Buzz
It's common to discuss how advanced and sophisticated ancient civilizations were, often more than we acknowledge. While this is partly accurate, numerous instances of objects or practices we view as modern have existed for centuries, even millennia. However, the reverse is also true. We might assume that everything around us has ancient roots, yet some things are far more recent than you'd believe.
10. The Myth of Iron Maidens
The iron maiden is undoubtedly famous for one thing: inspiring the name of one of the most iconic metal bands in history. However, its use as a torture device is far less certain. While it's likely that such devices were used for torture and execution, this occurred much later than most assume. For instance, one such device was discovered in the possession of Uday Hussein. Yet, there's no historical evidence to support their existence during the Middle Ages.
Some historians attribute the invention of the iron maiden to 18th-century German philosopher Johann Philipp Siebenkees, who described a 16th-century man executed using this gruesome technique. However, these historians regard Siebenkees’s account as a fabrication or a philosophical allegory, rather than an accurate historical record.
Despite this, his story emerged during a period of intense fascination with medieval relics, leading to the construction of authentic iron maidens for display in exhibitions. The most famous iron maiden was discovered at the Royal Castle of Nuremberg. It was purchased by the Earl of Shrewsbury in 1890 and toured extensively across Europe and America. The original was lost during World War II, but a replica remains on display in a Bavarian museum.
9. The Black Belt Tradition
Many martial arts trace their roots back to ancient times, and numerous traditions associated with them have existed for centuries. However, the black belt, the most recognizable symbol of martial arts, is a relatively modern addition.
The belt system is a relatively recent innovation, introduced just over a century ago by Judo founder Kano Jigoro in the 1880s. Alongside this, he established the Judo ranking system, incorporating dan levels for advanced practitioners and using colored belts, or obis, to indicate skill levels. Prior to this, martial artists typically received scrolls or certificates to recognize their accomplishments. Kano's system gained widespread popularity and is now adopted by most contemporary martial arts.
Hollywood has perpetuated numerous myths about black belts. Earning a black belt doesn't automatically make someone a master—far from it. Initially, Kano introduced the black belt to mark the completion of the initial phase of training. Today, a black belt signifies an advanced student rather than mastery. Most martial arts feature 10 dan levels. While both a first-level and a 10th-level dan practitioner may wear black belts, the disparity in their expertise is immense.
Given their immense popularity, many martial arts academies now offer black belts after just a few years of training. This has led to the exaggerated notion of 10-year-olds being classified as lethal weapons.
8. The Code of Bushido
Bushido, which translates to 'the way of the warrior,' is often regarded as the ancient ethical code of the samurai, outlining the principles and moral standards that guided their lives. This code emphasizes seven virtues—justice, courage, benevolence, politeness, honesty, honor, and loyalty. However, these ideas only gained widespread recognition after Nitobe Inazo published his book *Bushido: The Soul of Japan* in 1899. Nitobe also brought attention to the practice of seppuku, a form of ritual suicide for disgraced samurai.
Despite its title, Nitobe's book was written in English during his travels in America. It gained significant popularity after receiving praise from President Teddy Roosevelt, and only later was it translated and distributed in Japan.
This isn't to say that bushido, both as a term and a philosophy, didn't exist before Nitobe's work. Since the emergence of samurai, there had been a concept of a code influenced by Buddhism and Confucianism. However, it wasn't formally defined or associated with the elements we now link to samurai culture. The term 'bushido' didn't appear in Japanese literature until the 16th century, despite samurai having been around for more than 500 years by then.
7. The Mystery of Ouija Boards
A hallmark of horror stories, the Ouija board is often seen as a mystical device that connects our world with the afterlife, enabling communication with spirits. Alternatively, it might simply be a century-old board game.
While many view it as an ancient mystical tool, the Ouija board is surprisingly modern and remains trademarked by Hasbro. Invented in 1892 by Elijah Bond, it was later sold to William Fuld in 1901. Fuld, now known as the 'father of Ouija,' marketed it as a novelty item and gained widespread popularity. He eventually sold the patent to Parker Brothers in 1966, placing the Ouija board under the same ownership as iconic games like Monopoly, Risk, and Trivial Pursuit.
Despite its trademark status, 'Ouija' has become a generic term for any talking board or planchette used in automatic writing. It is often linked to occult practices or spirituality, despite Hasbro's claims that it is merely a game. The phenomenon of automatic writing is explained by the ideomotor effect, where users unconsciously move the planchette.
Pearl Curran, a prominent 20th-century spiritualist, contributed to its mystique by using the Ouija board for divination. However, its association with the occult was cemented after its prominent role in The Exorcist.
6. The History of Tarot Cards
Tarot cards are often believed to be an ancient mystical tool. While they do date back to the 15th century, they are actually younger than standard playing cards. What’s relatively new is their use in spiritual practices like divination. Initially, tarot decks were simply standard card decks with 22 extra trump cards, known as trionfi, used for games called carte da trionfi.
