosperity. On an unrelated note, Newton was hit by apple before he gave us the laws of relativity. Just, saying!
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Potbelly Was a Preferred Body Type

Forget those washboard abs; iron pumped body, and that musculature. In ancient Greece, dad bod was in; pot belly was a legit body type and shape and not dismissed as an excess fat reserve. Nor was a person with a potbelly regarded as a sloth or glutton.
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Potbelly Was a Preferred Body Type


In fact, it was quite the opposite. Those with potbellies were thought to be exemplary leaders. This is a body standard we don’t mind borrowing from the past. Bring on those cheeseburgers, ASAP!
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They Invented Spiked Dog Collars

The ancient Greeks were the inventors of spiked dog collars. However, they were initially used for a different purpose. Though the Egyptians gave the first prototype of dog collars; it was Greeks who perfected it for practical purposes.
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They Invented Spiked Dog Collars


In ancient Greece, the sheepdogs on the farm wore these spiked dog collars also called mellium in order to protect their necks from a wolf attack as they defended the herd of sheep. Apparently, it was a need-based invention in order to combat the regular wolf attacks on the farm's animals including vigilant dogs.
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They Lived Long

A lot of ancient Greeks completed a full century of their life. They had a large lifespan, all thanks to a healthy Mediterranean diet, rigorous daily physical activity, and a superlative sanitation mechanism.
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They Lived Long


The Mediterranean diet as per its Greek version involves a generous consumption of olive oil (also called the elixir of life), vegetables and fruits. It is said to have countless benefits on the system including reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s, increased longevity, and a reduced risk of Parkinson.
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Red Lipstick Had a Different Meaning

In ancient Greece, red lipstick (made out of red pigments and crocodile excreta) was reserved for certain kinds of women. Only the escorts were allowed to wear this shade legally. Soon this shade came to be identified by the flesh trade.
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Red Lipstick Had a Different Meaning


As per the Greek law, any other woman apart from them could be penalized for wearing red shade in public as it was considered indecent. Similarly, the hookers could be arrested for not wearing their designated shade of the profession.
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The Boustrophedon Text

It was a common practice in ancient Greece to write manuscripts in a bi-directional fashion. This means that while a line of the manuscript was written from left to right; the next line would be written from right to left.
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The Boustrophedon Text


As if this was not hard and confusing for both the reader and the author, it involved mirroring letters from one line to other. Sample this: I love all things about Greece. Greece about things all love I.
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They Invented Vending Machine

Coming to another invention, ancient Greeks invented the world’s first vending machine. But, this vending machine didn’t dispense sodas or chips. It was a coin-based vending system to dispense a spiritual product i.e. the holy water.
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They Invented Vending Machine


As per the researchers, since Greek civilization was one of the foremost civilizations to adopt coinage, this vending machine was a progression to that. However, it became the blueprint for all the modern vending machines.
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Melons, Beyond Fruits

In ancient Greece, melons were used to describe the fruit – as well as used as a code word to refer to a certain part of women’s anatomy. Besides that, it was also used as a generic term to describe all the fruits that were or looked foreign.
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Melons, Beyond Fruits


The Greek mēlopepon (gourd-apple) is a name for various gourd bearing fruit. So basically, this word had entirely different meanings depending on the context it was used in.
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More Power to the Citizens

The citizens of ancient Greece were quite empowered in a civic sense. They had a system that allowed them to rally together to form a cohort and exile a politician for a decade. The practice was called ostrakismos and was designed to safeguard the fabric of democracy.
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More Power to the Citizens


Ostrakismos was a punitive measure against all the politicians who were thought to be a real and potential danger against the Greecian democracy at that time. So cool, we say!
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They Invented Kettlebells

Ancient Greeks invented many things. When they were not inventing things or physical objects; they invented words and phrases that are popular today. For example, the kettlebell. In 5th century Greece, a prototype of Kettlebell, known as Greek Haltere was found to be used to propel the athletes in the long jump.
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They Invented Kettlebells


As per several research studies, these kettlebells weighed between two to nine kilograms and were used in Olympics games. However, a kettlebell at The Archaeological Museum of Olympia in Athens, Greece weighs around 144 kg.
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They Didn’t Have Toliet Paper

