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History & Archaeology

We bring you all the latest historical news and archaeological discoveries relating to ancient human history. Read more history news from around the world here at Ancient Origins.

Close up of an ancient crying angel statue with tears as a symbol of the end of human life. According to the latest research burial customs in Iron Age Britain frequently involved the keeping and burial of everyday objects associated with the deceased. Source: zwiebackesser / Adobe Stock

Mementos for the Dead: Surprising Burial Customs in Iron Age Britain

A University of York researcher has developed a new framework for interpreting collections of everyday objects found during archaeological excavations, specifically at sites linked to Iron Age...
The Sphinx of Apries, dated to between 589 and 570 BC. Like the Egyptian stele found in the farmer's field, this sphinx is dedicated to the pharaoh Apries of the 26th dynasty of Egypt. Inset, stele of Apries in situ at find site.

Farmer Digs Up Stone Egyptian Stele Saluting Sixth Century BC Pharaoh

Recently, a farmer ploughing his field in Egypt’s Ismailia Governorate dug up something massive and historically significant. The unnamed farmer was shocked to realize the heavy object he’d uncovered...
Prehistoric Calendar Revealed at Stonehenge

More Than Summer Solstice - Prehistoric Calendar Revealed at Stonehenge

As the Summer Solstice for the northern hemisphere has come around, the craving to celebrate at the world-famous Stonehenge Neolithic site has again proven irresistible to crowds of people wishing to...
2,000-Year-Old Shoe Unearthed in German Bog

2,000-Year-Old Shoe Unearthed in German Bog

Bogs have been home to some of the weirdest items and artifacts, some that were buried or stored intentionally, and others that were inadvertently lost in the mud. The archaeological record is full...
Ancient Necropolis Found Hidden in 17th Century Croatian Palace Garden

Ancient Necropolis Found Hidden in 17th Century Croatian Palace Garden

An ancient necropolis dating to the 4th and 5th centuries AD has been discovered at a 17th-century palace on the idyllic Croatian island of Hvar. This Hvar necropolis is being called “the most...
Paleolithic cave dwellers used torches, lamps, and fireplaces. Source: Gorodenkoff /Adobe Stock

Conquering the Dark: Finding the Light Behind Paleolithic Cave Art

Fascinating scientific experiments at Isuntza 1 Cave in the Basque region of Spain have attempted to replicate Paleolithic lighting conditions. The work is inspired by a desire to understand and...
Reconstruction of plague victims being cared for at All Saints Church, Cambridge.      Source: Mark Gridley / European Journal of Archaeology

Plague Victims In Medieval Cambridge Treated With Care and Compassion

“Yersinia Pestis,” the killer pathogen that causes plague, was identified in bodies dated to the medieval period in Cambridgeshire, England. A new study of these corpses confirms for the first time...
Foundation Dig Finds Evidence of Medieval Scotland in Inverness

Foundation Dig Finds Evidence of Medieval Scotland in Inverness

During excavations in advance of new development, archaeologists in Scotland have uncovered medieval ruins, and they are revealing secrets about the industrial past in Inverness , the capital of the...
Yazilikaya, Hittite sanctuary and astronomical observatory

Yazılıkaya: 3200-Year-Old Temple Reflects Hittite Views on Time and the Cosmos

Yazılıkaya is a 3,200-year-old building that was known to have been central in religious ceremonies in the capital city of the ancient Hittite Empire . But according to a team of researchers, it...
Medieval People Were Reopening Graves, But Not to Rob Them

Medieval People Were Reopening Graves, But Not to Rob Them

In the Middle Ages being dead wasn’t a guarantee you would rest in peace. Researchers have found hundreds of examples of people re-opening graves in cemeteries from Transylvania to southern England...
6,000-Year-Old Yukon Throwing Dart Was Made Using Beaver Secretion

6,000-Year-Old Yukon Throwing Dart Was Made Using Beaver Secretion

Scientists from the Canadian Conservation Institute have discovered the earliest evidence of the use of castoreum in the making of weapons. The castoreum, a product sourced from the anal castor sacs...
Innovative DNA analysis has unlocked genetic secrets to human history in the Americas. Source: svetlaborovko / Adobe Stock

