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.

Drawing of the Six Kings of the Earth fresco at Qasr Amra. Source: Public domain
19 January, 2022 - 14:00 Aleksa Vučković

The Enigmatic Six Kings of the Earth Fresco Uncovered

Discovered in a crumbling desert castle located in modern-day Jordan, a fresco known as the “Six Kings of the Earth” provides a curious glimpse into the early medieval Islamic world . It is...
Recreation of the oldest drinking straws, found at the Maikop burial, in use. Source: Kevin Wilson / Antiquity Publications Ltd
19 January, 2022 - 00:00 Sahir

Maikop ‘Scepters’ Are Actually the World’s Oldest Drinking Straws

An exciting new study from Russia has reinterpreted an 1897 find of silver and gold tubes from a Bronze Age burial mound in Maikop in the northern Caucasus as being straws rather than scepters as...
The front view of the gold neck ring found in Denmark that was likely a hidden treasure as opposed to a votive offering. Source: Sydvestjyske Museum
18 January, 2022 - 18:00 Sahir

Exquisitely Made 1,700-year-old Gold Neck Ring Found in Denmark

In October 2021, Dan Christensen, an amateur metal detectorist made the exciting discovery of a remarkably fine gold neck ring weighing a whopping 446 grams (approximately 1 pound). The discovery of...
Flat throwing stones with sharpened corners, an early form of ninja weapons, unearthed at the ruins of the Owada jinya administrative headquarters in Saitama, Japan. Source: (Saitama Prefectural Ranzan Historical Museum
18 January, 2022 - 13:57 Nathan Falde

Ninja Weapon Prototypes Found in Japan

After analyzing artifacts collected from three locations in the Saitama Prefecture, which is located just north of Tokyo, a Japanese archaeologist has announced findings that shed new light on the...
Left: Machi playing the Kultrún. Behind her it can be seen the inclination of the staggered Rehue . Center: A Rehue in the exhibition of the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. Right: A Rehue as a symbolic figuration of the Tree-Man. Source: Martin Thomas / Photographic Archive of the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino; Photo by the author: Rafael Videla Eissmann, 2017; Author provided
16 January, 2022 - 18:00 Rafael Videla E...

Araucanian “Staircase to Heaven” Symbolism in the Pre-Hispanic World

One of the fundamental magical-religious symbols of the Lituche-Araucanian cultural substrate of Chile is the Rehue or stepped totem carved in wood. The Rehue is a representation of the Axis Mundi ,...
Close up of the Liber Linteus. Source: Curious Expeditions / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
16 January, 2022 - 14:00 dhwty

The Liber Linteus: An Egyptian Mummy Wrapped in a Cryptic Message

In 1798, the French under Napoleon Bonaparte launched a military campaign in Egypt. Along with soldiers and military personnel, Napoleon brought a large number of scholars and scientists known as...
A sampling of the 41 curved Celtic golden coins from the late Iron Age found not far from present-day Berlin, Germany. Source: Brandenburg State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeological State Museum
14 January, 2022 - 21:51 Sahir

Rare Hoard of 2000-year-old Curved Celtic Gold Coins Found in Germany

Forty-one “curved” Celtic gold coins from 2,000 years ago have been found in northeast Germany in the Brandenburg district where Berlin is located. It is the first ever hoard of Celtic gold treasure...
The Shepherds of Arcadia, by Nicolas Poussin, is reproduced on the Shepherd’s Monument, along with the Shugborough Inscription. Source: Public domain
14 January, 2022 - 14:00 mrreese

The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription

In the grounds of Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England, sits an 18th-century monument known as the Shepherd’s Monument. The monument contains a relief, depicting a copy of a Nicolas Poussin...
The Roman era wooden statue found at the Twyford Buckinghamshire HS2 rail project dig site in England submerged for cleaning. Source: HS2
13 January, 2022 - 21:53 Nathan Falde

Archaeologists Find Ultra-Rare Roman-Era Wooden Statue in Britain

In a waterlogged ditch in a field near the village of Twyford, Buckinghamshire, a team of experts working for the HS2 archaeological contractor Fusion JV were stunned but delighted to discover an...
Example of Vai script, which researchers believe can provide insight into the development of writing. Source: British Library
13 January, 2022 - 14:00 ashley cowie

Vai Script Invented in the 1800s Sheds Light On the Development of Writing

An isolated African script is revealing secrets about the unknown evolutionary origins of handwriting and the development of writing. The Vai script was created just two centuries ago to solve the...
Archaeologist Ingeborg Hornkjøl unearthing an ancient stick with runic writing. Source: Tone Bergland / NIKU
12 January, 2022 - 17:42 ashley cowie

Rare Runic Writing Unearthed in Norway

In December 2021, the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) announced that rare runic writing has been discovered in Oslo carved into the faces of a stick and a large animal bone...
The Roman coin hoard discovered in the cave in Northern Spain. Source: Consejería de Cultura del Principado de Asturias
12 January, 2022 - 13:50 Sahir

