Secret HistoryS


Archaeology

Archaeologists unearth 1,600-year-old Christian monastic site with paintings and a mysterious inscription

Andrea Margolis
Fox News
Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:46 UTC
early christian monastary egypt inscription
© Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesAn inscription in early Greek discovered at the site may reference "Abba Kir, son of Shenouda," possibly marking a tombstone.
Officials say 13-room structure was used for hospitality and teaching

Egyptian archaeologists recently unearthed the remnants of a Christian monastic site from the 5th century, some 400 years after the time of Jesus Christ.

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities wrote in a translated statement March 23 that a building was recently found in the Qallaya area in Egypt's Beheira Governorate.

The structure, likely a guesthouse used to host visitors, is a remnant of the "early beginnings of Coptic monasticism," the release said.

Previous buildings have also been found at the site, and the newly discovered structure had 13 multipurpose rooms used for "hospitality and teaching ... in addition to service facilities such as a kitchen and storage areas," officials said.
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Pyramid

Second sphinx buried under sand suggests 'megastructure' below the Pyramids of Giza

Ben Cost
New York Post
Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:06 UTC
The Great Sphinx
© Pius Lee – stock.adobe.comThe Great Sphinx, which Biondi claims has a twin beneath the sand.
Italian researchers claim they might've found signs of a Sphinx located beneath the Pyramids of Giza, suggesting the existence of a sprawling subterranean citadel.

Radar engineer Filippo Biondi dropped this alleged historical bombshell during a recent episode of the "Matt Beall Limitless" podcast, the Daily Mail reported.

He said, "There is something very huge that we are measuring" beneath the Giza Plateau, which features the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure and the Great Sphinx.

He and his team said they were tipped off to the alleged underground guardian by explaining that lines between the pyramids to the known Sphinx also point to a parallel mound under which the second feline facsimile supposedly resides — like a cryptic puzzle from an "Indiana Jones" movie.
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Cross

New theories on the origin of the Book of Kells

Steven McKenzie
BBC
Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:57 UTC
illustration book of kells
© Getty ImagesThe Book of Kells is more than 1,200 years old
Book dubbed 'the work of angels' may have been made in the Highlands

Medieval monks in Easter Ross - and not the tiny island of Iona - may have created the intricately decorated 1,200-year-old Book of Kells, according to researchers.

The illuminated manuscript depicting the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament has been described as "the work of angels" due to the complexity of its lettering and illustrations.

Its origins are a mystery, but it was thought to have been made on Iona before being taken to Kells in Ireland by monks who survived a Viking attack on the Hebridean isle.

But a new project will explore the possibility it was created at a monastery in Portmahomack where there was a workshop turning animal hides into vellum - a fine parchment used for writing on.
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Archaeology

Evidence of a fabled ancient Greek 'machine gun', the polybolos, discovered in Pompeii

Nisha Zahid
Greek Reporter
Fri, 23 May 2025 20:48 UTC
pompeii greek machine gun polybolos
© Mike Bishop / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Damage near the Herculaneum Gate at Pompeii. Researchers in Pompeii believe they may have found the first physical evidence of an ancient Greek 'machine gun' known as polybolos. Image:Damage near the Herculaneum Gate at Pompeii.
A recent study suggests Roman forces may have used a rare ancient Greek repeating ballista — known as the polybolos and sometimes described as a 'machine gun of antiquity' — during the siege of Pompeii in 89 BCE.

Researchers say markings discovered on the city's stone walls could be the earliest physical evidence of a repeating arrow-firing device known from ancient texts.

The findings, led by Adriana Rossi of the University of Campania, were published in the Nexus Network Journal and focus on a section of Pompeii's northern wall, near the gates of Vesuvius and Herculaneum.
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Info

15,000-year-old ice age female figurine finally returns home to Switzerland

oguz kayra
Arkeonews Net
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 03:38 UTC
Female Figurine
© Kanton Basel-Stadt
A tiny prehistoric object — just 2.8 centimetres tall — is now at the centre of a significant cultural decision in Switzerland. A 15,000-year-old female figurine from the Ice Age has been officially returned to the canton of Schaffhausen, marking a rare case of voluntary repatriation between Swiss institutions and highlighting the enduring value of regional archaeological heritage.

The statuette, carved from jet (fossilized wood, also known as gagat or black lignite), had been housed for decades at the Museum of Cultures in Basel. Now, following a formal request submitted in 2025, the Basel-Stadt government has approved its transfer back to the region where it was originally discovered.

A Small Artifact with Regional Significance

At first glance, the figurine may seem modest. Yet for archaeologists, its importance is anything but small.

The object was found near Schweizersbild, a well-known prehistoric site on the outskirts of Schaffhausen. This location has long been associated with Late Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer communities, particularly reindeer hunters who occupied the region during the closing phases of the last Ice Age.

