Ancient Places

Ancient places can be found all over the world. Their fascinating histories and impressive artifacts open intriguing glimpses to times past, and visiting such ancient places in the world can be an unforgettable experience.

Science is constantly discovering new archaeological places and uncovering more evidence into what we once thought we knew about our history, therefore offering new pieces to the ever changing puzzle of humanity’s past and altering how we interpret it. This section will present the most interesting archaeological sites all over the world, as well as new discoveries of ancient places that are worth paying a visit.

Archaeologists excavating a complicated triple burial at England’s Oakington Cambridgeshire site, which was used in the recent Nature study to determine the true impact of Anglo-Saxon migration on medieval eastern and southern England. Source: Nature

22 September, 2022 - 18:56 Sahir

Anglo-Saxon Migration Created a ‘European’ Medieval England

The history of the British Isles is marked by several phases of migration and multiple periods of monumental change, including invasions by the Romans, Vikings and the Normans, and mass migration by...

The Pesse canoe, shown here, believed to be the world's oldest known boat, was made roughly 10,000 years ago in the Mesolithic period, from a Scots pine trunk, in the Netherlands region.

21 September, 2022 - 18:58 Lex Leigh

Europe’s Famous Mesolithic Pesse Canoe: Earth’s Oldest Known Boat

One of the most interesting artifact discoveries was the finding of the Pesse canoe in 1955. This unique boat is considered to be the oldest boat in existence and is estimated to be around 10,000...

Pinned to the side of its cliff face is the Xuan Kong Si, also known as the Hanging Monastery of Mount Heng. (Public domain)

18 September, 2022 - 14:57 Cecilia Bogaard

15 Incredible Cliff Constructions from the Ancient World

Humans have created monumental constructions on cliff faces throughout the world. These striking architectural wonders have often times been inspired by the desire to come closer to the heavens or to...

Model reproduction of the Dispilio tablet at the prehistoric lakeside settlement of Dispilio in northern Greece. Source: Мико / CC BY-SA 4.0

16 September, 2022 - 22:55 johnblack

The Dispilio Tablet and the Real Origins of Writing

Conventional archaeology claims that writing was not invented until some time between 3000 and 4000 BC in Sumeria . However, the discovery of a far older artifact in northern Greece appears to...

This lower jaw tooth of an early human species, from roughly 1.8 million years ago, discovered at the Orozmani site in southern Georgia, provides more evidence that the first humans left Africa and wandered northeast. Source: Municipality Of Dmanisi

14 September, 2022 - 18:51 Sahir

Early Humans Out of Africa: 1.8 Myo Tooth Found in Orozmani, Georgia!

It was only a year ago, when the oldest hominin site outside Africa was discovered near the village of Kvemo Orozmani in southern Georgia. The 2021 Georgia discovery included stone tools and animal...

Aerial view of the elite platform and the 15 stemmed macroblades found in a cache at the Maya settlement in Belize. Source: ©2022 VOPA and Belize Institute of Archaeology, NICH / University of Illinois

13 September, 2022 - 22:57 Nathan Falde

Excavations at Maya Settlement in Belize Tell Story of Maya Golden Age

Representatives of the Belize Institute of Archaeology have been working with graduate students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on a series of excavations in Central America. During...

Dyfed Archaeological Trust diggers standing in front of the boxes of artifacts found at what is thought to be the medieval friary site in Haverfordwest, Wales. Source: Dyfed Archaeological Trust

13 September, 2022 - 18:58 Sahir

Unexplained Remains of Children Found Near Welsh Medieval Friary Site

A dig to find the location of a 600-year-old medieval friary in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, has resulted in the macabre discovery of countless human remains. So far, nearly 100 skeletons have been...

A man in black shirt sitting and doing qigong with his hands directing his body's life energy or qi. Source: Anna / Adobe Stock

12 September, 2022 - 18:57 Robbie Mitchell

The Ancient Chinese Healing Art of Qigong

Visit any park in China over the last few hundred years and you’re likely to see dozens of people practicing qigong. What started as a traditional Chinese treatment over 4,000 years ago has become a...

The medieval Bojnice castle in Slovakia is one of many real-life fairytale castles in Europe. Source: radu79 / Adobe Stock

12 September, 2022 - 14:51 Cecilia Bogaard

10 Real-life Fairytale Castles from Across Europe

The castles we see in movies and picture books were not just inspired by fantasy and imagination. In most cases they were based on real-life castles, many of which can be found in Europe. Evolving...

English Tourists in Campagna, one of many ancient tourist spots, by Carl Spitzweg. Source: Public domain

10 September, 2022 - 18:52 Lex Leigh

10 Tourist Spots That Ancient People Visited

Believe it or not, tourism has been around since the time of the Egyptians. Throughout history, ancient people used to travel not only for political and religious purposes, but also for leisure and...

A statue of a woman grieving the loss of a loved one at Staglieno Cemetery (mallorca78 / Adobe Stock)

10 September, 2022 - 14:54 Joanna Gillan

12 Hauntingly Beautiful Headstones of Staglieno Cemetery

There may be no other cemetery on earth that captures the emotion of love, loss and grief around death like Staglieno Cemetery in the Italian city of Genoa. With its stunningly life-like sculptures...

An ancient Buddhist statue (a replica) amidst the ruins of a rescued Buddhist monastery at Nagarjunakonda, India. Source: Ms Sarah Welch / CC0

8 September, 2022 - 14:49 Sahir

Rescued From A Dam: Nagarjunakonda, India’s Flooded Buddhist Center

Nagarjunakonda is a historical town located in what is now Guntur district of the south-eastern state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was a very important Buddhist site and center of learning from the...

