Africa

View through sacred rocks beyond Dhambala Homeland center, Elcho island.

12 May, 2019 - 22:03 Ed Whelan

Will Ancient African Coin Found in Australia 'Change Everything'?

The tenacity of amateur archaeologists and historians searching on a remote island off the coast of the Northern Territories in Australia seems to have finally paid off. The team has found a small...

The civilization called Wagadou, better known as the Ghana Empire, was a Sonniki state.

1 May, 2019 - 01:49 dhwty

The Prosperity and Power of the Ghana Empire Flourished on the Trans-Saharan Trade Route

The Ghana Empire was the first of the great West African empires that existed during the Middle Ages. The history of the Ghana Empire is obscure and much of what we know about it is derived from Arab...

Askia the Great, ruler of the Songhai Empire 1493 to 1528, in the Game Civilization V.

28 April, 2019 - 02:03 dhwty

Askia the Great: Revolt Leader to Powerful Songhai Emperor

Muhammad I Askia (also known as Askia the Great) was one of the most important emperors of the Songhai Empire. Askia came to power in 1493, when he overthrew the last ruler of the Sunni Dynasty,...

Askia the Great, ruler of the Songhai Empire 1493 to 1528.

26 April, 2019 - 01:53 dhwty

How Did the Songhai Empire Dominate West Africa?

The Songhai Empire dominated West Africa between the 15th and 16th centuries. This empire was a successor state of the powerful, centuries-long Mali Empire . The weakening of Mali rule allowed the...

Was the Brazil Tablet left by early Transatlantic explorers?

25 April, 2019 - 01:30 Clyde Winters

The Brazil Tablet: Dropped in the Jungle by Early Transatlantic Explorers?

In 1310, Malian explorers led by Mansa (King) Abubakari set sail to discover new lands across the Atlantic. A mysterious statuette was left by these ancient explorers in the Brazilian jungle...

24 April, 2019 - 01:57 Bryan Hill

The Rich Mythology and Megalithic Culture of the Ancient Berbers, Lords of the Desert

The Barbary Coast of North Africa was named after the Berbers, the nomadic people who inhabited the region west of the Nile Valley in north Africa. Called the Amazigh or Imazighen in antiquity (...

Neanderthal. Source: procy_ab / Adobe Stock

23 April, 2019 - 22:54 Mark Maslin

All About Neanderthals – The Surprising Facts

Current evidence suggests that Neanderthals and humans shared a last common ancestor sometime between 765,000 and 550,000 years ago. We speculate that this ancestor was H. heidelbergensis . The story...

Ruins and obelisks at Axum, former capital of the Kingdom of Aksum

13 April, 2019 - 01:51 Kerry Sullivan

The Kingdom of Axum: Facts and Legends of a First Millennium Powerhouse

Located on the Horn of Africa, the ancient Ethiopian kingdom of Axum (also spelled Aksum) played a significant role in international relations around the time of the first millennium. At its height,...

11 April, 2019 - 13:57 Ed Whelan

Namibia’s Apollo 11 Cave – How We Gained Insight Into The Minds Of Our Ancestors

Despite its name, the Apollo 11 cave in Namibia has nothing to do with space exploration. It’s the location of prehistoric art, some of the earliest examples of art in human history, and it has...

11 April, 2019 - 01:30 ancient-origins

Ancient DNA Data Fills in Thousands of Years of Human Movement and Genetic Adaptation in Africa

By sequencing the ancient genomes of 15 individuals from different parts of Africa, researchers reporting in the journal Cell in September 2017 reconstructed the prehistory of humans on the continent...

10 April, 2019 - 22:27 Kerry Sullivan

Mansa Musa: The Richest Man in History

When people think of the richest people in history , more often than not they think of industrialists from the modern era, such as the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, or the Carnegies. Perhaps some...

A Place for Traditional African Medicine in a Modern World

9 April, 2019 - 18:25 dhwty

Traditional African Medicine and its Role in Healing in a Modern World

Herbalism, divination, and spiritualism often combine in traditional African medicine, perhaps the oldest and most varied therapeutic system in the world. This holistic health care system has many...

8 April, 2019 - 01:51 Ed Whelan

Are the Old Tombs of Kaole, Tanzania, Really Able To Heal?

