SASA Inspires
@sasainspires.bsky.social
Save Ancient Studies Alliance Inspire Campaign project highlights the connection between the Ancient and Modern world!
🪨 In western France there’s a tomb a thousand years older than the Pyramid of Giza. The Cairn de Barnenez dates back to 4,800 BCE, but a second cairn was built in 4,400 BCE. The first was built from locally sourced dolerite, while the second is made of granite sourced from elsewhere.
November 11, 2025 at 8:44 AM
🪨 In western France there’s a tomb a thousand years older than the Pyramid of Giza. The Cairn de Barnenez dates back to 4,800 BCE, but a second cairn was built in 4,400 BCE. The first was built from locally sourced dolerite, while the second is made of granite sourced from elsewhere.
🪲 According to Cherokee folklore, at the beginning of the world, there was no land - just water and the sky world. All of the animals lived in the sky, and eventually it became too crowded. So a water beetle named Dayuni’si volunteered to find them all a new home.
November 8, 2025 at 5:13 AM
🪲 According to Cherokee folklore, at the beginning of the world, there was no land - just water and the sky world. All of the animals lived in the sky, and eventually it became too crowded. So a water beetle named Dayuni’si volunteered to find them all a new home.
🎶 In her song ‘Cassandra’, Taylor Swift sings, “So they killed Cassandra first ‘cause she feared the worst / And tried to tell the town”. But who is Cassandra, and what does she have to do with Swift’s feud with Kimye?
November 6, 2025 at 4:49 PM
🎶 In her song ‘Cassandra’, Taylor Swift sings, “So they killed Cassandra first ‘cause she feared the worst / And tried to tell the town”. But who is Cassandra, and what does she have to do with Swift’s feud with Kimye?
🍂 November follows the same pattern as September and October, it was the ninth month of the old Romulan calendar (‘novem’ = nine) and the name stuck when the calendar was shifted.
November 5, 2025 at 5:47 PM
🍂 November follows the same pattern as September and October, it was the ninth month of the old Romulan calendar (‘novem’ = nine) and the name stuck when the calendar was shifted.
🧘 Did you know that Avatar: The Last Airbender has several religious influences from some of the most ancient East and South Asian traditions, such as Buddhism, which dates back to the 5th century BCE, and Hinduism, which dates back to the 23rd century BCE!
November 4, 2025 at 6:56 PM
🧘 Did you know that Avatar: The Last Airbender has several religious influences from some of the most ancient East and South Asian traditions, such as Buddhism, which dates back to the 5th century BCE, and Hinduism, which dates back to the 23rd century BCE!
🗿 Dogū are small statues, or figurines, that are thought to have been made by the Jōmon people in ancient Japan. The Jōmon people lived sometime between 1,400 BCE and 300 BCE, and were a hunter-gatherer society. Unfortunately, though, there’s no written record of what they were!
November 4, 2025 at 5:40 PM
🗿 Dogū are small statues, or figurines, that are thought to have been made by the Jōmon people in ancient Japan. The Jōmon people lived sometime between 1,400 BCE and 300 BCE, and were a hunter-gatherer society. Unfortunately, though, there’s no written record of what they were!
💀 Behold Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Dead. Originating in the Akkadian period, Ereshkigal was worshipped in multiple Mesopotamian cultures. She was the ruler of Kur, also known as Kurgia or Irkalla, the land of the dead.
October 31, 2025 at 2:39 PM
💀 Behold Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Dead. Originating in the Akkadian period, Ereshkigal was worshipped in multiple Mesopotamian cultures. She was the ruler of Kur, also known as Kurgia or Irkalla, the land of the dead.
🦁 Different kingdom, same old monsters. Noble, timeless, and powerful, it’s the griffin! The griffin has endured a consistently revered journey from its origins in ancient Greece and Persia to the illumination of medieval heraldry and takes pride of place in the Witcher franchise’s bestiaries.
October 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
🦁 Different kingdom, same old monsters. Noble, timeless, and powerful, it’s the griffin! The griffin has endured a consistently revered journey from its origins in ancient Greece and Persia to the illumination of medieval heraldry and takes pride of place in the Witcher franchise’s bestiaries.