Obviously, the ancient Greeks were a few centuries too early to have triple-ply toilet paper readily available. While most cultures found similar alternatives to our beloved paper, the Greeks had an unusual tool for the task.
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They Didn’t Have Toliet Paper


Though most of the ancient world used leaves, wool, sponges, and other similarly soft materials, the Greeks used stones, ceramic pieces, and pebbles. Clearly, beggars can’t be choosers when nature calls.
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Their World Was Colorful

Based on the writing of the time and specifically, the famed Homer who wrote the Iliad and Odyssey, it sounds like the ancient Greeks perceived color differently than us. Or, at least, they talked about it differently.
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Their World Was Colorful


According to Mark Bradly, a professor of Ancient History at the University of Nottingham, the Greeks saw color as the visible outermost shell of an object. So, fire was fire-colored, the sky was sky-colored, skin was skin-colored, and so on.
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Timing Was Everything

While it might sound pretty strange to us today, the Greeks actually had two different words to describe aspects of time. The first, Chronos, acts much like our own chronological understanding of time. So, basically, it refers to measured time, like a clock.
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Timing Was Everything


The second, Kairos, measures moments rather than seconds. More specifically, it talks about the right or perfect moment for something. It’s described — as the world holds its breath, fates can be changed and everything can change. Pretty deep, right?
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Hair Wasn’t Only Important to Women

In Ancient Greece, hair wasn’t just a status symbol for women — men took great pride in their lush locks and magnificent beards. Much like today’s hipster culture, the greeks would compete to see who’s facial hair was the most well-groomed.
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Hair Wasn’t Only Important to Women


Having a long, well-maintained beard was a symbol of manhood and wisdom. Losing the hair on their head, though, was also considered a positive as it was equated with age and wisdom. This is why busts of philosophers are often bald with big beards.
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Who Wants Cheesecake?

While it might seem impossible, considering their strange bean stew, the Greeks were interested in sweetness. In fact, the Greeks gave us the first cheesecake! Their version of the beloved cake was made of flour, wheat, honey, and, of course, cheese.
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Who Wants Cheesecake?


The creamy sweet cakes were used to celebrate in style in wedding traditions. More interestingly, though, was that the cheesy cakes were given as energy snacks to competitors during the Olympics. That’s one tradition we should definitely bring back!
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Greek Statues Were Very Colorful

Beautiful Greek statues have been a status symbol of the rich and famous for centuries. They’re often considered the ultimate artistic expression thanks to their elegant white stone. In fact, they were so admired that sculptures in the Renaissance did their best to emulate the style.
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Greek Statues Were Very Colorful


But, thanks to modern imaging technology, we now know that statues in Ancient Greece were actually heavily painted with bright colors and intricate patterns. Reconstructions done by historians and archaeologists give us a glimpse of how colorful these statues really were.
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The Greeks Created the First Computer

While modern digital computers weren’t built until around the 1970s, analog computers have been around for significantly longer. In fact, the first computer (of sorts) was used in Ancient Greece. The impressive hand-powered device was named the Antikythera mechanism inspired by the shipwreck it was found in.
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The Greeks Created the First Computer


The machine is thought to have been created in the second century BC and was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance. It also used gears, meaning it was incredibly complex for the time. Machines of this complexity only appeared again in the 14 century!
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They Gave Us the Theater

While they were hardly the first human civilization to appreciate the art of storytelling, the Greeks were the ones to create an entire cultural movement around it. Greek theater companies wrote and performed countless plays, some of which are still performed today!
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They Gave Us the Theater


The popularity of the theater also had to do with the clever architecture of the amphitheater — it was built in an acoustically-accommodating shape that allowed even those furthest away from the stage to still hear the actors perfectly.
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The Word Lesbian Came From Greece

The Island of Lesbos is the third largest Greek island, the name of which comes from the Greek word for forested (or woody). But, that’s not what the island is famous for. It’s best known as the origin of the word “lesbian.”
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The Word Lesbian Came From Greece


It’s all thanks to Sappho, a greek poet who was born on the island. Sappho was an incredibly popular poet at the time — she was famously declared by Plato the “Tenth Muse.” Her romantic poetry toward a woman lover is still studied and read to this day. She’s also the origin of the term “sapphic love.”
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The Earth Was Round to Them