Local authorities in Schaffhausen emphasized that both the artifact and its original context are crucial for understanding the region's deep past. Their argument ultimately convinced Basel's authorities, who described the transfer as a scientifically justified and ethically appropriate decision.

The move also reflects a broader shift in European museum practice, where institutions increasingly prioritize contextual integrity and regional ownership of archaeological finds.
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Caesar

Julius Caesar's Forgotten Assassin

Barry Strauss
History.com
Thu, 15 Mar 2018 21:23 UTC
Assassination of Julius Caesar
© Leemage/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe assassination of Julius Caesar in the Roman Senate.
William Shakespeare might have given Marcus Junius Brutus all the credit, but Caesar's true betrayer was a much closer friend.

On March 15, 44 B.C. a group of Roman senators murdered Julius Caesar as he sat on the podium at a senate meeting. The dictator fell bleeding to his death from 23 stab wounds before the horrified eyes of the rest of the house. It was a little after noon on the Ides of March, as the Romans called the mid-day of the month. The spectators didn't know it yet but they were witnessing the last hours of the Roman Republic. But who was to blame?

As readers of William Shakespeare know, a dying Caesar turned to one of the assassins and condemned him with his last breath. It was Caesar's friend, Marcus Junius Brutus.

"Et tu, Brute?" - "You too, Brutus?" is what Shakespeare has Caesar say in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Except, Caesar never said these words. And Brutus was neither his closest friend nor his biggest betrayer, not by a long shot.
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Question

Will the Indus Valley script ever be deciphered?

Owen Jarus
Live Science
Sun, 15 Mar 2026 08:44 UTC
The Indus Valley script dates back around 4,000 years but has yet to be deciphered. Can AI help decode it?
A seal with an Indus Valley Civilization script.
© Heritage Images via Getty ImagesA seal with an Indus Valley Civilization script.
Around 4,000 years ago, one of the world's oldest civilizations emerged: The Indus Valley Civilization, flourishing in what is now Pakistan, western India, eastern Iran and parts of Afghanistan. In addition to building sizable cities, its people created a written script that consists of hundreds of signs that remain undeciphered.

The signs, sometimes called Harappan script, vary, with some looking like a diamond with a square in its corner; a U with three "fingers" at each end, and an oval with an asterisk-like shape inside it.

Most of the surviving texts are inscribed on nonperishable materials, like clay and stone. So will this undeciphered script ever be deciphered? Could recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) help with decipherment?
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Attention

Operation Ajax (1953): The CIA's template—and warnings for today

Joshua Mawhorter
Mises Institute
Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00 UTC
Operation Ajax
© www.linkedin.comIran Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh • US President Dwight Eisenhower • British PM Winston Churchill
In light of the US's actions against Iran and the overt goal of regime change, it is worth recalling the original, covert regime change the CIA brought about in Iran and its decades-long consequences. The 1953 Iran coup is widely recognized as the first major covert regime-change operation carried out by the CIA and served as a template for future interventions. It set key precedents in technique — bribery, propaganda, covert action, and the installation of a non-Communist, US-friendly repressive regime — that were replicated throughout the Cold War and later operations. The long-term geopolitical impact and resentment in the region still shape US-Iran relations.

A Brief Review of the History

In the early twentieth century, Iran possessed a constitutional monarchy with a parliament (the Majles), though it operated under significant British and later Anglo-Soviet influence. In 1951, the Western-educated nationalist Mohammad Mossadegh was elected prime minister and moved to nationalize Iran's oil industry, which had been dominated by British interests. Concerned about Western access to oil and fearing that political instability might open the door to Soviet influence, British intelligence and the US Central Intelligence Agency orchestrated a covert operation — Operation Ajax — to overthrow Mossadegh. The coup succeeded in August 1953, but this was unknown to the American public.
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Vader

Flashback SOTT Focus: The Most Dangerous Cult in The World!

Laura Knight-Jadczyk
Signs of the Times
Sat, 30 Jul 2005 17:26 UTC
Image
The Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem

Comment: Given that many conservatives today, including Donald Trump, support Israel, we thought it time to republish this article, first posted 19 years ago.

The article explores the explosive intersection of Christian Zionism, dispensationalist eschatology (often called Armageddon theology), and the long-standing push for a Third Temple on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Drawing from the works of Gershom Gorenberg (The End of Days) and Grace Halsell (Forcing God's Hand), it examines how certain evangelical Christian groups — along with allied militant Zionist elements — view the modern State of Israel, the regathering of Jews, and preparations like the breeding of unblemished red heifers as literal fulfillments of biblical prophecy signaling the approach of Christ's Second Coming, the Rapture, Tribulation, and ultimate apocalyptic battle.