😈 The word ‘demon’ didn’t always mean something evil. It comes from the ancient Greek word ‘daimōn’, which meant a variety of things, such as ‘deity’, ‘lesser god’, ‘spirit’, or ‘supernatural being’. Despite being supernatural in origin, the word did not originally have a negative connotation.
October 29, 2025 at 1:50 PM
😈 The word ‘demon’ didn’t always mean something evil. It comes from the ancient Greek word ‘daimōn’, which meant a variety of things, such as ‘deity’, ‘lesser god’, ‘spirit’, or ‘supernatural being’. Despite being supernatural in origin, the word did not originally have a negative connotation.
👹 Humanity has always devised new ways to deal with life’s problems. For modern humans, solving those problems usually means relying on science and technology. But for our ancient ancestors, they relied on magic and spells. Like these bowls!
October 29, 2025 at 12:10 PM
👹 Humanity has always devised new ways to deal with life’s problems. For modern humans, solving those problems usually means relying on science and technology. But for our ancient ancestors, they relied on magic and spells. Like these bowls!
⛰️ ‘Abandon hope, all ye who enter.’ Penned by Dante in the 13th century, it’s the inscription above the Gates of Hell. He and Virgil came across the warning, incidentally, before they took a boat ride down the turbulent waters of the River Acheron. Although, the Acheron’s origins are much older…
October 28, 2025 at 6:46 AM
⛰️ ‘Abandon hope, all ye who enter.’ Penned by Dante in the 13th century, it’s the inscription above the Gates of Hell. He and Virgil came across the warning, incidentally, before they took a boat ride down the turbulent waters of the River Acheron. Although, the Acheron’s origins are much older…
👻 Malaysia, home to tropical rainforests, great food, and of course, one of the most horrifying mythical creatures ever imagined.
October 24, 2025 at 4:33 PM
👻 Malaysia, home to tropical rainforests, great food, and of course, one of the most horrifying mythical creatures ever imagined.
🐂 Jim Henson is mainly known for his work on Sesame Street and the Muppets, but he also had a hand in an adaptation of Greek mythology that was so unnerving that NBC refused to air it in the United States.
October 24, 2025 at 8:07 AM
🐂 Jim Henson is mainly known for his work on Sesame Street and the Muppets, but he also had a hand in an adaptation of Greek mythology that was so unnerving that NBC refused to air it in the United States.
👹 An exorcism is the practice of removing or dispelling an evil, malevolent, or demonic entity possessing a human or place. Exorcism was popularized as a practice in the Christian world during the sixteenth century. But what of the word’s origins?
October 23, 2025 at 9:07 AM
👹 An exorcism is the practice of removing or dispelling an evil, malevolent, or demonic entity possessing a human or place. Exorcism was popularized as a practice in the Christian world during the sixteenth century. But what of the word’s origins?
🐷 An army marches on its stomach, but it might make yours curdle to hear how the Spartans did it! ‘Melas Zomos’ was a soup culturally associated with the Spartans. It literally translates as ‘black soup,’ but it is sometimes known as ‘blood soup,’ owing to its grizzly ingredients.
October 22, 2025 at 1:56 AM
🐷 An army marches on its stomach, but it might make yours curdle to hear how the Spartans did it! ‘Melas Zomos’ was a soup culturally associated with the Spartans. It literally translates as ‘black soup,’ but it is sometimes known as ‘blood soup,’ owing to its grizzly ingredients.
🍽️ It’s the Cannibal Hymn from Unas’s tomb in Ancient Egypt! The inscription describes his superior power in the afterlife, sustained by the essence of the gods. He gains the ability to order the gods to slaughter others and serve him their entrails to nourish his power.
October 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM
🍽️ It’s the Cannibal Hymn from Unas’s tomb in Ancient Egypt! The inscription describes his superior power in the afterlife, sustained by the essence of the gods. He gains the ability to order the gods to slaughter others and serve him their entrails to nourish his power.
🌲 Nature can be both beautiful and cruel. This duality likely inspired the Slavic creature, the Leshy. A Leshy is a shapeshifting woodland creature, and it can take the shape of anything in the forest, big or small. It might guide a lost traveler home, or make sure they’re lost forever.