Badger Finds Largest Ever Roman Coin Hoard in Northern Spain

A badger desperately hunting for food during the harsh winter of 2021, when Storm Filomena deposited snow across the Iberian Peninsula , has accidentally uncovered a substantial Roman coin hoard in a...
This 4,000-year-old Bronze Age stone board game was recently unearthed in a remote area of northern Oman at an ancient copper trading center. Source: PCMA
9 January, 2022 - 18:00 ashley cowie

Incredible 4,000-year-old Stone Board Game Found in Oman Was For More Than Just Fun

A 4,000-year-old stone board game has been discovered at a Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement in Oman. Furthermore, stone towers and evidence of Bronze Age trade has also been found in the same area...
Was the ever-evolving technological revolution dependent on single-minded genius? Source: Kovalenko I / Adobe Stock
7 January, 2022 - 18:00 ashley cowie

Charting the Role of Prehistoric Genius in Technological Revolution

An English scientist has charted the spread of ancient survival technologies. His awe-inspiring maps reveal how individual ancient geniuses innovated in one place, and how these new ideas spread...
Malachite silver pendant and earrings. Source: Pixabay
7 January, 2022 - 14:00 ancient-origins

Ancient Crystals and Gemstones in Culture and Myth: Magical Malachite

Crystals and gemstones have been a part of ancient cultures for millennia. They were and continue to be used as decoration and to preserve the memories of those who have passed on. Malachite is one...
The 10 Most Exciting and Extraordinary Artifact Finds Of 2021
5 January, 2022 - 18:00 ancient-origins

The 10 Most Exciting and Extraordinary Artifact Finds Of 2021

2021 was a bumper year for the discovery of obscure, odd and unexpected artifacts all around the world – and even beyond! From the golden tongued mummies of Egypt, a bullet-shaped metal anomaly in a...
The terracotta dog statue found beneath the streets of central Rome, Italy. Source: Soprintendenza Speciale Roma
4 January, 2022 - 22:00 Nathan Falde

Tombs Unearthed in Rome Produce Unusual 2,000-Year-Old Dog Statue

Utility workers laying pipes under the pavement of the Via Luigi Tosti in Rome’s Appio Latino quarter found something ancient and historically significant. While chipping out tunnels they discovered...
The bronze plate pieces of the Roman military diploma found in the ancient Anatolian city of Perre or modern-day Adiyaman, Turkey. Source: Anadolu Agency
4 January, 2022 - 18:00 Sahir

1,898-year-old Roman Military Diploma Gives Citizenship Rights

Archaeologists have found an ancient Roman military diploma dating to 123 AD in Turkey’s ancient city of Perre (modern day Adiyaman). The latest round of excavations, which have been carried out...
Representation of the Hydraulic Telegraph of Aeneas. Source: Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology
4 January, 2022 - 01:00 mrreese

The Hydraulic Telegraph of Aeneas – Long-Distance Communication of Antiquity

Advances in technology have drastically changed the way we live today compared to those of our ancient past. One type of technology that many of us may take for granted is the ability to communicate...
Birch bark letter no. 1144 from the 12th century excavation layer. Source: Institute of Archaeology RAS
29 December, 2021 - 01:00 aprilholloway

Birch Bark Letters Found in Russia are an Ancient Time Capsule

Researchers excavating an estate dating back to the 12th and 15th century, have discovered a complete birch bark letter in the historic city center of Veliky Novgorod in north-western Russia. The...
Understanding the Stonehenge calendar is easy if you follow Stephen Childs’ thinking in this article and in his book “Stone Circles Explained.” This image shows sunrise at this ancient site. Source: Gail Johnson / Adobe Stock
28 December, 2021 - 01:00 Stephen Childs

The Stonehenge Calendar: A Prehistoric Approach to Time’s Passing

Readers will probably know that Stonehenge’s design highlights the longest and shortest days of the year, but it is not always understood that its strange configuration was designed to enable every...
Lewis Chessmen king and queen, with rook and knight behind them.
25 December, 2021 - 01:00 Nancy Marie Brown

The Icelandic Theory: Experts Challenge Establishment Dogma to Reveal History of Ivory Vikings

In 1874, the Norwegian chess historian Antonius Van der Linde belittled Frederic Madden’s suggestion that Iceland could produce anything approaching the sophistication of the Lewis chessmen...
Depiction of the Sea People during naval battle with Egyptians as depicted on the temple of Ramses III in Medinet Abu, Egypt. Source: AlternatHistory
24 December, 2021 - 14:00 Doug Mears

Ramses III Verses the Sea People & the End of the Bronze Age

The end of the 3,000-year-long Bronze Age was one of the most violent periods in history. Hittites and Egypt are usually cited as the last remaining major powers until a recently translated stone...
The two Viksø horned helmets found in Denmark in 1942, which were used in a new study as evidence that an ancient Bronze Age trade route linked the Mediterranean to Scandinavia. Source: Nationalmuseet / CC BY-SA 3.0
23 December, 2021 - 21:55 ashley cowie

Do 3,000-year-old Bronze Age Horned Helmets Have Trans-Continental Links?

A team of researchers has sampled organic matter from residue found inside a rare and deeply ancient bronze horned-helmet in Denmark. But their claim that a long-distance prehistoric oceanic trade...

Pages