Ancient Persians believed the sky was blue because it reflected a massive sapphire beneath the Earth, giving the stone cosmic symbolism. Kings, priests, and rulers wore sapphires to signal wisdom, ...

How an auspicious sacred sign was twisted to become the graphic embodiment of hate and intolerance. Kalpana Sunder explores the extraordinary history of a potent emblem. The equilateral cross with ...

Depiction of a relief from Khorsabad, the Assyrian capital during the time of Sargon II. For roughly two centuries, from ca. 900 -- 700 BCE, the Near Eastern empires of Neo-Assyria and Urartu ...

For over 100 years, archaeologists have been flummoxed by a set of symbols discovered at an ancient temple in Iraq — until now. An expert on Mesopotamia says he has decoded the symbols, revealing a ...

Some religious leaders and scholars in Ontario are worried the federal government's proposed ban on hate symbols will impact being able to display an ancient symbol that they say represents peace and ...