October 17, 2025 at 4:31 PM
🌲 Nature can be both beautiful and cruel. This duality likely inspired the Slavic creature, the Leshy. A Leshy is a shapeshifting woodland creature, and it can take the shape of anything in the forest, big or small. It might guide a lost traveler home, or make sure they’re lost forever.
🧛🏼♀️ Vampires take on many forms from gothic monstrosities to confused citizens of Staten Island, but Ancient Greece and The Witcher share the view that the blood-leeching lamia is no idle threat. The lamia was a complex creature that endured debate regarding its origin, even in antiquity.
October 17, 2025 at 8:51 AM
🧛🏼♀️ Vampires take on many forms from gothic monstrosities to confused citizens of Staten Island, but Ancient Greece and The Witcher share the view that the blood-leeching lamia is no idle threat. The lamia was a complex creature that endured debate regarding its origin, even in antiquity.
🧌 Monsters aren’t just monsters, they’re a warning. At least etymologically speaking. The word monster comes from the Latin “monere,” meaning “to warn.” Monsters throughout history have served as a warning for what is considered strange, scary, or unacceptable.
October 17, 2025 at 8:45 AM
🧌 Monsters aren’t just monsters, they’re a warning. At least etymologically speaking. The word monster comes from the Latin “monere,” meaning “to warn.” Monsters throughout history have served as a warning for what is considered strange, scary, or unacceptable.
💀 Ancient Egyptians believed that the afterlife began with a hazardous journey that could cause the death of the soul before the dead could join the gods. The “Book of the Dead” inscriptions served as a survival manual full of spells of protection and guidance - for those who could afford it.
October 14, 2025 at 9:56 PM
💀 Ancient Egyptians believed that the afterlife began with a hazardous journey that could cause the death of the soul before the dead could join the gods. The “Book of the Dead” inscriptions served as a survival manual full of spells of protection and guidance - for those who could afford it.
💀 These are the ruins of the ancient city of Milta, located in the current-day Oaxaca, Mexico! But it’s not the ruins of the city that are currently of interest, but rather the extensive tunnel system below the ruins that one ancient indigenous group believed to be the entrance to the underworld!
October 14, 2025 at 9:52 PM
💀 These are the ruins of the ancient city of Milta, located in the current-day Oaxaca, Mexico! But it’s not the ruins of the city that are currently of interest, but rather the extensive tunnel system below the ruins that one ancient indigenous group believed to be the entrance to the underworld!
🔥She is the torch bearer, the one by the crossroads, the triple goddess. She is Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic. Hecate sometimes has three faces, letting her see the past, present, and future. She holds two torches, which she uses to help travelers find their way home at night.
October 11, 2025 at 7:41 PM
🔥She is the torch bearer, the one by the crossroads, the triple goddess. She is Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic. Hecate sometimes has three faces, letting her see the past, present, and future. She holds two torches, which she uses to help travelers find their way home at night.
🌙 He is the fist of Khonshu, the knight of vengeance, the protector of the night’s travelers. He is Moon Knight.
October 10, 2025 at 5:21 AM
🌙 He is the fist of Khonshu, the knight of vengeance, the protector of the night’s travelers. He is Moon Knight.
👻 Spirit comes from the Latin word “spiritus”, meaning breath. Which makes sense, considering every breath taken is as incorporeal as a ghost. Alternatively, the definition of “spiritus” has also been compared to the “breath of life”, a Biblical concept used to describe humanity's personhood.
October 9, 2025 at 1:12 AM
👻 Spirit comes from the Latin word “spiritus”, meaning breath. Which makes sense, considering every breath taken is as incorporeal as a ghost. Alternatively, the definition of “spiritus” has also been compared to the “breath of life”, a Biblical concept used to describe humanity's personhood.
👻 Monsters hide among us. But where do they really come from? Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a college student who becomes part ghoul after being attacked by one and receiving some of her organs in a surgery. Kaneki has to balance his human life with his new desire to eat flesh.
October 7, 2025 at 1:36 PM
👻 Monsters hide among us. But where do they really come from? Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a college student who becomes part ghoul after being attacked by one and receiving some of her organs in a surgery. Kaneki has to balance his human life with his new desire to eat flesh.