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Incredible Photos Of Two Roman Ships Which Were Recovered After 2,000 Years In 1929 And Lost Again During WWII

The Nemi ships were two ships, one larger than the other, built under the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula in the 1st century AD at Lake Nemi. Although the purpose of the ships is only speculated upon, the larger ship was essentially an elaborate floating palace, which contained quantities of marble, mosaic floors, heating and plumbing and amenities such as baths. Continue reading »

“Empire Of Future”: The Superb Sci-Fi And Game Concept Art By Donglu Yu

Donglu Yu is a concept artist working at Ubisoft Montreal, and is best known for her work on the Assassin’s Creed series, among which are Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin’s Creed: Project Legacy, Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Her areas of specialty are concept art, illustration and visual development, all of which she has employed in creating artwork for the Assassin’s Creed series. Continue reading »

“The Empire Against The Crisis”: Darth Vader Forced To Do Odd Jobs

With his series The Empire against the Crisis, the Belgian photographer Michaël Massart stages the bankruptcy of the Galactic Empire, while an unprecedented financial crisis hits the entire galaxy. A difficult situation that forces Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers to do odd jobs. A funny and quirky project around the Star Wars saga, but which also illustrates the difficult and real life of thousands of people. Continue reading »

This Artist Imagines The Roman Empire’s 250,000 Miles Of Roadways As A Subway Transit Map

University of Chicago sophomore Sasha Trubetskoy spent a few weeks designing this amazing subway-style transit map of all the roads in the Roman Empire circa 125 AD. Trubetskoy pulled data from numerous sources, but took liberties where the history is fuzzy. Continue reading »

Amazing Vintage Photographs That Show The Dangers Of Constructing The Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is an iconic office building known as “the Most Famous Skyscraper in the World.” Built during the Depression between 1930 and 1931, the Empire State Building became the world’s tallest office building until 1967. The design of the building changed 16 times during planning and construction, but 3,000 workers completed the building’s construction in record time: one year and 45 days, including Sundays and holidays. The Empire State’s construction work and its workers were a magnet for press and magazine photographers, which is how many iconic images of the construction work were created, like these.

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Sep, 13. 1930. Carl Russell waves to his co-workers on the structural work of the 88th floor of the new Empire State Building. Continue reading »

What Russian Empire Looked Like Before 1917… In Color

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The Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Collection features color photographic surveys of the vast Russian Empire made between ca. 1905 and 1915. Frequent subjects among the 2,607 distinct images include people, religious architecture, historic sites, industry and agriculture, public works construction, scenes along water and railway transportation routes, and views of villages and cities. An active photographer and scientist, Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944) undertook most of his ambitious color documentary project from 1909 to 1915. The Library of Congress purchased the collection from the photographer’s sons in 1948. Continue reading »

“Dwarf Empire” in Kunming, China

Thirty-five kilometers outside Kunming, in China’s Yunnan province, lies a butterfly ecological garden nestled on an artificial hill created by a Chinese entrepreneur. The main attraction on the hill though is not the butterflies but a group of performers taking part in a production called “Dwarf Empire” or “The Empire of the Little People”. Chinese entrepreneur Chen Mingjing opened the theme park in mid-2009, employing a number of dwarves to create the show, and he says to help the less fortunate by creating jobs for them. Despite criticism from diverse groups calling the whole idea “barbaric” and an “exploitation of less fortunate people”, both Mr. Chen as well as the employees, see it as a positive initiative which allows them to earn a living while not worrying about what others around them think.


“Dwarf Empire” cast members perform at the Dwarf Empire theme park outside Kunming, China’s Yunnan province, 04 April 2013. The Dwarf Empire theme park opened in mid-2009, employing a number of dwarves to create the show. Depending on what type of job they do at the park, employees earn between 800-2,000 CNY (100-250 Euros) per month, most of which goes towards their savings as lodging is provided, and their living quarters are equipped with kitchens where they prepare their own meals. (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA)
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