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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 Condor pot discovered at Chavín de Huántar 	Source: Antamina

Hidden Tunnels Lead to 3,000-Year-Old Condor Gallery At Chauvín de Huántar

When an archaeologist in Peru squeezed into a tunnel at Chauvín de Huántar in Peru, he discovered a hidden 3,000-year-old chamber. At the center of the ancient space he came across a singular...
An unusually large amber bead is the “apple-of-our-eye” find from the Gjellestad Viking ship excavation, according to archaeologist and project manager Christian Løchsen Rødsrud.  Source: Museum of Cultural History, Oslo

Most Exciting Finds From The Gjellestad Viking Ship So Far

It was in the May of 2020 when a 1,000-year-old Viking ship burial site, the Gjellestad Viking ship, was planned for extensive excavations. The site was discovered in 2018 and since then Ancient...
This ancient Urartian bronze belt, a rare artifact from the mysterious Urartu culture, was recently discovered in the ancient city known as Satala in Turkey.                 Source: TRT Haber

Bronze Urartian Belt Proves Kingdom Extended Much Further North

The past four years of excavations in Turkey’s ancient city of Satala have produced many exciting finds. Perhaps the most remarkable of the artifacts discovered there so far are the ornate Urartian...
Some of the 250 newly discovered mummy sarcophagi at the outdoor pop-up Djoser exhibition in Saqqara south of Cairo.	Source: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

New Treasures of Saqqara Showcased at the Pop-Up Djoser Exhibition

Egypt’s oldest pyramid in Saqqara was the spectacular venue for a pop-up Djoser exhibition in the desert outdoors. This is no tent with a few plastic chairs, but a fully equipped travelling museum...
This phallus has insulting Roman graffiti above it that was meant for another Roman soldier. The insult reads: “You shi**r!”	Source: Vindolanda Charitable Trust

Roman Graffiti Shows Carved Phallus With Insult Found at Vindolanda Fort

A sizable, engraved penis has been discovered at the Vindolanda Roman fort in England, with a clear insult carved above it. The Roman graffiti insult, aimed at another Roman soldier, reads: “You shi...
Researchers generated a virtual sequence to unfold a sealed letter protected via letterlocking. Source: Unlocking History Research Group / CC BY 4.0

Securing Ancient Secrets: The Fascinating History of Letterlocking

Communication through written word existed long before the days of text messages and DMs, and even then some kind of security was needed to protect people’s secrets. When we think of a handwritten...
The Fajada Butte Sun Dagger in Chaco Canyon in New Mexico is a spiral petroglyph that is lit up with brilliant streaks of focused Sunlight at key moments in the year.	Source: YouTube screenshot / Mystery History

Connecting Heaven and Earth: The Sun Dagger of Fajada Butte, New Mexico

Near the entrance to Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA is an imposing butte that had sacred significance to the ancestral Pueblo culture, who inhabited Chaco Canyon up until about 1150 AD. On Fajada...
Herod’s calcite-alabaster bathtub found in Kypros fortress.	Source: Prof. Amos Frumkin, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem / Nature

Herod the Great’s Alabaster Bathtubs

Herod the Great was renowned for his ambitious projects and extravagant tastes. Now a major discovery has come regarding these projects, from of all places, his bathtub. Two beautiful bathtubs...
Maya teeth were turned into jeweled teeth by skilled ancient dentists, but a recent study suggests that this also benefited oral hygiene!		Source: Gary Todd / CC0

Ancient Maya Tooth Bling Was Also Good for Oral Hygiene!

The Maya loved their bling and often decorated their teeth with gemstones. But maybe these weren’t all just for show. A new study conducted by the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the...
Bronze Age spear found in Cirencester, England.	 Source: Thames Water

Near-Pristine Bronze Age Spear Dated Over 3,000 Years Found in Britain

Spearheads are often seen as representing the ‘highest tradition of the Bronze Age’. This statement is exemplified by the discovery of a Bronze Age spear at a Thames Water sewage works in Cirencester...
An aerial view of Castilly Henge, a classic horseshoe henge that had long been hidden in dense vegetation in a lonely landscape.		Source: Cornwall Archaeological Unit / Historic England

Cornwall’s Newly Revealed Castilly Henge Had Its Own Stone Circle Too!

Archaeologists from Historic England and the Cornwall Archaeology Unit (CAU) have uncovered proof that a standing stone circle once stood inside Castilly Henge, a Neolithic-period earthwork found...
A new study has clearly revealed new information about the people who built Stonehenge (left image) by analyzing their Stonehenge feces! The image on the right shows a parasitic capillariid worm egg found in Stonehenge poop at Durrington Walls.	Source: Left: Adam Stanford; Right: Evilena Anastasiou / Parasitology

Builders of Stonehenge Feasted On Parasites Shows Prehistoric Poop Study

A new study published in the journal Parasitology analyzed prehistoric Stonehenge feces from Durrington Walls, a Neolithic settlement just 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) from Stonehenge and found that it...
Il Disinganno, or The Release from Deception, by the Genoese artist Francesco Queirolo. Source: Dalia Nera / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Impossible Statue: The Marvelous Marble Net of Il Disinganno

The impossible sculptural feats within the Sansevero Chapel Museum in Naples will take your breath away. Amongst them, the famed statue known as Il Disinganno , was carved out of one single block of...
Evidence of Denisovans in Southeast Asia is growing one tooth at a time based on the recent find in Laos. The molar attributed to a young female individual of the extinct human species called the Denisovans was found in cave Tam Ngu Hao 2 in northeastern Laos.	Source: Fabrice Demeter / Handout via Reuters

Denisovan Girl’s Tooth Is First Physical Evidence of Denisovans in Southeast Asia!

