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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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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.

The Russian Compound excavation site in central Jerusalem and the Roman siege engine ballista stones found there, which were then used to plot the launch location of the projectiles. Source: Yoli Schwartz / Israel Antiquities Authority
11 August, 2022 - 18:53 ashley cowie

Roman Siege Engines Tracked and Traced in Jerusalem

An Israeli archaeologist has been digging up and plotting the location of big roundish rocks in a specific area of ancient Jerusalem. But these are no building blocks, quite the opposite. They were...
Left; 1660 chart illustrating Tycho Brahe’s model of the universe Right; Portrait of Tycho Braha, Skokloster Castle, Source: Left; Public Domain, Right; Public Domain
10 August, 2022 - 14:59 Sahir

Tycho the Psycho? Meet One of History’s Maddest Scientific Minds Ever!

Tycho Brahe, the 16th century Danish astronomer, alchemist, astrologist, and scientist (1546-1601) was a force to be reckoned with – the true epitome of the brilliant, mad scientist. In the backdrop...
This Chinese knife coinage from the Eastern Zhou dynasty was used in the remarkable Chinese bronze alloy analysis study that finally revealed the hidden alloy formulas. Source: Lui et al / Antiquity Publications Ltd
10 August, 2022 - 00:00 Nathan Falde

Innovative Study Reveals the Genius of Ancient Chinese Bronze Makers

After decades of effort by scientists and historians around the world, a pair of researchers from the United Kingdom have finally identified the mystery ingredients used by Chinese metallurgists in...
This is one of the two rare huge Olmec reliefs from 900-400 BC found in the province of Tabasco, Mexico, which signal the transitional Mayanization of Olmec motifs, according to INAH archaeologists. Source: INAH
9 August, 2022 - 18:56 Sahir

Two Huge Stone Olmec Reliefs Depict Rulers in Divine Trance Pose

Massive monuments and two carved limestone Olmec reliefs of local rulers have been recovered from the municipality of Tenosique in south-eastern Mexico. The rulers in this extremely rare Olmec relief...
Majestic sunrise at Castlerigg Stone Circle in the Lake District, one of many sites located on ley lines. Source: Danoz/Adobe Stock
9 August, 2022 - 14:50 Dr. John Hill

Ley Hunters: Were Bronze Age Britons Really Following Ley Lines?

Google Earth is an amazingly useful tool for investigators to explore the sacred landscapes of prehistoric Britain. For sure, its accuracy cannot be denied. Indeed, one can even survey and measure...
William Rudolf Lobkowicz on a visit to the family’s Non-Fungible Castle in the Czech Republic, where family NFTs or non-fungible tokens or digital artworks are made and sold to raise funds to preserve 600 years of Lobkowicz history, art and architecture. Source: The Lobkowicz Collections
8 August, 2022 - 23:00 ashley cowie

Ancient Czech Republic’s Family Is Selling NFTs To Cover Conservation Costs

Using NFTs and the metaverse, a 27-year-old prince from the Czech Republic aims to preserve his family’s 700-year-old castles and art collections. The six-century-old Bohemian Lobkowicz family is...
This is the scene archaeologists found in the bedroom in the middle-class Pompeii House of the Larario, so-called because of the many Lares guardian deities found in the home’s well-decorated courtyard. Source: Pompeii Sites
8 August, 2022 - 19:00 Sahir

Bedroom Furnishings Offer a Glimpse of Middle-Class Life in Pompeii

Four new rooms discovered in a house in Pompeii provide a poignant picture of life as it existed for ordinary middle-class Pompeiians when the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 brought everything...
Natural pearls inside an oyster shell were a surprise in the ancient food sources of peoples living on the coast in the Persian Gulf and southern India and before long they were world famous elite gemstones. Source: valeriy555 / Adobe Stock
5 August, 2022 - 22:56 Lex Leigh

Hidden Gems: The Use of Pearls Throughout History

Pearls are one of the most beautiful gemstones in the world. Beyond their shimmering beauty, they also have a fascinating history in countless regions throughout the world. From religious texts to...
The huge mosaic of the Twelve Labors of Heracles discovered at Syedra, Turkey. Source: Turkey Department of Culture
5 August, 2022 - 18:57 Sahir

Massive Mosaic Depicting the 12 Labors of Heracles Unearthed in Turkey

Excavations being carried out in the ancient city of Syedra, traced back to 2,900 years ago, continue to shed light on the vibrant history of what is now Turkey. Located in the Alanya district of...
Enormous golden filigree chain found with the Wonder shipwreck in the Bahamas. Source: Nathaniel Harrington / Allen Exploration
3 August, 2022 - 01:53 ashley cowie

Billionaire Explorer Reveals Lost Treasures of the Wonder Ship

Between 2019 and 2020, an explorer in the Bahamas scanned a 17th century shipwreck using over 8,000 underwater metal detectors. As a result, he literally struck gold, big time. This week a new museum...
Left, King Boleslaw, Right; the sword from the Boleshaw era found in Poland. Source: Left; CC BY-SA 3.0 / Right; Joanna Klimek-Szymanowicz Wójt Gminy Lewin Kłodzki / The First News
2 August, 2022 - 18:58 Sahir

1,000-year-old Polish Boleslaw Sword Reveals Glorious Knighthood Era

A 1,000-year-old “Boleslaw sword” (i.e., from the glorious reign of Boleslaw the Brave; lived 967-1025 AD) dated to the beginning of the 11th century and believed to have belonged to a knight working...
The Nimrud lens. Source: The British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
2 August, 2022 - 14:59 Joanna Gillan

Is the Assyrian Nimrud Lens the Oldest Telescope in the World?