The concept of using tarot cards for divination emerged centuries later, thanks to several French figures. Pastor Antoine Court de Gebelin was one of the first; in the 1770s, he published a nine-volume work titled The Primeval World, connecting tarot symbols (not the cards themselves) to ancient Egyptian imagery. Around the same time, Jean-Baptiste Alliette, an occultist known as Etteilla, began using tarot cards for divination. He even designed a unique deck called The Book of Thoth, the first tarot deck explicitly created for divination purposes.
5. The Tradition of Kilts
Kilts are synonymous with Scottish culture, and many assume they have been a part of Scotland’s heritage since ancient times. At the very least, one might think they were worn during the early medieval era, perhaps even in the days of William Wallace.
However, contrary to what Braveheart suggests, kilts didn’t emerge until roughly 300 years after Wallace’s time. The modern version of the kilt didn’t appear until the 18th century.
The first iteration of the kilt appeared in the 16th century, but it was vastly different from today’s design. Known as the great kilt, it was a full-body garment that covered both the upper and lower body. The upper portion could be draped over the shoulder like a cloak or worn over the head as a hood. This style remained the only form of kilt for several centuries.
In the early 18th century, an Englishman named Thomas Rawlinson found the traditional kilt too impractical for labor. He devised the small kilt, which consisted solely of the lower half of the great kilt, resembling the modern version. Partnering with Scottish chief Ian MacDonell, who adopted the design, the small kilt gained popularity among their workers and eventually spread across Scotland.
4. The Olympic Torch Relay
The Olympic flame stands as one of the most iconic symbols of the Olympic Games, with its origins tracing back to ancient Greece. It was said to burn continuously throughout the games, symbolizing Prometheus’s act of stealing fire from the gods to give to humanity.
When the modern Olympics began, the flame was absent. It wasn’t reintroduced until the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. However, the torch relay, where the flame is carried from Greece through various nations before reaching the host city, was still missing. Many assume this tradition has ancient or pagan roots, but it was actually introduced during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin—by the Nazis.
Hitler saw the Olympics as a platform to showcase Aryan dominance. The torch relay was designed to infuse the event with a sense of grandeur and mystique. Spanning 12 days, the relay was even documented in a film titled Olympia.
3. The Myth of Chastity Belts
Chastity belts are often grouped with iron maidens in our imaginations, believed to be relics of the medieval era. However, they are more recent inventions and were not used for the purposes we commonly associate with them.
The myth of chastity belts traces back to the Crusades, where knights supposedly made their wives wear them to guarantee loyalty. However, this myth only emerged a few centuries ago, as did most of the actual belts.
Despite claims of medieval origins, chastity belts are largely forgeries from the 18th and 19th centuries, created as curiosities to amaze and scandalize. While some earlier references exist, they are anecdotal, with no evidence suggesting these devices were ever manufactured or used in earlier times.
The true purpose of chastity belts is unclear. In 16th-century Renaissance poetry, the term was used as a metaphor for chastity and fidelity, not as a literal object. This likely inspired the creation of actual belts in the 19th century, initially as anti-masturbation tools for children. Later versions for women were designed to prevent workplace harassment. Today, chastity belts are primarily associated with BDSM practices.
2. The Evolution of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Commonly referred to as CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a staple in movies whenever someone loses consciousness. It appears effortless on screen—just chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing. While the real procedure differs from its cinematic portrayal, one might assume such a straightforward yet effective technique has been in use for centuries, if not millennia. Surprisingly, it’s less than 60 years old.
It wasn’t until the 1950s that mouth-to-mouth ventilation and chest compressions were proven effective for cardiac arrest cases. In 1960, Dr. James Elam and Peter Safar developed the modern CPR technique. Since then, five national medical conferences have refined the method based on new research and advancements.
Before CPR, various resuscitation methods were attempted. The first modern organization dedicated to sudden death cases, the Society for Recovery of Drowned Persons, was established in Amsterdam in 1767. It soon expanded to London, becoming the Royal Humane Society. While they introduced innovative ideas like using bellows to deliver air, they also proposed unusual methods, such as blowing tobacco smoke into a victim’s rectum to stimulate a response.
1. The History of Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles seem so simple in design that one might assume they originated in ancient times. If you consider any word-guessing game with specific rules, then yes, their roots could be ancient. However, the modern crossword puzzle—featuring intersecting words, black squares, and clues for each word—is only about a century old.
Arthur Wynne is credited with inventing the crossword puzzle. Originally from Liverpool, England, Wynne moved to the US and became an editor for the New York World. He published the first crossword puzzle on December 21, 1913. It took nearly a decade for other newspapers to adopt the idea, but once they did, crosswords quickly became a staple in nearly every publication.
Although Wynne acknowledged that his creation had ancient inspirations, his puzzle is recognized as the first official crossword. He designed it to fill empty space in his newspaper, initially calling it a word cross. A typesetting error later reversed the words, giving us the term 'crossword.'
