Far Horizons Blog
New Discoveries at Pompeii
Archaeologists have found new graffiti that may end the debate about the exact date of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD. In one of his letters to the Roman historian Tacitus, Pliny the Younger documented the event twenty five years after it...
New Discoveries in Turkey’s Göbekli Tepe
Built several millennia before Stonehenge or Egypt’s great pyramids, Göbekli Tepe is acclaimed as the world's oldest temple at around 12,000 years old. Listed as a UNESCO World heritage property in 2018, this stunning sanctuary complex in south-east Turkey overturns...
What is an Egyptian Dahabiya?
Herodotus said it 2,500 years ago: "Egypt is the gift of the Nile" - and what a gift it is - a narrow strip of cultivatable land teased from barren expanse of desert that is home of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known. The Nile, from the Sudan...
Etruscan Goddess Inscription at Poggio Colla in Italy
Photo by Mugello Valley Project At the Etruscan sanctuary of Poggio Colla archaeologists are working on deciphering a rare inscription found on a temple stone. The translation of the sacred text has revealed the name of a female goddess, Uni. It is thought that she...
Tomb of a goldsmith found near Egypt’s Valley of the Kings
Photo by Khaled Desouki (Agence France-Presse - Getty Images) In Draa Abul-Naga, a necropolis for noblemen and rulers not far from the Valley of the Kings, a 3,500-year-old tomb has been unearthed by archaeologist Mostafa Waziri and his team. The occupant of the tomb...
Cooperative Government and the Ancient Olmec
A strong centralized monarchy, evidenced by a single plaza, characterizes the Olmec sites of San Lorenzo and La Venta. At Tres Zapotes, however, this form of government appears to have been adjusted in order to distribute power between several groups. Archaeologists...
Sport and Politics in the Ancient Maya World
Drawing by Christophe Helmke Two carved stone panels discovered in 2015 by Christopher Andres of Michigan State University and his colleagues at the site of Tipan Chen Uitz in Belize depict ballplayers and are the first of their kind to be found in Belize. One of the...
Discovery at Nim Li Punit in Belize
Photo by Professor Geoffrey Braswell A large carved jade pendant likely made for the Maya king Janaab’ Ohl K’inich has been found by Professor Geoffrey Braswell of University of California, San Diego and his team at the site of Nim Li Punit in Belize. Measuring 7.4...
What is the difference is between ‘whiskey’ and ‘whisky’?
The Scots spell it whisky and the Irish spell it whiskey, with an extra 'e'. This difference in the spelling comes from the translations of the word from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms. Whiskey with the extra 'e' is also used when referring to American whiskies....
Traveling along the Silk Road through Western China
A post-trip interview with 2016 trip participant, Kip Lilly How long was your trip to China and where did you visit? This trip was two and a half weeks long and went west from Xian following the original Silk/Tea/Jade road (Dunhuang, Turpan, Hotan, Kashgar,...
Orkney Islands, Scotland: Pictish carved stone with dragon motif discovered
(photo courtesy of Dr. Hugo Anderson-Whymark, archaeologist) The Orkney Islands, an archipelago of 70 islands off the northeastern coast of Scotland, has what some consider to be the greatest concentration of archaeological sites in Scotland. Here, in the eastern...
Myanmar: Land of Golden Pagodas
By Heather Stoeckley If there is one word to describe my experiences in Myanmar, it would be shwe. It means ‘golden’ in the Burmese language, and from the moment of arrival, it epitomizes everything one sees in this enchanting country. This word is frequently used in...
Climate Change Causes Disappearance of Ancestral Pueblo People in American Southwest
Droughts of just five or ten years were enough to prompt major shifts in the small niches where Pueblo people grew maize, their major crop.
Human Existence in Ireland…Remarkable Discovery!
Co. Clare Cave is the site of a remarkable archaeological discovery! And now the date of human existence in Ireland has been pushed back 2,500 years! What does this mean? A rewriting of Irish archaeology and a new chapter in the human colonization of the island....
What’s the Origin of Ireland’s Name?
"In Gaelic myth, Ériu, Banbha and Fódla were three goddesses who greeted the Milesians upon their arrival in Ireland, and who granted them custody of the island. Ériu is generally believed to have been the matron goddess of Ireland, a goddess of sovereignty, or simply...
