All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

constellations

(Left to Right), archaeologist Federico Bernardini and astronomer Paolo Molaro at Castelliere di Rupinpiccolo, holding what could be the oldest celestial map ever discovered. Source: INAF

Is This Really an Ancient Celestial Map, Or a Case of “The Selection Effect”?

A pair of researchers report they have identified an ancient celestial map carved on a circular stone at an Italian Bronze Age hillfort. But having taken several leaps of faith, and lacking a...
Teotihuacan, Mexico. Source: ARTURO / Adobe Stock.

Teotihuacán: The Ancient City Designed to Track Time (Video)

The enigmatic people of Teotihuacán in Mexico inhabited a city that prioritized timekeeping . This abandoned city, spanning 20 kilometers, offers insights into their unique approach to tracking time...
Islamic scientist at work ( Kemal/Abode Stock)

The Golden Age Of Islamic Astronomers

Astronomical understanding, accurate calendars and knowledge of exact geographic latitudes and longitudes were essential for all Islamic cities and towns. This body of astronomical knowledge was not...
Representational image depicting the use of star paths by Minoan civilization. Source: Alessandro Berio / CC BY 4.0

Star Paths Likely Guided Minoan Culture

Minoan civilization may have been heavily dependent on celestial star paths up above to help them navigate their way throughout the Mediterranean. A study has found that Minoan palaces were even...
Drawing of the Six Kings of the Earth fresco at Qasr Amra. Source: Public domain

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...
Jonah and the Whale  by Pieter Lastman, (1621) (Public Domain)

How Jonah Was Swallowed By The Celestial Sea Serpent Cetus

The Old Testament saga of Jonah and his dreadful, three day and night confinement within the “belly of a whale” and disgorgement onto the shore remains one of the Bible’s most enthralling mysteries...
Unknown Constellations And More Discovered At Egypt’s Esna Temple

Unknown Constellations And More Discovered At Egypt’s Esna Temple

While the world was locked-down this summer, a team of brave researchers in Egypt cleaned up an ancient cult temple, and what they discovered is truly astronomical. The Esna Temple (or Temple of Esna...
Taurid meteor shower 13,000 years ago.

Prehistory Decoded at Gobekli Tepe: From a Cataclysmic Event Dawns the Origin and Perhaps the End of Civilization

Around 13,000 years ago, the Earth burned. A swarm of comet debris from the Taurid meteor stream had blasted the Americas and parts of Europe; the worst day in prehistory since the end of the ice age...
Some of the world's oldest cave paintings have revealed people had an ancient, yet advanced, astronomy. Animal symbols represent star constellations in the night sky, and are used to mark dates and events such as comet strikes, analysis from the University of Edinburgh suggests.

Wild Animals in the Sky? Prehistoric Cave Art Suggests Ancient Advanced Astronomy

Some of the world's oldest cave paintings have revealed how ancient people had relatively advanced knowledge of astronomy. The artworks, at sites across Europe, are not simply depictions of wild...
The Pylos Combat Agate, an ancient object found in Pylos, Greece and created around 1450 BC.

Is this Minoan Artistic Marvel a Miniaturization of the Heavens?

The discovery of the Pylos Combat Agate in a Mycenaean shaft-grave tomb dating to 1500 BC may be one of the most significant archaeological and artistic finds in decades, perhaps in centuries. The...
Yurri and Wanjel - the Gemini stars Castor and Pollux in the Wergaia traditions of western Victoria, Australia.

Kindred Skies: Ancient Greeks and Aboriginal Australians saw Constellations in Common

Look up on any clear night and you can see myriad stars, planets, and the Milky Way stretching across the sky. The chances are that you know some of the constellations. The International Astronomical...
This Forgotten Egyptian Dish Reveals Early Astronomical Symbols of Key Constellations

This Forgotten Egyptian Dish Reveals Early Astronomical Symbols of Key Constellations

While traveling in Egypt for my studies, I came across a unique artifact in the Nubian Museum in Aswan. It was a dish which had not been recognized for the important information it holds. As soon as...
TT 353 of Sen-en-Mut (Senenmut’s tomb).

Star Maps and Secrets: The Mysterious Tomb of Senenmut, Close Companion to Queen Hatshepsut

Senenmut was one of the closest people to the famous queen Hatshepsut. His impressive tomb contains very mysterious decorations which suggest that he was not only a government official and architect...
Incredible Megaliths of India: Star Maps and Headless Goddesses

Incredible Megaliths of India: Star Maps and Headless Goddesses – Part I

That India has many thousands of megaliths is something that deserves to be more widely known. These monuments include Menhirs (tall standing stones), alignments, avenues, stone circles, cysts,...
Teen Makes Stellar Discovery of Previously Unknown Maya City

Teen Makes Stellar Discovery of Previously Unknown Maya City

William Gadoury, a 15 year-old Canadian from Quebec, has revolutionized the academic world by using ingenious reasoning to discover a previously unknown Maya city. Based on his own theory - that the...
The Gate of Nimrud (Metropolitan Museum)

The Mythical Lamassu: Impressive Symbols for Mesopotamian Protection

Lamassu are human-headed, eagle-winged, bulls or lions that once protected cities in Mesopotamia. They were believed to be very powerful creatures, and served both as a clear reminder of the king’s...
Johannes Hevelius, Prodromus Astronomia, volume III, Johannes Hevelius, by Daniel Schultz.

The Magnificent Observatory and Discoveries of Johannes Hevelius

Johannes Hevelius is one of the symbols of Gdansk, Poland. He is also one of the three great intellectuals, along with Fahrenheit and Schopenhauer, who were born in this city. During Hevelius’ life,...
The Visoko Stone

Visoko: An Astronomical Map of More than 100,000 Years

I met Semir Osmanagich, three years ago, in Pescara (Italy) during a conference on Ancient Civilizations and we had several intriguing conversations that were the seeds of my study on the enigmatic...
The entrance to the tomb found in Datong, China

1,000-year-old Chinese tomb contains spectacular murals, touching poems, and ceiling of star constellations

Time tells that bamboo can endure cold weather. Live as long as the spirits of the crane and turtle. These are the poetic words beautifully painted on the wall of an ancient tomb discovered in a near...
2,600-Year-Old Greek Wine Cup May have Oldest Depiction of Constellations

2,600-Year-Old Greek Wine Cup May have Oldest Depiction of Constellations

An ancient Greek wine cup long thought to depict a random assortment of animals in a hunting scene, may actually have the earliest known depictions of star constellations, a new study shows. The cup...
Pyramids - Giza

Did the Ancient Egyptians know the Distance between the Inner Planets?

Over the centuries researchers have wondered what the significance is to the layout of the Pyramids at Giza. Could they mimic the stars above or possibly hold a secret code hidden within their design...
The Great Pyramid - Star Shaft

The Star-Shaft Theory of the Great Pyramid - Busted

Many Moons ago a theory was proposed, which claimed that the small shafts inside the Great Pyramid pointed towards certain stars in the night sky. Furthermore, because the position of these stars...
Pyramids - Orion

Mirrors of Orion: Star Knowledge of the Ancient World – An Introduction

Egypt is the image of the heavens, and the whole Cosmos dwells here, in this its sanctuary— but the gods will desert the earth and return to heaven abandoning this land that was once the home of...

Pages