Decade of DNA Analysis Reveals Astonishing Truths About Our Past

It was a little over a decade ago that the evolutionary biologist Eske Willerslev successfully applied innovative DNA analysis and decoding technology to unlock genetic secrets from the past. In that...
This mud and bamboo house in Bali, Indonesia, with rice paddies in the background, captures what the Chinese Baodun style of wattle and daub construction must have looked like based on the carbonized bamboo fragment recently unearthed at the archaeological site in Chengdu, China.                                                    Source: LoweStock / Adobe Stock

Neolithic Bamboo House and the Birthplace of Paddy Fields Found

The Chengdu Plain is an alluvial plain located on the western part of the Sichuan basin in southwestern China, which was the site of a recent breakthrough discovery. Six pieces of carbonized bamboo...
An image of the fingerprint captured using Reflectance Transformation Imaging.

Neolithic Fingerprints In Orkney Offer ‘Unparalleled Glimpse’ of Life

The Neolithic fingerprints of two young male potters have been identified on a 5,000-year-old fragment of clay discovered in Orkney. In April this year The Press and Journal announced that...
Some of the 118 Carolingian coins in the rare and unusual coin hoard found in northeastern Poland.

Did Charlemagne Pay Off the Vikings With This Silver Hoard?

Archaeologists in Poland have unearthed a coin hoard from the early Carolingian dynasty in a field in the remote north-east of the country. The coin hoard treasure indicates a connection between the...
The German Stonehenge at sunset in Pömmelte.       Source: Mattis Kaminer / Adobe stock

Pömmelte Ring Sanctuary Eclipses Stonehenge With Homes and Ghastly Burials

Scientists think an ancient astronomical observatory in Pömmelte, Germany will overshadow England’s famous Stonehenge in terms of archaeological data and the number of human burials. Over 4,000 years...
Six sets of copper plates that were discovered at the Ghanta Matham in Srisailam in June 2021.

Rare Inscribed Medieval Era Copper Plates Found at Srisailam Temple

Recently, a fabulous discovery was made that has greatly enriched the history of an already vibrant temple. Twenty-one medieval era copper plates have been unearthed by the Srisailam authorities at...
The bent Iberian lead plate, with its strange inscription, found at the Pico de Los Ajo (Yátova) in a nearby ancient metal recycling site. Source: University of Valencia

Rare Lead Plate With Mysterious Text Rescued From An Iberian Dump

A unique lead plate covered with Iberian writing has been recovered from Pico de los Ajos (Yátova), one of the most important archaeological sites in Spain. Bent out of shape, with a mysterious...
Maoris Credited With First Discovery of Antarctica in Latest Study

Maoris Credited With First Discovery of Antarctica in Latest Study

A new historical analysis has called into question the accepted story about the discovery of Antarctica. The continent was supposedly first seen by Russian and British explorers in the early 19th...
Scottish Crannog Fire Wipes Out Recreated Iron Age House in Minutes

Scottish Crannog Fire Wipes Out Recreated Iron Age House in Minutes

Overnight, 5,000 years of design skills that were invested in a recreated Iron Age house at the Scottish Crannog Centre in Perthshire, Scotland, have been engulfed in a fire. One onlooker said the...
A Scandinavian woman working on a embroidery pattern modern times, which must have been quite similar to Viking embroidery in the Viking Age.

Rare Viking Embroidery Found in 1000-Year-Old Grave in Norway

A piece of textile fabric from a grave, dated to the Viking Age, has been found in southern Norway, dated to 850-950 AD. The grave of a woman was uncovered at Hestnes in southern Trøndelag county,...
7,000-Year-Old Seal Found in Israel Signed For Deliveries!

7,000-Year-Old Seal Found in Israel Signed For Deliveries!

Not everyone is well versed with the name Tel Tsaf, a prehistoric village in the stunning Beit She’an Valley in North Israel. They may be now, as some 150 clay sealings, dating back to 7,000 years...
Study reunites Viking family members separated by the North Sea for 1000 years.

Viking Family Members ‘Reunited’ After 1000 Years!

A genetic relationship, either as half-brothers or as an uncle and a nephew, has been established between skeletal remains of two men who died on opposite ends of the North Sea. Estimated to have...
Giant Water Tank In Italy Linked to Prehistoric Ritual Practices

Giant Water Tank In Italy Linked to Prehistoric Ritual Practices

Scientists applying a precise form of radiocarbon dating technology have successfully dated an important and mysterious below-ground monument located in northern Italy. The prehistoric water tank is...

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