One of 13 intentionally modified deformed skulls found at the Tol-e Chega Sofla Neolithic cemetery in Iran. Source: Tehran Times

7 September, 2022 - 22:49 Nathan Falde

Intentionally Deformed Skulls Dug Up in Odd Neolithic Iranian Cemetery

In excavations in southwestern Iran at the Tol-e Chega Sofla site on the Zohreh plain, a team of Iranian archaeologists unearthed 13 deformed skulls of humans, all of which had been intentionally...

Fantasy image of a lost civilization underwater. Source: Максим Горбанев/ Adobe Stock

5 September, 2022 - 18:52 Lex Leigh

Nine Civilizations That Met Mysterious (and Unfortunate) Ends

One of the most fascinating subjects to study throughout history is the rise and fall of various civilizations. While in some cases we have an understanding of the evolution and downfall of these...

The largest ever dinosaur fossil in Europe, from a huge sauropod dinosaur, during excavations. Image: Photo courtesy of Instituto Dom Luiz / Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.

30 August, 2022 - 23:00 Sahir

Largest Ever Dinosaur Fossil Emerges from Portuguese Jurassic Backyard

The skeleton of a ginormous 82-foot (25-meter) long late-Jurassic dinosaur skeleton was found in central Portugal, which was accidentally unearthed in a man’s backyard in the city of Pombal back in...

The mythology of cultures around the world is filled with tales of underground cities and caves. Image of the underground city of Cappadocia in Turkey. Source: Wirestock Creators / Adobe Stock

27 August, 2022 - 01:56 Joanna Gillan

Underground Cities Around the World – Myths and Reality

Underground structures, and sometimes even entire cities, have always been part of myths and religions around the world. While a few of these have been discovered, most of them have not. Alongside...

The village and citadel at Thula have their roots in the Himyarite kingdom. Source: fotoember/ Adobe Stock

26 August, 2022 - 14:48 Robbie Mitchell

The Himyarite Kingdom’s Bloody Conversion to Judaism: Passion or Ploy?

The Himyarite Kingdom was established in 110 BC and lasted until 570 AC. It is most often remembered these days as the “Jewish Kingdom”, thanks to the fact that for some time its predominant religion...

Representation of the modes of locomotion practiced by Sahelanthropus in Chad, Africa 7 million years ago, which is one million years earlier than current biped origins. (Sabine Riffaut, Guillaume Daver, Franck Guy / PALEVOPRIM / CNRS – University of Poitiers)

25 August, 2022 - 22:54 Nathan Falde

Human Ancestors Were Already Bipeds 7-Million Years Ago

It took millions of years for modern humans to evolve from apelike creatures to today’s Homo sapiens, ie. you and me. At various points along this long and arduous journey certain important...

These rare dinosaur tracks were exposed to the light, as it were, by extreme dryness in a Texas riverbed gone dry. Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

24 August, 2022 - 22:53 ashley cowie

Extreme Drought Exposes Theropod Dinosaur Tracks in Texas River

A record drought in Texas has exposed a bunch of 110-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in yet another example of how climate change is both revealing new things and making us uncomfortable. As lakes,...

A mural from the tomb Inkherkhau (TT359) on the West Bank of Nile - Thebes, Luxor, depicting a funerary procession with ancient Egyptian priests performing libations, the first one wearing leopard skin. Source: Svetlaili /Adobe Stock

21 August, 2022 - 14:59 Robbie Mitchell

A Day in the Life of an Ancient Egyptian Priest

We can learn a lot about a civilization from its dominant religion. Ancient Egypt is a good example. The religion of ancient Egypt had a far-reaching effect on every aspect of daily life. If you want...

Athens at sunset. Source: gatsi / Adobe Stock

19 August, 2022 - 01:59 Robbie Mitchell

Athens, Home of Democracy: From Antiquity to Modernity

We often think of ancient Athens as being the home of democracy, the place where it all started. And this is true. But the shocking truth is that Athens has spent the vast majority of its existence...

This painting, from circa 1675 by Joseph Heinz the Younger, shows a wild Venetian bridge war on the famous Ponte dei pugni bridge. Source: Joseph Heintz the Younger / CC BY-SA 4.0

18 August, 2022 - 15:00 Mark Brophy

Venetian Bridge Wars: The ‘Fighting Spirit’ of Renaissance Venice

For generations of Venetians, “guerra di canne” or “war with sticks” was a celebrated tradition. Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, Venice was divided into many different...

The center of the late-Neolithic-period Chinese pyramid palace city slowly emerging from the landscape it became part of thousands of years ago. Source: China Daily

11 August, 2022 - 18:56 Sahir

King Carved In Stone Found at 4,200-Year-Old Chinese Pyramid Palace

A team of archaeologists have potentially found the portrait of a king carved into stone at the base of a massive prehistoric pyramid complex in northwest China. At more than 70 meters (230 feet) in...

Cadmus, the first Greek hero and founder of Thebes, fighting the dreaded dragon in a painting by Hendrick Goltzius. Source: Hendrik Goltzius / Public domain

10 August, 2022 - 18:58 Jake Leigh-Howarth

Cadmus: The Amazing Tale of the First Greek Hero and It’s Horrible End

Out of all the pantheons, the exuberant deities of the ancient Greeks are perhaps the most iconic of all. For generations, imaginations have been enflamed and inspired by the sumptuous mix of high...

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