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Ancient Traditions

Ancient Origins brings you articles related to Ancient Traditions from all over the world. Find related articles in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends.

Demonic Evil Meets Human Evil: When Evil Was Released into the World “There is no good, and there is no evil. There is only the flesh and the patterns to which we submit it.” At least that was one of the things which the character Pinhead was supposed to say according to a proposed script for one of the Hellraiser movies based on the writings of Clive Barker. Even though the line was not used in the film, to a certain extent, there is some truth to that. The dual perspective based on the good-evil distinc
12 February, 2022 - 22:00 Phoenix Vald

Demonic Evil Meets Human Evil: When Evil Was Released into the World

“There is no good, and there is no evil. There is only the flesh and the patterns to which we submit it.” At least that was one of the things which the character Pinhead was supposed to say according...
The legendary Silver Shields of Alexander the Great went on to serve Eumenes as the house of Argead battled the Macedonian forces of Antigonus but in the end family trumped loyalty. Source: Honga
10 February, 2022 - 22:00 Thanos Matanis

Silver Shields: Alexander's Crack Troops Who Betrayed Their New Master

Could a ragtag team of elite troops in their later years, and a bureaucrat-turn-general take on the military powerhouse of the day? Eumenes, the Greek general, was tasked by Olympias (Alexander’s...
A stunningly made and preserved silk textile, one of many, found at the Astana Cemetery in far northwestern China. Source: Public domain
8 February, 2022 - 01:00 dhwty

The Astana Cemetery and Perfectly Preserved Textiles of Gaochang

The Astana Cemetery is an ancient cemetery located near Turpan, in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, northwestern China. The cemetery was used during the 1st millennium AD by the inhabitants of...
Uncovered bulls head from the northeast platform in building 77 at Çatalhöyük. Source: Çatalhöyük Research Project / CC BY-NC 4.0
6 February, 2022 - 22:00 ancient-origins

How Domesticated Cattle Changed Life in Çatalhöyük

Those who have studied Çatalhöyük are aware that cattle appear to have been a hugely important animal in the Neolithic Central Anatolian town of Çatalhöyük East on the Konya Plain in modern-day...
The persecution of witches is a common theme within the history of witchcraft. Source: Matrioshka / Adobe Stock
5 February, 2022 - 22:00 Phoenix Vald

The Long History of Witchcraft Persecution

Since the beginnings of history, humans believed in religions of a polytheist type, worshipping a plurality of gods and spirits. By proposing a monotheist religious system, Christianity intended to...
An aerial view of the newly discovered BC Buddhist temple found in the Barikok ruins of Pakistan. Source: Ca' Foscari University
2 February, 2022 - 22:00 Sahir

One of the Oldest Known Buddhist Temples Found in Barikot, Pakistan

Archaeologists from an Italian archaeological mission, working in collaboration with the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (ISMEO), have found the remains of a Buddhist...
According to folklore and myths, certain Finnish trees hold spirits and deities and hugging them brings people in closer contact with these. Source: leonovo / Adobe Stock
31 January, 2022 - 18:00 Niina Niskanen

Greeting Old Friends: Sacred Trees in Finnish Folklore

Finland is known as a country with many forests. In fact, over 75% of Finland is covered in forests. Therefore, it is not surprising that Finnish folklore includes several myths and stories told...
Covesea Caves with screenshot of one of the bones discovered inside. Source: Society for Antiquaries of Scotland
31 January, 2022 - 14:00 Sahir

Mystical Mummification: Latest Secret of Scotland’s Covesea Caves

The Covesea Caves range just short of Inverness on Scotland’s northeastern coast have been known to archaeologists since 1929, but each round of exploration and analysis throws up fresh surprises...
One of the skulls from the Nahal Hemar Cave. KEYWORD Source: Clara Amit / IAA
22 January, 2022 - 13:43 Nathan Falde

Fascinating Asphalt-Coated Skulls Excavated in Israel Date to 7,000 BC

Nahal Hemar cave in Israel’s southern Judean Desert has proven to be one of the most artifact-rich excavation sites in the region. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has provided details of a new...
Wendigos fall into the larger definition of cannibalism as they consume parts of living people. Source: Daniel / Adobe Stock
22 January, 2022 - 01:00 Phoenix Vald

Atypical Nourishment – Hematophagy, Cannibalism and Necrophagy

The character Renfield from Bram Stoker's “Dracula" admitted the importance of blood, saying that “The blood is the life." This idea is not new, for example, Maya kings attempted to obtain the good...
Aerial photo of the Daisenryo Kofun , the largest of the Mozu tombs, a group of megalithic tombs located in Sakai, Japan. Source: TM / Adobe Stock
21 January, 2022 - 22:00 ashley cowie

Satellite Images Reveal Japanese Kofun Tombs all Aligned to Rising Sun

A team of scientists has mapped the alignments and orientations of hundreds of ancient Japanese Kofun keyhole-shaped burials, only to discover that not some of them, but all of them, face towards the...
The elongated skull of a Peruvian warrior who underwent skull surgery 2,000 years ago. Source: Museum of Osteology
18 January, 2022 - 22:00 Cecilia Bogaard