Ancient Greece had many scholars who studied mathematics, astronomy, and geography. So, contrary to popular belief, they did actually know that the Earth was round and spinning in space. Eratosthenes of Cyrene is famous for being the first known person to calculate the circumference of the dearth.
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The Earth Was Round to Them


He did this by using extensive survey results that he had access to thanks to his work as the chief librarian at the famed Library of Alexandria. He was also the first mathematician to create a global projection of the world thanks to his geographical knowledge.
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Thou Shalt Drink Wine Like This

While it is a faux pas to drink a glassful of wine today along with holding the glass by its main body among other things, it was considered as a social gaffe to drink concentrated wine in ancient Greece.
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Thou Shalt Drink Wine Like This


One was expected to add water to their glass in the ratio of 3:1. Those who didn’t mix water to their wine were labeled as alcoholic and devoid of any morals. The strong mixes, however, were used on limited occasions demanding celebration.
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A Large Population Comprised of Slaves

In ancient Greece, slaves formed half to eighty percent of the overall population. As we told you earlier, slaves were brought rampantly with salt as the currency. The slaves of ancient Greece didn’t have free will and were completely owned by their master.
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A Large Population Comprised of Slaves


Aristotle considered them as a property that breathes. The reason behind such a large population was the frequent wars that used to take place. As per a research estimate, one of the four-person in Athens was a slave during 320 BC.
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Tricking the Inventor of Brazen Bull

Perilaus of Athens, the inventor of the Brazen Bull was tricked into being a scapegoat. Brazen Bull, basically was a hollow statue. Once a man entered inside the bull, the hangman would start a fire beneath it charring that man to death.
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Tricking the Inventor of Brazen Bull


Perilaus was punished for his invention by Phalaris, the ruler of ancient Greece. He was asked to prove if his invention worked. He conceded by entering the womb of the bull. Before he was burnt to death, he was saved. But later, he was thrown off a cliff.
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No Clothes Gymnasium

The gymnasiums of ancient Greece were a clothing-free zone – and largely an adult male-dominated area. The gymnasiums which translate to a school for naked exercise lived up to its meaning and served as a training zone for the athletes.
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No Clothes Gymnasium


The ancient Greeks believed in competing nude as a sign of respect for the Gods of the Greek Pantheon. The gymnasium also served as a place to indulge in social and intellectual chatter.
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They Invented the Red Carpet

The concept of the red carpet originated in ancient Greece. It was earlier known as Crimson (a shade of red) Path. Considered to be a luxury fit only for the divine, red carpets were for the gods, and not mortals.
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They Invented the Red Carpet


The Crimson Path finds description in the ancient play Agamemnon, the first play in the trilogy of Oresteia. Red in ancient Greece was considered holy and difficult to produce. It was made by extracting colors from the kermes insect.
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Laser Technology Has Revealed More About The Mayan Civilization Than Experts Originally Knew
By JJ Foster - August 11, 2020





Central American region spanning modern-day Belize, Mexico, and Guatemala is quite mysterious. The Mayan civilization was believed to thrive 1,500 years ago here. Now, laser technology has made this mysterious ancient world so much clearer.

Murky Mystery

Despite the many discoveries that archeologists have made over the years, they are only pieces of a large Mayan puzzle that is far from complete. Like most cases, time seems to be the greatest enemy standing in the way of archeologists who simply want to unearth the truth about the Mayan civilization. Due to the jungle that has grown in place of where the empire once stood, air surveys are virtually impossible to give detailed indications of what lies beneath...
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Murky Mystery

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What Happened To These Legends?

Without a doubt, the Mayans are one of the most enigmatic civilizations the world has ever seen. Throughout South and Central America, the Mayan Empire was the dominant force in the region, which is now the majority of today's Yucatan Peninsula. 1,000 B.C. was when the first Mayan cities were built. It was then in 900 A.D. when the civilization reached its mysterious ending. What exactly was it that brought this Empire to a seemingly instant demise? New answers may have arrived...
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What Happened To These Legends?

