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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Australia & Oceania

Rock art prehistoric aboriginal cave paintings of human silhouettes. Source: Jan/Adobe Stock

Five Fascinating Mysteries About Prehistoric Australia (Video)

The Aboriginal culture provides a captivating glimpse into ancient human societies, potentially tracing back to the earliest human migrations out of Africa. Before Western contact, their history was...
Drowned landscape map of the study area. 	Source: US Geological Survey, Geoscience Australia/The Conversation

Submerged Australian Land Was Spoken of in Indigenous Myths

In a groundbreaking revelation, researchers have unveiled the discovery of a vast submerged land to the north of contemporary Australia, that held up to 500,000 people. Submerged due to rising sea...
The enigmatic underwater Yonaguni monument. Source: nudiblue/Adobe Stock

Is the 10,000-Year-Old Yonaguni Monument a Man-Made Marvel or Nature's Art?

Nestled along the southern coast of Yonaguni, Japan, are enigmatic submerged ruins that have captured the fascination of researchers and ignited fervent debates. Believed to date back approximately...
Rakau Momori Moriori tree carvings. Source: Royston Vasey / CC BY-SA 3.0

Endangered Heritage: The Rakau Momori Tree Carvings of the Moriori

Wood carving, or whakairo , has a long and rich history in Maori culture. Traditionally, Maori artisans, utilizing woods like totara, kauri and pohutukawa, crafted intricate designs laden with...
Easter Island. Source: Nadge / Adobe Stock.

How the Civilization on Easter Island Collapsed (Video)

The civilization on Easter Island faced a complex and ultimately catastrophic decline. Initially, this tiny island boasted a lush palm forest and abundant bird species, allowing its inhabitants, the...
Bow of the Polynesian Hokulea. Source: lameeks / Adobe Stock.

Modern Polynesians Recreate Ancient Voyage With No Tech (Video)

Embarking on a voyage that bridges time and tradition, modern-day adventurers pay homage to the ancient Polynesian voyagers who first discovered the remote Hawaiian islands . Guided by the celestial...
Songlines, or dreaming tracks, are songs and rituals associated with migration routes spanning the Australian continent. Source: Rick / Adobe Stock

Tracing Songlines: Unraveling Aboriginal Australia's Ancient Oral Maps

From as early as 65,000 to 80,000 years ago, the first human settlements appeared on the vast continent of Australia. These left behind an archaeological record which bears witness to the remarkable...
Lasseter’s quest to find a huge reef of gold. Source: Zaleman/Adobe Stock

Lasseter’s Reef and One Man’s Maddened Quest for Gold

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the search for gold was at an all-time high. People discovered vast goldfields all across the world, attracting newcomers who wanted to try their luck. Gold miners and...
Tikami stone monument in Nuku Hiva. Source: emperorcosar / Adobe Stock

The Mysterious 'Alien' Stone Monuments of Nuku Hiva

Nuku Hiva is known as the largest island in French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Beyond its history as the largest of the Marquesas Islands, it is especially known for the stone monuments scattered...
Christine Palmer, a Kngwarreye elder from central Australia, with the red gum casket carrying Mungo Man home in 2017. And now, as of April 2022, all these “illegally taken” Aboriginal remains will be reburied in the landscape where they were found in the early 1970s. Source: Justin McManus / The Age

Mungo Man’s Remains Returned For Reburial to His Aboriginal Ancestors

The traditional meeting place of the Mutthi, Nyiampaar, and Barkinji Aboriginal tribes of Australia, in the Willandra Lakes region, has been a source of historical wonder and controversy over the...
Indigenous rock art at Western Australia’s Murujuga National Park. Source: totajla / Adobe Stock

Fertilizer Giant Blocked from Removing Aboriginal Indigenous Rock Art

The Australian federal government has blocked a multinational fertilizer company from removing indigenous rock art from Western Australia’s Burrup Peninsula. This UNESCO World Heritage-nominated area...
Australia’s Uluru. Source: bennymarty / Adobe Stock