2,000-Year-Old Peruvian Underwent Successful Skull Surgery

A skull housed at the Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma is causing quite a stir. The ancient elongated skull, dating back 2,000 years, once belonged to a Peruvian warrior. After being injured during...
On the left, photograph of ancient Egyptian child mummy from Tomb of Aline, discovered in Hawara. On the right, CT scan of soft tissue infection in the lower leg, showing a mass consistent with dried pus. Source: Panzer et. al / International Journal of Paleopathology
17 January, 2022 - 13:51 Nathan Falde

Scan of Child Mummy Reveals Bandages and Pus-Filled Wound

During a computed tomography (CT) scan of a child mummy belonging to a youngster who lived in ancient Egypt , archaeologists found something unique and most unexpected. The imagery they obtained...
Samples of Schinus mole discovered at Quilcapampa in Peru which were used by Wari culture to make an alcoholic drink. Source: Lisa Milosavljevic & Royal Ontario Museum / Antiquity Publications Ltd
12 January, 2022 - 00:00 Sahir

Wari Culture Used Alcohol and Drugs to Maintain Political Control

An altered state of consciousness to rule an ancient empire? Not a plot of a television series or a fantasy novella, but a page out of the fascinating book that is human history. A new study...
One of the Frankenstein mummies found at Cladh Hallan in Scotland. Source: Mike Parker Pearson / University College London
7 January, 2022 - 01:00 aprilholloway

Why Did Ancient Scots Prepare ‘Frankenstein’ Mummies?

In 2001, a team of archaeologists found a pair of skeletons at an archaeological site on the island of South Uist off the coast of Scotland. At first, it appeared to be a typical Bronze Age discovery...
The Bolivian celebration known as the Fiesta de las Ñatitas pays homage to the dead. Source: Carlillasa / CC BY-SA 4.0
6 January, 2022 - 21:59 Khadija Tauseef

Bolivia’s Fiesta de las Ñatitas: Venerating Human Skulls and the Dead

As the sun reaches its zenith, people begin to flood the streets of La Paz, holding in their hands glass urns containing — wait for it — skulls. Although to many cultures this practice may seem...
Assyrian relief panel, 883–859 BC. Source: Public Domain / Met Museum
1 January, 2022 - 14:01 Joanna Gillan

Mesopotamian Kings Were Slapped in the Face in the Ancient Akitu Festival

The Akitu festival was one of the oldest Mesopotamian festivals, dating back to the middle of the third millennium BC. It was during this twelve-day ceremonial event, which began at the first New...
Fireworks are popular in New Year's traditions around the world
1 January, 2022 - 00:59 Joanna Gillan

Amazing New Year’s Traditions Around the World

In many countries around the world, New Year’s Day is celebrated on January 1st with fireworks and festivities the evening before. But this is not the only type of New Year’s celebration and not...
Imperial succession in Japan is up in the air as the choices get more complicated: could be a woman or a young man. Japanese Emperor Naruhito at his enthronement ceremony in Kyoto, October 2019. Source: Imperial Household Agency / CC BY 4.0
31 December, 2021 - 22:00 Sahir

Japan’s Succession Crisis: No Male Heirs Means Ancient Monarchy May Soon Disappear!

The Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous monarchy in the world, but it faces a clear succession crisis in the 21st century. Imperial descendance and inheritance is only passed through male...
There is a myriad of mythology surrounding mirrors. Source: MiaStendal / Adobe Stock
30 December, 2021 - 18:00 Phoenix Vald

Haunted Mirrors, Bloody Mary and Superstitious Mirror Mythology

A particular genre of mythology has formed around mirrors, made up of traditions and superstitions within cultures throughout the world. Researchers have tried to get to the bottom of these legends,...
Antarah ibn Shaddad representation from an old manuscript. Source: Public Domain
29 December, 2021 - 14:00 Abdallah Al Alfy

Antarah ibn Shaddad and the Origins of Chivalry in Pre-Islamic Arabia

When you think of concepts like honor, courtly love, and noblesse oblige, you likely conjure up images of European knights in steel-plate armor, mounted on giant destriers. European dress, European...
Declaration of Christmas Peace in 2014 in Porvoo, Finland. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0
24 December, 2021 - 22:00 ashley cowie

Christmas Peace: Finnish Criminals, You’ve Been Warned For Over 600 Years

An ancient Finnish law promising harsher sentences for Christmas criminals was read out to an empty town square. Christmas is nearly upon us, and if you haven’t already outright cancelled family...
Detail of a vintage Christmas postcard showing Christkind.
24 December, 2021 - 00:48 dhwty

Christkind: How Does this Christmas Gift-Bringer Differ from Santa Claus?

Christkind is a Christmas gift-bringer in certain European countries. Like its more famous counterpart, Santa Claus, Christkind is said to leave presents for children under the Christmas tree on the...
The Medieval Origins of The Carol: How Christmas Songs Have Survived Through the Centuries
22 December, 2021 - 00:59 ancient-origins

How Christmas Carols Have Survived the Centuries

Singing and Christmas seem to go naturally together, like plum pudding and custard. Even those who would not normally attend a choir concert or church service throughout the year might happily...

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