These beliefs, rooted in 19th-century teachings from figures like John Darby, portray support for Israel's expansion and control over contested holy sites not merely as political solidarity, but as a divine imperative to hasten end-times events — even if that means endorsing conflict over the Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque stand. The piece critiques this alliance as cynical and dangerous: one side anticipates Jewish conversion or destruction in the process, while the other pursues messianic restoration, with Palestinians caught in the crossfire of prophetic literalism.

As of early 2026, preparations continue: The Temple Institute reports four red heifer candidates still under observation at Shiloh (following disqualifications and practice rituals in 2025), with ongoing monitoring for ritual purity that could enable Temple service resumption. Record numbers of Jewish ascents to the Temple Mount in 2025, combined with persistent evangelical advocacy, underscore how these ancient rituals and modern geopolitics remain intertwined in a volatile mix that many see as a "sacred blasting cap" for regional — and potentially global — conflagration.

This is the story of a theology that doesn't just predict the end of the world... but actively works to bring it about.


Comment: On 28 Feb 2007, SOTT ran the following item:
Extremist rabbis call for return of animal sacrifice

CNN/Associated Press
Wed, 28 Feb 2007 17:23 EST

Jerusalem-- A fringe group of extremist rabbis wants to resume the biblical practice of animal sacrifice at an explosive religious site in Jerusalem, members said Wednesday.

The request defied centuries of religious bans and triggered a stiff protest from a Muslim leader.

When the Jewish Temples stood in the Old City of Jerusalem more than 2,000 year ago, animal sacrifice was a centerpiece of the religion. After the destruction of the Temples, sacrifices were banned and rabbinical teachings took their place as the focus of Judaism.

Now a group, called the "Re-established Sanhedrin" after the Temple-era religious high court, has decided to buy some sheep and try to find one that is ritually perfect for sacrifice, with an eye toward resuming the practice at the Jerusalem site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The site is the most hotly disputed in the Middle East, home today to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. [...]


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Attention

The Purim War Against Iran

Israel Shamir
Unz.com
Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:42 UTC
Al Aqsa Mosque
© Wikipedia Org
The US, UK, France and Germany are flattered to call themselves "the West", but it is more realistic to call them the Jewish-State-in-progress, or "Epsteinia". We have just learned that President Trump had already made up his mind to go to war against Iran weeks ago, and that the pretence of diplomacy carried out by two Jewish real estate dealers (Witkoff and Kushner) on his behalf was little more than a nothingburger to keep Iran busy until the Chosen moment. So what exactly was the purpose behind Trump's diplomatic pause before commencing hostilities? There is a reason; quite shameful, but true. Trump and his superior, Bibi Netanyahu, were guided by Kabbalah magic. They agreed to carry out this historic attack on a particularly auspicious date in the Jewish calendar, called Remembrance Shabbat, the last Saturday before the feast of Purim. The facts are overwhelmingly clear: International Jewry decreed the attack day and the US military jumped like obedient dogs to a Jewish whistle.

Wikipedia describes Remembrance Shabbat as follows:
Sabbath [of] remembrance' or Shabbat Zachor (Hebrew: שבת זכור) is the Shabbat immediately preceding Purim. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (at the end of Parasha Ki Teitzei), describing the attack on the Jews by Amalek, is recounted. There is a tradition from the Talmud (understood to be implied in the Megillah itself) that Haman, the antagonist of the Purim story, was descended from Amalek. The portion that is read includes a commandment to remember the attack by Amalek, and therefore at this public reading both men and women make a special effort to hear the reading.
All Jews are not only required to remember this special date commemorating this ancient tale, but they are also required to seek revenge; i.e. commit genocide of whoever the Sanhedrin has labelled Amalek in our generation. A Jew is obliged and commanded to kill all the men, women, children of Amalek, including dogs and cats. Small animals, kittens and puppies are often killed a fortnight earlier at the Tubishvat celebration - pets are thrown into burning bonfires by Sephardi custom. The customs of Purim (and the preceding Sabbath) are notoriously horrible, detailed by Elliot Horowitz in his Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy of Jewish Violence. Martin Luther noted that Jews thought of all Christian rulers (who Jews consider to be their oppressors) as modern-day Hamans, and so it was a religious duty to undermine them and seek their downfall. [He also noted that Jews saw Christ as a similar King/Oppressor figure, perhaps because in the Septuagint, Haman is crucified. Bear in mind that the Septuagint is the Greek translation of the unadulterated original Bible text, while the modern Hebrew Bible has been updated many times over the years by Jewish scholars.]

Netanyahu's International Jews (including those of the Israeli government coalition) have a long history of performing their professional and religious duties in accord with Kabbalistic magic. For them, the combination of the first blow in the Sabbath of Remembrance and celebration of Purim a few days later is too tempting to avoid. The fools are likely to believe that they are guided from above, and thus they will come to their end.
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