All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Artifacts

There are undoubtedly millions of ancient artifacts from the past that have served to shed light on the lives of our ancestors from many millennia ago. But some ancient mystical artifacts stand out for their uniqueness, their intrigue, or their ability to expand our knowledge about previously unknown aspects of our history. Here we feature many such ancient history artifacts, from amazing examples of ancient technology, to artistic masterpieces, unexplained objects, ancient texts, and mysterious artifacts that shed light on the daily lives of our ancestors.

Broken parts of the flush toilet unearthed from the Yueyang archaeological site in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. Source: China Daily.
18 February, 2023 - 17:57 Sahir

The Royal Flush: 2,400-Year-Old Toilet Used by Emperors Unearthed in China

Archaeologists have unearthed the bottom half of a manual flush toilet that dates back 2,400 years in the Yueyang archaeological site in China’s Shaanxi province. Yueyang served as a capital city...
Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III. Source: Asta/Public Domain
17 February, 2023 - 18:00 Aleksa Vučković

The Majestic Medinet Habu and the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III

Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III was one of the last great Ancient Egyptian pharaohs of the New Kingdom period. The second ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty, Ramesses III was a notable warrior pharaoh,...
Representational image of a Viking-era boat. Source: Noel Cook / Adobe Stock
17 February, 2023 - 13:53 Sahir

Viking-Era Boat Has Been Discovered Under an English Pub

Archaeologists from the University of Nottingham are currently studying what locals believe to be a Viking-era boat that was discovered buried beneath a pub car park in Wirral, England. The boat was...
Image depicting the Inka tunic or Unku found in northern Chile from the wearer’s point of view. Source: Correa-Lau, J., et. al. / CC BY 4.0
15 February, 2023 - 17:56 Sahir

Chilean Inka Tunic Provides Insight into Inka Power & Cultural Fusion

A brilliant new study on unkus , a type of standardized Inka tunic, has shed light on a rather important matter of socio-political organization – that of centralization of power. Based on the unku...
Human remains of the burials found of the Huastec people of Mexico. Source: INAH
15 February, 2023 - 00:57 Nathan Falde

Archaeologists Unearth Trinket Filled Tombs from Mexico’s Huastec Culture

Archaeologists working on a site in southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, known as El Naranjo, have discovered tombs and ruins from Mesoamerica's Classic period (250 AD to 900 AD). The remains include...
'Song of Songs' illustrated by Florence Kingsford/Southern Methodist University. Source: Public Domain
14 February, 2023 - 01:00 ancient origins

Why is a Love Poem Full of Sex in the Bible?

By Jonathan Kaplan /The Conversation Many Americans have heard the expression “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” – in fact, a quick Google search turns up myriad websites offering wedding...
The Book of Revelation. Source: Brian Jackson / Adobe Stock
13 February, 2023 - 14:00 Nathan Falde

The Book of Revelation is Filled with Ancient Curses, New Research Reveals

The Book of Revelation is filled with prophetic visions of apocalyptic events. But if the astonishing conclusions of a Biblical researcher from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) are correct,...
Examples of an Oldowan percussive tool, core and flakes dating from roughly 2.9 million years ago and found at the Nyayanga site in Kenya are seen in this undated handout image. Source: T.W. Plummer, J.S. Oliver, and E. M. Finestone/Homa Peninsula Paleoanthropology Project
10 February, 2023 - 21:56 Nathan Falde

Results of Kenyan Dig Suggest Africa’s First Toolmakers Were Not Human

A multi-year series of excavations at a site near Lake Victoria in Kenya unearthed a collection of Oldowan stone tools that are likely the oldest ever found on Earth, dating back to the Pliocene...
This rare gold bead, dating back at least 1,600 years, was uncovered in dirt taken from a Roman structure in Jerusalem's Emek Tzurim National Park. Source: Ari Levy/Israel Antiquities Authority.
10 February, 2023 - 13:59 Nathan Falde

Volunteer Finds Intricate 5th-Century Gold Bead in Archaeological Debris

While sifting through dirt and rubble removed from a huge Roman structure discovered during excavations at Pilgrimage Road in the City of David in Jerusalem, a National Service volunteer found a...
Stone of Destiny, also known as Lia Fail. Hill of Tara. County Meath. Source: jamegaw/Adobe Stock
9 February, 2023 - 21:59 ashley cowie

Vandal Strikes at Lia Fáil, Ireland’s Ancient Spiritual Heart

Ireland’s “Stone of Destiny” - the Lia Fáil - or Stone that Roared, has been defaced by a mindless vandal. Although mindless isn’t quite right, at they actually seem to have thought about what they...
Workers excavating the Hun warrior tomb which was discovered at one of several archaeological sites unearthed during the construction of a highway in Romania. Source: CNAIR / Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology
7 February, 2023 - 13:54 Nathan Falde

Gold Laden Hun Warrior Tomb Uncovered by Romanian Highway Project

Amidst the buzz of a highway construction project in Romania, a team of workers accidentally stumbled upon a historic trove of buried treasure and a Hun warrior tomb. The archaeological site revealed...
Stone Age jade axehead, Scotland, c. 4000 BC. Most of them were brought to Scotland around 4,000 years BC. Credit: Project Jade
6 February, 2023 - 13:55 Joanna Gillan

