The Great Pyramids - The ancient Egyptians built their monuments on a scale which continues to impress even modern scholars and tourists alike. Grandest of their monuments, and possibly the most debated, are the Great Pyramids at Giza. These structures, built wholly of solid stone blocks weighing 200 tons each, have fascinated visitors since their construction, the techniques of which have been lost to history. Recent evidence suggests that the Egyptian kings, scheming to create a lasting and powerful display of Egyptian ingenuity, created the structures for the express purpose of confusing future civilations as to just exactly how they were built. With theories of vast slave pools, unknown ancient technology and even alien assistance, the legacy of Egypt and the mystery of the pyramids will likely live on far into human history.

The Whore of Babylon - Ancient Mesopotamia, the birthplace of civilization, harbored several cities which would play a significant part of western culture. Babylon grew into one of these cities, reaching its high point under Nebuchadnezzar, the famous conquerer of Judea in the Bible. Early in its history, however, Babylon was but one of a multitude of small city-states whose very survival was threatened by constant invasions. Well aware of their situation, the leading citizens of the city formulated a brilliant strategy to elevate Babylon to power. Realizing that sex would sell better than any religion, and probably for a lot longer, they crafted the cult of the Whore of Babylon, a mythical figure who would come to represent the royally encouraged business of prostitution. Babylon's king and leaders actively encouraged the spread of legends telling of orgies and debauchery on an epic scale. Soon, Babylon's reputation as a city of pleasure spread far and wide as men seeking instant gratification and fulfillment descended in throngs upon the city, resulting in increased tourism and commerce. This explosion of wealth enabled the city to grow and prosper in a harsh land. Even as late as the fourth century B.C. Alexander the Great, attracted to the Sybaritic delights of the city, camped his army within the walls of Babylon to ride out the winter. Only during the first centuries A.D. was the Whore of Babylon transformed from the symbol of private pleasures to the symbol of vice and sin it is today.

The Christian Persecutions - By the death of Augustus in 14 A.D. the Roman Empire stood as the single largest political unit of the ancient world. Her unprecidented success was due to many factors, not the least of which included religious toleration. Only two groups of people ever fell under religious persecution: the Druids, whom the Romans suspected of barbaric practices, and the Christians. The first Christian persecutions occurred during the reign of the emperor Nero who, after the Fire of 64 A.D. declared the Christians were the instigators of the blaze. Persecutions continued sporatically until the reign of Trajan Decius in the third century when authorities acting under the emperor's orders began an Empire-wide series of persecutions. The number of persecutions tended to increase, culminating in the reign of Diocletian in the East and Maximianus in the West, when an Empire-wide manhunt for Christian blood. Although most historians attribute the persecutions to a misunderstanding of the Christian religion, scholars have uncovered a more sinister motive. By the late third century, Rome, now under almost constant attack on its northern and eastern borders, had an urgent need to occupy its increasingly unruly populace. Roman internal policy had for centuries revolved around the distraction of the city populace, the fabled "Bread and Circuses" described by Juvenal in the second century. Unfortunately, this policy relied on the cooperation of the slaves who participated in the events. During the third century, Roman slaves increasingly revolted against their often cruel fate, much to the chagrin of the Emperors, who realized the need for mass entertainment. The Roman populace, now lacking an outlet for its pent up frustration, began taking to the streets in acts of violence. As a solution, the Christians, whose population in Rome numbered in the tens of thousands were drawn upon as unwitting sacrifices for Roman entertainment. In addition, their punishment by fire served to light Roman streets at night, bringing a measure of safety to the city during the night hours. This constituted a civilization advance not seen again until ninteenth century Europe. The suffering of Roman Christian served to occupy the citizens and stabilized the populace of Rome, thus ensuring its continued survival into the third century. Only under Constantine was Christianity legalized and the persecutions stopped.

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