When was Persia renamed “Iran”…and Why?
The Iran Tour with Far Horizons will demonstrate that Iran (also known historically as Persia) is a world both ancient and contemporary, linking the heartland of Asia and the cradle of Western civilization, a bridge between East and West. The name Persia is actually...
Petra: A Cultural and Educational Tour + Luxury Travel!
Far Horizon Archaeological and Cultural Tours journeys to The Royal Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a land that has preserved a remarkable character unlike any other in the Near East, with three full days exploring Petra. Ruled by King Abdullah, the people have an...
Celebrate National Parks Centennial in the American Southwest!
On August 25, 2016, the National Park Service turns 100! People everywhere have embraced the opportunities to explore, learn, be inspired and have fun in the 407 national parks across America. There’s no better place to celebrate the National Parks Centennial than in...
“The Snake Kingdom” of the Ancient Maya!
The Petex-Batún is the most inaccessible and rarely-visited region of Guatemala. Today it is lightly populated, and yet more than 1,500 years ago Maya rulers jockeyed for supremacy as they created immense cities here. During the 1990s mounting evidence indicated that...
Discover the Secrets of Petra
The Lost and Found City of Petra Literally carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces, the prehistoric Jordanian city of Petra was “lost” to the Western world for hundreds of years. Located amid rugged desert canyons and mountains in...
Ychsma Mummies Discovered…On Far Horizons Peru Itinerary!
The Ychsma people ruled a large area of Peru, until the Inca conquered it just 63 years before the Spanish Conquistadors came and pillaged Peru in 1470. Now four Ychsma culture mummies — three women and one man— were unearthed by a team of archaeologists at Huaca...
Queen Rania, Far Horizons, & the Splendors of Jordan!
The Royal Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a charming land that has preserved a remarkable character unlike any other in the Near East. Ruled by King Abdullah, the people have an unparalleled reputation for hospitality, from the office worker in the city to the Bedouin...
The Maya Hieroglyphics…
Deep in the remote southern area along the border with Guatemala, recent excavations have exposed remains of pyramids and cities that until recently, were nearly impossible to reach. Hieroglyphic texts found here are changing our knowledge of the Maya by revealing...
The Trail of Gonzalo Guerrero & the Maya people He Supported
Five hundred years ago the first contact between the great civilizations of Mesoamerica and Europe was just beginning. But it did not begin with Cortes' landing in Mexico in 1519. Eight years earlier, a small lifeboat from a shipwrecked Spanish vessel drifted ashore...
Who was Frederick Catherwood? Far Horizons explains…
Who was Frederick Catherwood? Here's the incredible story... One day in 1839, English explorer Frederick Catherood and American explorer John Lloyd Stephens climbed the crumbling steps of the pyramids in the Maya city of Copán. The pyramids had been overgrown by the...
Who were the Toltecs? And why are they so mysterious?
The Toltecs are the most mysterious and controversial group from ancient Mesoamerica. The interpretation of their importance to the greater cultural traditions of the region have ranged from seeing them as the “mother culture” from which all others sprang, to a group...
What is Easter Island’s “Tapati Festival?”
On Far Horizons’ Easter Island Tour Including Tapati Festival, you can experience a truly unique history and culture. Learn more about the Tapati Festival.
In Search of the Crown Jewel at Angkor, Cambodia
Cambodia... The alarm clock sounds at 5:15am; it is still dark despite the curtains being drawn. I’m not a morning person by nature, but by now – our sixth day on the trip – I am used to our departures at dawn… And, moreover, I understand their importance in our...
Far Horizons Travels by Helicopter & Truck Thru the Jungle in the Path of the Snake Kingdom!
Far Horizons has a unique adventure in store for you! In Guatemala, The Petex-Batún is the most inaccessible and rarely-visited region. Today it is lightly populated, and yet more than 1,500 years ago Maya rulers jockeyed for supremacy as they created immense cities...
THE Egyptologist and Art Historian lead “Majesty of Egypt”
Professor Bob Brier is not only one of the nation’s leading Egyptologists, but a brilliant lecturer and renowned storyteller. Patricia Remler is an author, photographer, & art historian. She's the author of Egyptian Mythology A - Z. “As I have told every single...