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Fought To Survive

The Mayan people had already established themselves as a powerful force to be reckoned with over 1,000 years before they built their first cities. However,the Spanish took over the last known Mayan city in 1697 and ended a dynasty.
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Fought To Survive

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Architects Of Their Own Destruction

For thousands of years, the Mayan people were believed to be some of the most impressive architects in human history. Years since their civilization came to an end, archeologists have found many Central American stone structures that have extremely complex designs. These structures are believed to have been made for a variety of purposes such as palaces, pyramids and even courtyards for sports events. While many of the structures still stand, where are all the others?
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Architects Of Their Own Destruction

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Power In Small Numbers

An empire is usually expected to consist of a large population. However, this simply wasn't the case as far as the Mayan people were concerned. They may have been responsible for some of the most impressive structures of the ancient era, but archeologists believe that the Mayan population was a relatively small number. It is generally agreed upon that there was only between 1 million and 2 million Mayans. This is simply because the landscape couldn't accommodate for so many people.
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Power In Small Numbers

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More Than Meets The Eye

For years, archeologists have literally scratched the surface of Mayan history. Until recent times, they have only drawn conclusions from the amazing structures that were constructed by the Mayans over time. Of course, the researchers of yesteryear didn't have the technology that we have in the present day. Many have speculated that there is so much more to discover that is buried beneath the Yutacan jungle. It seems like that time has finally arrived...
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More Than Meets The Eye

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Cultural Preservation

It's not just exterior forces that recognize the importance of this investigation. The technology that has been used to make these new discoveries is the first part of a project that is scheduled to last three years in total. It is arranged by an organization based in Guatemala, Pacunam, which aims to promote the preservation of its cultural heritage. By the end of the project, it would have covered over 5,000 square miles of Guatemala alone.
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Cultural Preservation

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More Than You See

One of the long game aims for PACUNAM is to ensure the preservation of all the sites that the project uncovers. Archeologists have discovered many pits that looters have caused over the years. "Many of these new sites are only new to us; they are not new to looters," PACUNAM president Marianne Hernandez said. Pair that with the fact that people are cutting down 10 percent of Guatemala's forests per year, PACUNAM has more than enough reasons to protect it.
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More Than You See

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Making A Leap With Groundbreaking Technology

It seems like the classic archeological method of digging is about to be eclipsed by an incredible piece of technology. Scientists have created something that is able to penetrate through layers of trees and earth to find what is stored beneath the surface. The scientists in question have given their new technology the name LiDAR, which is an acronym for Light Imaging Detection and Ranging. But what exactly does LiDAR do that is reported to have changed the face of archeology as we know it?
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Making A Leap With Groundbreaking Technology

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Radar Radar!

A clue to working out LiDAR's actual purpose is in its name. It is essentially a type of radar that is fitted onto a piece of aircraft. When the said aircraft flies over its desired location, the radar shoots "laser pulses hundreds of thousands of times per second," said Ithaca College archeologist Thomas Garrison. "And every time one of those lasers hits a point of resistance, it stops and sends back a measurement to the plane."
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Radar Radar!

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Mapping The Jungle

The magical moment happens when the data that is collected is able to be transformed into a 3D map of the original landscape that once stood. Pulses are sent to the forest floor which determines what the actual landscape is without all of the jungle features. It's almost as if every single tree was cropped out of the map to inform the researchers what the area would have looked like beforehand. But how was it used in Guatemala?
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Mapping The Jungle

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Major Mayan Discovery Changes What We Know

A team of archeologists successfully used the LiDAR technology to unearth what they believe could completely change the way we look at Mayan culture forever.
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Major Mayan Discovery Changes What We Know

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Using LiDAR In The Jungle

Naturally, the researchers took their awesome LiDAR technology and used it on the thick forest region of northern Guatemala. This part of the world provided over 770 square miles of land that had only be explored a little bit over the last few thousand years. "This is a game changer," Thomas Garrison said. According to him, it has revolutionized "the base level at which we do Maya archaeology." Amazingly, there was one standout discovery they made that they had already technically found years before...
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Using LiDAR In The Jungle

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The Hidden Fortress

According to Garrison, he and his team had already stepped foot inside a Mayan fortress a few years ago before the LiDAR technology was even a thing. They just didn't realize it as it was completely unrecognizable. "There was this fortress in our area," he said. "In 2010, I was within 150 feet of this thing." The team was completely oblivious to the fortress as the jungle had camouflaged it. However, it wasn't just the fortress that LiDAR uncovered...
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The Hidden Fortress