Situated on the beautiful east coast of Africa, Tanzania is a fascinating country with a rich culture and no shortage of historic sites on its Indian Ocean coast. Kaole, an abandoned town and...

4 April, 2019 - 14:00 dhwty

The Mali Empire: The Rise of the Richest Civilization in West Africa

The Mali Empire (known also as the Manding Empire or Manden Kurufa) was a state that dominated West Africa between the 13th and 17th centuries. At its height of power during the 14th century, the...

An artist's depiction Sunni Ali Ber, African warrior king of the Songhai empire.

3 April, 2019 - 14:02 Sarah P Young

Ten of Africa’s Most Powerful Kings, Queens, Warriors and Legends

Africa is a region with a long and glorious history, with hundreds of distinct cultures and traditions. From the Egyptians to the Zulus each culture has produced some of the greatest warriors and...

3 April, 2019 - 02:01 Alicia McDermott

Researchers Get Closer to Finding the Origins of the Enigmatic Guanches…and No, They are Not Atlanteans

The Guanches were the white-skinned and fair-haired aboriginal people of the Canary Islands. With their location so near to North Africa, their origins have long presented a mystery for researchers...

Pages

Myths & Legends

Camazotz Maya style Batman suit created by Mexican designer Kimbal

Batman Existed in Mesoamerican Mythology and His Name Was Camazotz

As social media is abuzz with who might be cast in the next Batman movie, with concerns that some of the candidates might not be menacing enough to fill those big black boots, it might be time to...

The Three Fates: Destiny’s Deities of Ancient Greece and Rome

Ten Mythological Creatures in Ancient Folklore

The Real Story of Medusa: Protective Powers from a Snake-Haired Gorgon

Cerberus: Legendary Hell Hound of the Underworld

Lilith: Ancient Demon, Dark Deity or Sensual Goddess?

Human Origins

Early man looking up at the stars (Kovalenko I / Adobe Stock)

Translation of 5,500-Year-Old Babel Text from China Reveals Oldest Known Map of Inner Solar System

It is obvious to any astronomer that some of the brightest objects in the night sky are the planets. It is thus mysterious that there are so few references to the planets in ancient literature.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Resurrecting the Ancient Israelites From the Valley of Dry Bones

Do you dare enter a fairy ring? The mythical mushroom portals of the supernatural

Dwelling in the Land of Nod – Was it a Real City?

The Pagan Wheel of the Year: What Elaborate Rituals and Events Mark this Sacred Cycle?

Ancient Technology

Ancient Chinese Earthquake detector - Zhang (‘Chang’) Heng

The incredible earthquake detector invented nearly 2,000 years ago

Although we still cannot accurately predict earthquakes, we have come a long way in detecting, recording, and measuring seismic shocks. Many don’t realise that this process began nearly 2000 years...

Brain Surgery in Ancient Times

An Ancient Greek Machine Gun? The Innovative Catapult of Dionysius

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Robots Guarded Buddha’s Relics in a Legend of Ancient India

Boggling Bannerstones of Ancient Americans: Were They a Function of Flight or More a Flight of Fancy?

Ancient Places

Inside the alchemy laboratory of the Speculum Alchemiae museum.

Speculum Alchemiae: Secret Underground Alchemy Lab Discovered in Prague During Flood

The city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is known for many things. But one aspect of its history is often overlooked – it was a major center of the occult and the dark arts in the 16th...

Maya Gateway to the World Below: Balankanchè Cave, Throne of the Tiger Priest

The Dark Secret Behind the Hidden Room of Glamis Castle

San Pedro de la Roca Castle and the Military Might of Spain in Cuba

The Colossus of Rhodes: Ancient Greek Mega Statue

The Grim Reality of the Brothels of Pompeii

Opinion

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

There are many accounts of a land of immortality and eternal youth in world myths and legends, as well as shamanic and indigenous spiritual traditions. Mysterious Worlds Writing in his recent work,...

Pharaoh Akhenaten: An Alternative View of the Heretic King

Changing Colors and Scampering Across the Night Sky: What Did the Ancients Say about Sirius?

Cracking the Code to Discover Ancient Tarot Symbolism and Forgotten Universal Knowledge

The Secret Strategic Plans of Darius the Great

The Secrets of the Kabbalists Garden

Our Mission

At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained.

The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.

We’re the only Pop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives.

By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings.