All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

pregnancy

A Chinese physician with a pregnant woman. Wellcome collection / CC by SA 4.0.  By

Weirdest Ancient Chinese Pregnancy and Birth Traditions (Video)

In ancient China, pregnancy and childbirth were influenced by traditions and superstitions. The Chinese valued the balance of Yin and Yang , representing feminine darkness and masculine brightness...
Pregnancy in ancient Greece was a difficult time. Source: migfoto / Adobe Stock.

The Sad Truth About Pregnancy in Ancient Greece (Video)

In ancient Greece, pregnancy was far from the experience we know today. The era was marked by perilous uncertainty for expectant mothers and their unborn children. The duty of women was clear:...
Royal queen in her bedchamber. Source: Anneke / Adobe Stock.

What Giving Birth Was Like for Royal Mothers (Video)

Royal childbirths, a far cry from today's private affairs, were once grand spectacles, laden with political significance. Public scrutiny was the norm, with hundreds of onlookers present to confirm...
The Mysterious Lady of Thebes, as reconstructed in 2D by Hew Morrison. Source: Hew Morrison / Warsaw Mummy Project

Is this the Face of the First Mummy of a Pregnant Woman?

In 2016, archaeologists finally accepted that a 2,000-year-old mummy was not a male priest when CT scans revealed the embalmed corpse seemed to be carrying a baby! It was declared the ‘only known...
Tutankhamun’s condom.	Source: Cairo Museum, Egypt

Tutankhamun Used Condoms Made from Oil-Soaked Linen

When Tutankhamun’s tomb was first discovered in 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter was stunned by the astonishing array of grave goods – more than 5,000 artifacts were left for the boy king to use in...
Dr. Eitan Klein, Archeologist and Deputy Director of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit for Israel Antiquities Authority, holding the Byzantine-amulet under investigation.

Is This Byzantine-Era Demon-Repellent Amulet Jewish or Gnostic?

A Byzantine-era amulet unearthed 40 years ago in Arbel, Israel, has been returned to the authorities. Archaeologists have calculated that the 1,500-year-old magical bronze amulet was definitely used...
X-ray and CT scans of the mummified body show that the woman died when she was between 20-30 years old. (O. Leydo)

World First! 2,000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy Was Pregnant

When archaeologists conducted X-ray scans of a woman’s mummified body they made a remarkable discovery. The remains of the woman who died 2,000 years ago contained a surprising secret – making her...
11-Year-Old Boy Finds Rare Ancient Fertility Goddess Amulet In Israel

11-Year-Old Boy Finds Rare Ancient Fertility Goddess Amulet In Israel

A rare 2,500-year-old fertility goddess amulet has been unearthed in Israel's Negev Desert, not by archaeologists, but by a boy on holiday. Dating to the 5th or 6th century BC, known to historians as...
Human-Neanderthal fertility gene discovered in recent study. Source: Dimid / Adobe Stock.

Neanderthal Gene Makes Women More Fertile

Are you in the “one in three” group of European women with the special Neanderthal gene required for fewer pregnancy issues? The revelatory new DNA study by researchers at the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft...
Neanderthal extinction has been blamed on a drop in fertility. Source: Kovalenko I / Adobe Stock.

Small Drop In Fertility Rate May Have Led To Neanderthal Extinction

Sapiens be warned, the life of a population is fragile! After decades of speculation about Neanderthals being wiped out by our ancestors, a new scientific study suggests that Neanderthal extinction...
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced the birth of a son today. Source: CC BY 2.0

The Horrific History Of Birthing Royal Babies, And Why Meghan Markle Should Be Grateful

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry Instagrammed the world on Monday confirming the royal birth of a 7lbs-3oz baby boy who is seventh in line to the throne. When a royal baby is...
Ancient Khmer carving of childbirth.

Ancient Childbirth Beliefs and Rituals Thought to Protect Mother and Child

For much of human history, pregnancy and childbirth was an extremely dangerous period in a woman’s life. It was often believed that the expectant mother and her baby were vulnerable to malevolent...
A 17th century condom from Sweden.

Ancient Methods of Contraception – Even Tutankhamun Wore Protection

In today’s society, there are various forms of contraceptives available on the market. Some of these, like the combined oral contraceptive pill (often referred to just as ‘the pill’), for instance,...
Detail of Alexandre Cabanel’s ‘The Birth Of Venus.’

Linking the Planets and Human Life: Venus Calendars Helped Track Pregnancy in Neolithic Greece

Back in 4000 BC women of the ancient Aegean civilization may have used a calendar tracking the movement of the planet Venus to follow their pregnancy milestones. This is an intriguing explanation for...
Egyptian Fellah woman with her child, Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, 1872

Did Eternity Obsessed Ancient Egyptians Know How to Prevent Pregnancy?

It is hard to believe that the Ancient Egyptians, a culture completely infatuated with the preservation of life after death, would be concerned with the prevention of pregnancy. But they were one of...
Ayurvedic medicine. Indian Watercolour: 'Man of the Medical caste, masseuse’.

Ancient Text Prescribing Ways to Conceive a Baby Boy Included in New University Textbook in India

A new university textbook in India has included a controversial, ancient recipe that supposedly formulates a sure way to conceive a boy. The text encourages women who want to conceive a boy to find...
The skeleton of a woman who died 800 years ago on the outskirts of the ancient city of Troy in modern Turkey.

800-Year-Old Skeleton Discovered in Troy Shows Signs of Death from a Fatal Infection

Eight hundred years ago, in a hardscrabble farming community on the outskirts of what was once one of the fabled cities of the ancient world, Troy, a 30-year-old woman was laid to rest in a stone-...
Are Stone Circles Ancient Pregnancy Calendars?

Are Stone Circles Ancient Pregnancy Calendars?

Even today, giving birth can be one of the most dangerous moments in a woman's life. In ancient times it would have been even more so. Matriarchal societies would have tried to ensure the safest...
Ancient Greece - Astronomical Knowledge

Did Ancient Greeks use Venus Calendar to Track Pregnancy?

Research has suggested that a calendar based on the movement of planet Venus was used in the daily lives of people in ancient Aegean civilizations about 4,000 BC, and may have even been used to track...