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Ready For War

One thing that struck the archeologists about the stunning scans was that there were many walls, moats, and fortresses. This heavily indicated that the Mayans were used to being involved in wars and needed the appropriate infrastructure to defend themselves. Even Thomas Garrison wasn't aware of how prepared the Mayans were for battle before using the LiDAR technology. However, this was only scratching the surface of the incredible findings that they recently made about the Mayan structures.
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Ready For War

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Living The High Life

One fascinating detail that the data from the LiDAR technology suggested was that many Mayans actually lived high above the ground on high stone platforms that they had constructed themselves. Mayan specialist Diane Davies is more impressed with the civilization than ever. "To have such a large number of people living at such a high level for such a long period of time, it really proves the fact that these people were highly developed, and also quite environmentally conscientious," she said.
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Living The High Life

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Thousands Of Structures

The LiDAR was able to reveal at least 60,000 Mayan structures! Not only did it shock the archeologists by the sheer number, it was the intricate nature of the complex that astounded both archeologists and historians alike. Also, the discovery shed a new light on just how advanced the Mayan people were. It suggested that there were many more cities than previously thought and this also meant that the Mayan population was potentially much bigger than previously suspected.
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Thousands Of Structures

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Many More Mayans

Thomas Garrison was able to give a pretty specific estimation of how much greater in numbers he thinks the population might have been. "The LiDAR images make it clear that this entire region was a settlement system whose scale and population density had been grossly underestimated," he said. Based on the findings, Garrison believes that unlike the 1 or 2 million that was previously accepted, that the Mayan population was probably closer to 20 million. However, there's a good reason for this...
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Many More Mayans

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More Farms?

Probably the main reason that archeologists have changed their thoughts on how large the Mayan population actually was is due to the many structures they discovered. These specific structures have all the signs that point to the idea that the Mayans probably used them for farming. There are clear indications that there were once terracing and irrigation systems. This would suggest that the Mayans had a sophisticated idea of how to provide for their people in large quantities.
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More Farms?

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Changing Archeology Forever

The findings completely caught archeologists around the world by surprise. They suggest that the Mayans used highways that stretched for hundreds of miles to transport stone to use for their structures. These sophisticated clusters of highway systems were just one of the many things that have helped revolutionize the way that researchers look at the way that civilizations are formed, in general. One man explained just how much the discovery has shaken the world of archeology...
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Changing Archeology Forever

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Tropical Miracle

According to Marcello Canuto, an archeologist from Tulane University who took part in the project, the recent findings draw the fine line between engineering marvels and unadulterated miracles. However, the thing that shocked him the most was the strength and determination the Mayan people had to move such heavy objects. "This was a civilization that was literally moving mountains," he said. "We've had this western conceit that complex civilizations can't flourish in the tropics, that the tropics are where civilizations go to die."
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Tropical Miracle

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Welcome To The Jungle

Canuto's interpretation of these findings is that the first ancient civilizations may have originated in the jungle. This is also due to the fact that archeologists also used the LiDAR technology on the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, of all places. "But with the new LiDAR-based evidence from Central America and [Cambodia's] Angkor Wat, we now have to consider that complex societies may have formed in the tropics and made their way outward from there," Canuto said.
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Welcome To The Jungle

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Follow The LiDAR

One thing is for sure: LiDAR is one of the brightest sparks in the future of archeology. Based on what it has already achieved, there is no telling what else it might uncover. It is an exciting prospect for those who invented the technology and have the privilege to use it. The chances are that other jungles around the world might have ancient civilizations buried beneath. Now, archeologists will be able to explore the likes of the Amazon and the Congo Basin.
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Follow The LiDAR

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More Than Just An Archeological Tool

Thomas Garrison is obviously incredibly excited about the prospect that LiDAR has for his job. However, he was quick to reassure people of other industries that the technology will be useful for more than just archeological purposes. In fact, his team only uses a small part of what LiDAR is capable of. "We don't use about 92% of the LiDAR data. We just throw it out to make our maps," he said. "But there is incredibly valuable information in that forestry data."
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More Than Just An Archeological Tool

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Saving Forests Around The World

Another benefit that LiDAR technology brings is its meticulous assessment of the conditions of certain forests. Ultimately, this will help the prevention of forest fires, amongst other environmental benefits. "You're just seeing the archaeology part because that's what we focused on," Garrison said. "But that data can be used to determine how jungles recover from forest fires, what's the carbon footprint." However, it's not just Thomas Garrison who has a good reason to be delighted with the findings...
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Saving Forests Around The World

