9th century. The Viking era stretches from AD 800 to AD 1050. When the Norwegians populated Iceland, in the 9th century, they brought with them horses and other domestic animals. When did the Vikings start riding horses? They detected the Read more…
The Greeks, pretending to desert the war, sailed to the nearby island of Tenedos, leaving behind Sinon, who persuaded the Trojans that the horse was an offering to Athena (goddess of war) that would make Trojans impregnable. Despite the warnings Read more…
Trojan priest Laocoön. While questioning Sinon, the Trojan priest Laocoön guesses the plot and warns the Trojans, in Virgil’s famous line Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes (“I fear Greeks, even those bearing gifts”), Danai (acc Danaos) or Danaans (Homer’s name Read more…
Social Studies – Ancient China (SG = Study Guide) Question Answer What Chinese inventions allowed soldiers to fight on horseback? Two Chinese inventions that allowed Chinese soldiers to ride on horseback were the saddle and the stirrup. What was invented Read more…
The stirrup was invented in China in the first few centuries AD and spread westward through the nomadic peoples of Central Eurasia. The use of paired stirrups is credited to the Chinese Jin Dynasty and came to Europe during the Read more…
The invention of the horse harness allowed farmers to cultivate more land more quickly. The strength and speed of these animals made farming more efficient. Horses could pull plows through the fields and carts to transport crops. What two inventions Read more…
Tell students that powerful horses were among the goods for which Chinese merchants often traded silk; they were in high demand because the land in China did not support the breeding of the large, strong horses needed for warfare. Why Read more…
March 29, 1974. On March 29, 1974, the terra-cotta warriors were discovered in Xian, China. When and who first discovered the terracotta warriors? The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29 March 1974 when farmer Yang Zhifa uncovered fragments of pottery Read more…
Menelaus’ brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris’ insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Read more…
Sinon. A Greek spy, Sinon, convinced the Trojans the horse was a gift despite the warnings of Laocoon and Cassandra. Helen and Deiphobus even investigated the horse. The Trojans celebrated the raising of the siege hugely, and when the Greeks Read more…