Uluru: Australia’s Most Iconic Landmark and Largest Monolith in the World

Uluru, once known as Ayers Rock, is one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks. Located in the Northern Territory of Australia, it is the single largest monolith rock in the world. At a staggering...
Though we do not have many images of Pemulwuy, the prominent Australian Aboriginal rebel leader of the late 18th century, we know he was strong like this man at an Aboriginal culture show in Queensland. 		Source: Rafael Ben-Ari / Adobe Stock

Pemulwuy: Prominent Aboriginal Rebel Leader Murdered in 1802 AD

Pemulwuy was an Aboriginal Australian who lived during the 18 th century. This was the period when the Europeans began to colonize Australia. The arrival of the Europeans in Australia had a profound...
Tongan warriors or Tongan athletes getting ready to play kasivaki underwater rugby in Tonga.		Source: Tonga Rugby Union

Kasivaki: An Ancient Tongan Game That Was More Than Underwater Rugby

When most people think of the sport rugby, Tonga is not at the top of the list of competitors. But the island nation of the south Pacific appears to have had its own ancient version of the game with...
Wandjina rock art

The Mysterious Aboriginal Rock Art of the Wandjina Sky Beings

One of the most intriguing and perplexing legends of the Australian Aboriginal people is that of the Wandjinas, the supreme spirit beings and creators of the land and people. The land of the Wandjina...
Old image of Parramatta River by Broadhurst, William Henry, 1855-1927	Source: Public Domain

Meta-Study of Parramatta Reveals All About Sydney’s Pre-Historic Past

A team of archaeologists asked if Aboriginal population recovery in Australia was delayed after the Last Glacial Maximum? For answers, they analyzed archaeological evidence from Australia’s...
Deriv; Hawaiian Tiki carvings and Easter Island statues with Rongorongo script

Was there a Common Writing System used by Pacific Islanders?

In 2016 two tourists found engraved petroglyphs on a Hawaiian Beach. This was an important find because it suggested that the ancient Polynesians had a common writing system which was used from...
omputer image of Australia’s Stonehenge Site, Mullumbimby NSW by Richard Patterson.

Ancient Stones of Australia: Rock Arrangements that Defy Conventional Historical Accounts

My son Evan and I have written extensively about the site Frederic Slater, President of the Australian Archaeological Education and Research Society, proposed was “Australia’s Stonehenge,” which we...
The site of secondary mining of Phosphate rock in Nauru, 2007.        Source: CC BY 2.0

Nauru, The Tiny Nation with a Blackened Name

One of the many micro-nations in the Pacific is Nauru, once known as Pleasant Island. This small island has a rich and complex history. It is the third-smallest country in the world and, at one point...
DNA genetic analysis proves link between Ancient Polynesians and Indigenous South Americans. Source: Ruben Ramos-Mendoza / Nature

Genetic Analysis Shows Early Contact Between South Americans and Polynesians

New evidence is emerging about the links between Polynesian and South American populations in the Pacific before the arrival of the Europeans . The theory that South Americans first colonized Easter...
The Founding of Australia (public domain)

Botany and The Colonization of Australia in 1770

James Cook and his companions aboard the Endeavour landed at a harbour on Australia’s southeast coast in April of 1770. Cook named the place Botany Bay for “the great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and...
An aerial view of Atafu atoll in Tokelau         Source: DFAT / CC BY 2.0

Tokelau, a Small Nation with Great Traditions

Many dream of living on an island in the Pacific beneath endless blue skies and along golden beaches, far from the stresses of modern living. While few have heard of the islands of Tokelau, fewer...
Aerial view of Funafuti atoll and the airstrip the airport in Vaiaku       Source: Dmitry/ Adobe Stock)

Could Tuvalu’s History Stretch Back 8000 Years?

Tuvalu is a small independent nation in the Pacific. This group of islands is one of the most remote in the world and its population is one of the most isolated. Despite this, the islands have a long...
New Caledonia Cave. Credit: damedias / Adobe Stock

Pindai Caves, Once Home to the Lapita People and Extinct Species

New Caledonia, in the South Pacific , is a special collectivity of France. Not only does it have a fascinating history and unique culture, the islands also have one of the most important...

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