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Emotional Achievement

One of the people who has dedicated a large part of their life to unearthing the truth behind the Mayan civilization is Brown University's Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology Stephen Houston. "I think this is one of the greatest advances in over 150 years of Maya archaeology" Houston said. The significance of the survey actually made Houston extremely emotional. "I know it sounds hyperbolic but when I saw the [LiDAR] imagery, it did bring me to tears."
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Emotional Achievement

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A Long Way To Go

Amazingly, some researchers believe that they will need at least another century to fully process and understand the data that LiDAR has collated since they first used it. "Lidar is revolutionizing archeology the way the Hubble Space Telescope revolutionized astronomy," Tulane University archeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli said. "We'll need 100 years to go through all [the date] and really understand what we're seeing." However, this is not the only issue that LiDAR has presented to its most dedicated users...
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A Long Way To Go

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Great Problems

According to Thomas Garrison, LiDAR has presented a big problem in regards to Mayan archeology. "The tricky thing about LiDAR is that it gives us an image of 3,000 years of Mayan civilization in the area, compressed," he said. "It's a great problem to have though, because it gives us new challenges as we learn more about the Maya." However, there are many more challenges that will stand in the way of whoever decides to carry on this bottomless pit of possibilities...
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Great Problems

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Dangerous Game

The archeologists in question may have made a huge breakthrough, but the mission wasn't over just yet. In fact, the LiDAR laser technology was just the first stage. Ultimately, engineer Albert Yu-Min Lin and his team had to work their way through the jungles in order to confirm that all the data was accurate. This meant that they had to dodge poisonous snakes, scorpion and killer bees, just to verify everything that LiDAR had just done for them.
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Dangerous Game

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Lidar - Step By Step

The following image gives a clear yet simplified depiction of how exactly the Lidar technology works. The main process is pretty much broken down into three steps. Firstly, the lasers are shot from the plane towards the ground. Secondly, the beams reflect from the highest points of the surface, meaning that some beams make it through the gaps between the trees. Finally, the technology can use the beams and translate them into topographic scans. Pretty neat stuff!
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Lidar - Step By Step

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Uncovering The Lowlands

One thing that the Lidar technology threatens to do is uncover where exactly the source of the Mayans success actually was. Due to the mapping that the technology has created, there are a number of areas that are larger and more elaborately constructed than others. Tom Garrison believes that this can potentially be found in the lowlands. "These features are so extensive that it makes us start to wonder: is this the breadbasket of the Maya lowlands?" Garrison said.
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Uncovering The Lowlands

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Mayan Descendants

It should be noted that despite the Mayan Empire coming to an end a long time ago, that doesn't mean that Mayans don't exist anymore. In fact, there are many descendants of the ancient people who still live in the region that the kingdom once stood. It is believed that the Mayans account for a staggering 42% of Guatemala's population of 14.3 million people. In total, there are between 20 and 30 million people who descend from the Mayans, living in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
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Mayan Descendants

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Against All Odds

The kingdom that the Mayans built for themselves is nothing short of a miracle. Take the following into consideration: these people had no livestock, no wheels to help them with transportation, and no tools made out of metal. That's not all though. The Mayans also lived in pretty dour conditions, full of swamps that were constantly damaged by heavy storms. Despite this, the Mayans were able to persevere for hundreds of years and built this incredible megacity.
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Against All Odds

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Bigger Than England?

To emphasize just how large the Mayan kingdom supposedly was, we can compare the region to modern day places. The civilization was at its very best between 250AD and 900AD. During this time, it is believed that the area in which the Mayans lived would have been two times bigger than medieval England. That's not all though. Due to the huge population, it would have had a much denser population than that of England. It was bigger in virtually every way.
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Bigger Than England?

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What Does The Future Hold?

As of now, the future is always in motion and new developments continue to happen. However, as previously said, the Guatemalan organization Pacunam who are working to preserve its country's cultural heritage are well into their three-year project. It aims to cover a lot of Guatemalan ground. Moreover, put that together with the extremely talented archeologists in charge of LiDAR, it is a matter of time before they discover even more Mayan pyramids and palaces.
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What Does The Future Hold?

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