Jade Beauty: 15 Must-See Artifacts in Pictures

Jade has been used by ancient civilizations for thousands of years, dating back to the Neolithic period. The precious stone was highly valued by the Chinese and was often referred to as "the royal...
Representational image depicting ancient text being brought to life by artificial intelligence, such as the newly announced Fragmentarium AI. Source: Надежда Семироз / Adobe Stock
5 February, 2023 - 17:58 ashley cowie

The Fragmentarium: New AI Tool Pieces Together Ancient Babylonian Texts

Artificial intelligence has now officially seeped into ancient history. Linguists at the Institute for Assyriology at Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany have created an artificial intelligence (...
The Bjørnstad Ship carving, Norway. Source: Sarpsborg Turist as/Visit Norway
3 February, 2023 - 13:57 Aleksa Vučković

The Bjørnstad Ship: A Rare Window into the Nordic Bronze Age

Situated near Sarpsborg, Norway, the enigmatic Bjørnstad ship is a fantastic glimpse into the prehistoric, pre-Viking age of Scandinavia. Such ancient carvings are few, and often hard to discover -...
Opole-Ostrówek, wooden "mask" from the mid-12th century. (Karol Szott/Kamil Kajkowski, "Masks from Opole in the context of Medieval Slavic rites", Archaeologia Polski 66, 2021, fig.3). Source: Archaeologia Polski/ CC BY 4.0
2 February, 2023 - 13:58 ashley cowie

Mask or Masquerade? Skeptic Totally ‘Trashes’ Magical Pagan Masks

For over six decades, it was believed that two wooden objects discovered in Opole, Poland were pagan Slavic masks used in mystical ceremonies held in cemetery woods. However, recent research by a...
The Skull of Anne d’Alegre, countess of Laval (1565-1619) equipped with hippo bone dental prostheses and gold wire. Source: Rozenn Collator / Inrap
1 February, 2023 - 01:07 ashley cowie

Anne d’Alegre and Her Dirty Dental Secret

Like many LA celebrities today, serious dental work was carried out in 17th century France to protect the smiles of perceived social elites. This statement is based on new research into the well-...
A Bellarmine jug found on the seabed near the wreck of the Dutch warship Klein Hollandia, identified off the coast of Eastbourne, England. Source: © James Clark
31 January, 2023 - 13:49 Sahir

Wreck Identified As Key Dutch Warship After Centuries Underwater

A Protected Wreck off the coast of Sussex, known simply as “Unknown Wreck Off Eastbourne”, now has a name. It has been identified as the 17th-century Dutch warship Klein Hollandia . Specialists from...
The spectacular array of treasures uncovered in Polish peat bog are believed to have been sacrifices by the Bronze Age Lusatian culture. Source: Tytus Zmijewski
29 January, 2023 - 21:56 ashley cowie

Sacrificial Treasure Trove of Bronze Age Artifacts Found in Peat Bog

Researchers in Poland were metal detecting a drained peat bog based on speculation when they unearthed an ancient sacrificial site containing a treasure trove of bronze artifacts dating to the Bronze...
An X-ray showing the relative size of the giant sword found in the Japanese tomb. Archaeological Institute of Kashihara in Nara Prefecture.
28 January, 2023 - 17:53 ashley cowie

Giant 7-Foot Sword and Mirror for Demon Slaying found in Japan Tomb

Researchers in Japan were excavating an ancient kofun burial mound when they found an enormous shield-shaped bronze mirror and a giant 7-foot iron sword, the largest that have ever been discovered on...
Archaeologists found a selection of animal skulls at the Neanderthal cave in Spain, including this bison skull. Source: Nature Human Behaviour / CC BY 4.0
27 January, 2023 - 21:52 Nathan Falde

Neanderthals Filled This Spanish Cave with Animal Skulls. But Why?

As the data continues to accumulate, it becomes more and more clear that Neanderthals were highly intelligent hominins who built their own unique and remarkable culture. Some of the latest...
Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, the director of the Egyptian excavation team, works at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara where the golden mummy and states were found. Source: Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities
27 January, 2023 - 17:52 Sahir

Mummy Found Covered in Gold May be Oldest Ever Found in Egypt!

A Pharaonic tomb containing a mummy wrapped in a gold-covered leaf may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date. It has been uncovered in Saqqara, near the Step Pyramid. Estimated...
The chariot axle and the Iron Age pit in which it was found. Source: Cotswold Archaeology
27 January, 2023 - 00:54 Gary Manners

Iron Age Chariot Axle Offers A Rare Example of Prehistoric Technology

An "exceptionally rare" Iron Age wooden axle from a chariot or cart has been found in a waterlogged pit in Eastbridge, Suffolk. The fragment was uncovered ahead of tree planting for the Sizewell C...
The buildings of Venice appear to float above the water, begging the question “how was Venice built?” Source: muratart / Adobe Stock
24 January, 2023 - 00:56 dhwty

Architecture of the Floating (Or Sinking) City: How Was Venice Built?

The romantic city of Venice is known by many names, including the floating city, the city of canals and even the Queen of the Adriatic. This city of water was built on dozens of tiny islands located...
Recently discovered textiles in the Aravah point to Silk Road trade in ancient Israel. Source: Israel Antiquities Authority: Olga Nganbitsky Nofer Shamir, Roy Galili.
22 January, 2023 - 17:56 ashley cowie

Precious Ancient Fabrics from the ‘Israeli Silk Road’ Found in a Trash Heap

Archaeologists have uncovered rare, printed fabrics dating back around 1,300 years. While the fabrics had originated in the East, they were found in an Israeli dump! It is the first evidence of a...

Pages