A team of archaeologists and anthropologists recovered an exceptionally rare molar tooth fossil from a cave in northern Laos. While the fossil bears some resemblance to the teeth of modern humans, a...
There is much evidence of dwarfs in Egypt. Here, a group statue of the dwarf Seneb and his family at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The statue was found in a naos in his mastaba tomb in Giza. Seneb is represented seated, with his legs crossed, beside his wife who embraces him affectionately. His wife is of regular height. 	Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Elites and Gods: The Big Lives Of Little People In Ancient Egypt!

With its enormous stone temples, pyramids and tombs, ancient Egypt was undoubtedly one of the most productive advanced civilizations of the pre-Christian world. However, their advancement was not...
Khmer artifacts have been looted all over Cambodia, here a looted scene of Koh Ker, Siem Reap, Cambodia. 	Source: YukselSelvi/Adobe Stock

Cambodia Demands British Museums Return Stolen Khmer Artifacts

Stolen Khmer artifacts from ancient Cambodian temples should be returned now. This is what Cambodian heritage authorities have told London's Victoria & Albert and British Museum who currently...
Left: This juniper tree trunk, found in a pre-Biblical grave in Eilat, Israel is the earliest Asherah idol discovered so far in the Near East. Right: Israelite ceramic figure of a nude woman, identified as an Asherah idol pillar.	Source: Left: Uzi Avner / Researchgate ; Right: The Met

7,500-year-old Juniper Stump Is Believed Oldest Goddess Asherah Idol

Archaeologists excavating an ancient cemetery in Israel have uncovered an idol which they believe dates the worship of the goddess Asherah back an incredible 7,500 years. During excavations that took...
Detail of the "Three Brothers" jewel from two paintings of Elizabeth I, the "Ermine Portrait" and "Elizabeth I of England holding an olive branch"	Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

What Happened to the Famous Three Brothers Jewelry?

In 1467 AD, the “Three Brothers” jewelry piece was inherited by Charles the Bold from his father Phillip the Good. Charles died in 1477 and was the last Duke of Burgundy. He carried the Three...
The Mšecké Žehrovice head, a famous example of Celtic art. Source: CeStu/CC BY 3.0

Bust Found in Czech Republic Reflects Irish Druidic Customs

The word 'Celt' refers to the people who spoke Celtic languages across Western and Central Europe between 1,200 BC and the 3rd century, and every Celtic nation had its own unique crafts, arts, and...
Killer rabbit in the Smithfield Decretals, c. 1300, British Library, London, UK. Detail. (British Library/CC BY 4.0)

Killer Rabbits Terrorized the Pages of Medieval Manuscripts

In early medieval art and literature fluffy white rabbits, bunnies, and hares were typically motifs of innocence, venerability, and purity. However, more in sync with these animals’ rate of...
Rome’s National Museum of Oriental Art displayed the reconstructed face of a female skeleton which was found in Iran’s Burnt City wearing a fake eye. The museum closed in 2017 and its collections were transferred to the Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography in Rome.

World’s Oldest Fake Eye from 2800 BC Found in Iran’s ‘Burnt City’

Believe it or not, fake eyes have existed for thousands of years. Besides improving the physical appearance of the patient needing the artificial eye, fake eyes also prevent tissues in the eye socket...
Obverse and reverse of the golden Curmsun disc. Source: Tomasz Sielski / CC BY-SA 3.0

Sweden’s Enigmatic Golden Curmsun Disc

In 2014, a young girl living in Malmö, presented her teacher with a small golden disc brought to Sweden by her Polish grandmother. Little did she know that this small golden artifact, now dubbed the...
English archaeologists have stumble upon a once-in-a-lifetime Romano-British settlement near Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire. This skeleton and a caltrop, a Roman era area denial weapon, similar to police spikes used to stop cars today, were unearthed at the Grange Paddocks site.		Source: East Herts District Council

Archaeologists Stumble Upon Key Romano-British Trade Center

Archaeologists performing excavations near Bishop’s Stortford, an historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, have uncovered the ruins of a Romano-British settlement that served as a commercial...
Bronze Age daggers, like this one found near Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland, were always assumed to be ceremonial status weapons, but a recent study has shown that they were actually used a lot to butcher animals!		Source: Rama / CC BY-SA 3.0 FR

Bronze Age Daggers Were Tools to Butcher Animals, Not Markers of Status

Excavations of Bronze Age “warrior graves” throughout Europe have nearly always led to the recovery of copper alloy Bronze Age daggers. However, their function has been poorly understood. It has long...

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