The Nimrud lens is a 3,000-year-old piece of rock crystal unearthed by Sir John Layard in 1850 at the Assyrian palace of Nimrud, in modern-day Iraq. Since its discovery over a century ago, scientists...
This almost perfect medieval lion pendant found by the HS2 archaeological project. Source: HS2
1 August, 2022 - 18:59 Nathan Falde

Royal Medieval Lion Pendant Released To Spur On the Ladies at Wembley

A crowd of almost 88000 filled the stands to watch the finals of the Women’s Euro 22 soccer championship on Sunday, July 31 at Wembley stadium, most cheering madly for the English team. The...
An illustration of a torture horse of the Spanish Donkey or Wooden Horse variety. (Public domain)
1 August, 2022 - 14:58 Sahir

The Spanish Donkey: Medieval History’s Most Horrific Torture Method

Throughout history, two things have remained constant. First, the intermingling of cultures has produced countless local variations of original ideas, be it cuisine, or language, or fashion. Second,...
Weld-Blundell Prism, a clay cuneiform inscribed with the Sumerian Kings List. Source: Public domain
30 July, 2022 - 02:00 Joanna Gillan

The Sumerian King List Reveals the Origin of Mesopotamian Kingship

Out of the many incredible artifacts that have been recovered from sites in Iraq where flourishing Sumerian cities once stood, few have been more intriguing than the Sumerian King List. An ancient...
The rare 69-AD Batavian mask find. Source: City of Krefeld, Press, and Communications
28 July, 2022 - 18:56 Nathan Falde

Rare Batavian Calvary Mask Worn in Revolt Against The Romans Found

Archaeologists excavating an ancient Roman site near the German city of Krefeld, just a few miles west of the Rhine, uncovered a rare Batavian mask, face-fitted for the elite Batavian cavalrymen,...
Viking Longboat 'Hugin', Ramsgate. Source: Peter Lelliott / (CC BY-SA 2.0)
27 July, 2022 - 18:57 Mark Brophy

Viking Ships: More than Fearsome Weapons of the Open Seas

Few things struck fear into the hearts of medieval people more than the sight of a fleet of Viking ships sailing up the coast of their homelands. The Viking ship is iconic for its unique style,...
A 1,800-year-old Roman coin portraying the goddess Luna was recovered from the Israeli Mediterranean. Source: Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority
26 July, 2022 - 22:59 Sahir

Rare Roman Coin Portraying Moon Goddess Luna Retrieved from Israeli Waters

A rare and beautiful bronze coin from the reign of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, who ruled as emperor between 138 and 161 AD, has been discovered off the coast of Haifa in Israel. The 1,850-year-old...
Recently, a team of Turkish scientists have recreated a 1200-BC Mesopotamian perfume made by the "world's first female chemist" Tapputi. These glass bottles are full of “modern” perfumes that all benefited from the first scent pioneers of the ancient world. Source: gal2007 / Adobe Stock
25 July, 2022 - 22:59 Nathan Falde

3,200-Year-Old Mesopotamian Perfume Recreated from Ancient Text

A woman named Tapputi carried the distinction of being the first female chemist in Mesopotamia and the first female perfume maker anywhere in the world, approximately 3,200 years ago. Working with a...
Section of X-ray image of Vincent van Gogh self-portrait discovered at the back of another van Gogh painting housed in Edinburgh. Source: National Galleries of Scotland
25 July, 2022 - 14:58 Lex Leigh

Hidden Faces: Vincent van Gogh's Secret Self-Portrait

Vincent van Gogh, one of the most famous figures in 19th-century Western art history, is still surprising us. According to the National Galleries of Scotland, a previously hidden self-portrait of van...
Therapist giving acupuncture to a woman. Source: juripozzi / Adobe Stock
23 July, 2022 - 22:59 Molly Dowdeswell

The Evolution of Acupuncture: From Ancient China to Worldwide Recognition

It is commonly believed that acupuncture played a key role in China’s medical history and is often seen as an integral part of China’s traditional health care, at least in the west. However, was this...
Replica of a sculpture made by the Olmecs, the ancient rubber people of Mesoamerica. Source: Stoica / Adobe Stock
23 July, 2022 - 18:56 Mark Brophy

The Ancient Rubber People of Mesoamerica

Ancient civilizations in Mexico and Central America were making rubber decades before Michelin ever entered into business. For the Aztecs, Maya, and Olmecs, rubber production was a central part of...
The waterway wonders of China’s Grand Canal are both picturesque and ancient in some sections but also super modern and unattractive in others. This part of the canal is in the ancient, preserved section of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. Source: gui yong nian / Adobe Stock
22 July, 2022 - 22:57 Lex Leigh

The 2500-year-old Genius of China’s Grand Canal System

Ancient China is known for its famous dynasties, rich culture, and some of the first “advanced” technological innovations in the world. One of the best-known works created in ancient China is China’s...
Some information can be gathered about sex in ancient Egypt by viewing scenes from the mastaba tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum at Saqqara in Egypt. Source: Sailingstone / Adobe Stock
22 July, 2022 - 18:52 Robbie Mitchell

Exploring Sex in Ancient Egypt

People often have the strange idea that people in the “olden days” were much more conservative when it came to sex than they are today. However, if modern history tells us anything it is that people...

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