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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Africa

Ancient places can be found all over Africa. Their fascinating histories and impressive artifacts open intriguing glimpses to times past, and open up a window on African history. Visiting such historical places in Africa can be an unforgettable experience.

Science is constantly discovering new archaeological places and uncovering more evidence into what we once thought we knew about our history, therefore offering new pieces to the ever changing puzzle of humanity’s past and altering how we interpret it. This section will present ancient African history articles, highlighting the most interesting archaeological sites all over Africa, as well as new discoveries of ancient places that are worth paying a visit.

Colossi of Memnon, guarding the passage to Theban Necropolis; west-bank's section of Luxor, Egypt.
25 July, 2017 - 19:00 Ahmed Osman

Memnon’s Musical Statues: The Long-Standing Guardians of Amenhotep III’s Temple That Found a Voice

The most important statues in Egypt, after the Giza Sphinx, are the two Colossi of Memnon in Western Luxor. The two gigantic statues, about 3500 years old, are also known as the musical statues...
The six pyramids at Giza, with Menkaure’s the first of the big three.
25 July, 2017 - 01:50 aprilholloway

Plagued by Floods Yet the Giza Pyramid Builders Refused to be Relocated

The building of the pyramids at Giza was a huge project and it is not surprising to learn that a substantial administrative and accommodation center grew up close to the construction area. This town...
The base of the statue, which allowed to identify the remains the building discovered by Dr. Abu el-Ayun Barakat.
3 July, 2017 - 23:02 Theodoros Karasavvas

Archaeologist Accidentally Discovers Lost Temple of Thutmose I, Hidden in Plain Sight for 50 Years

Thousands of stone blocks that were “hiding” for ages in storage near Luxor proved to be the remains of the temple of Thutmose I, which has been searched for by archaeologists for some time. A Polish...
Carved into the rock face, with a plaster façade, is Abba Yohani Church
2 June, 2017 - 13:57 Caleb Strom

Hidden Religion: Abba Yohani and the Clandestine Cave Churches of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a land full of ancient relics. For example, the fossil remains of the earliest hominins were found in Ethiopia. The oldest stone tools known to have been intelligently manufactured by...
A photo of a troglodyte cave house in Gharyan, Libya.
13 April, 2017 - 19:00 dhwty

Want a Unique Underground Experience? Live Like a Modern Troglodyte at a Libyan Cave House Hotel

Troglodyte (which means ‘cave dweller’) cave houses are a type of dwelling that may be found in certain parts of the world. In Libya, this unique type of house can be found in the Jabal Nasufah (...
A photo inside the Sunland Big Baobab.
8 April, 2017 - 18:58 dhwty

Fancy Sipping a Pint in a 1700-Year-Old Tree? You Can at The Baobab Tree Bar

The Sunland Big Baobab is a bar nestled inside the hollow of a baobab tree. This bar is located on the Sunland Farm in South Africa. As baobabs begin to hollow on the inside as they age, empty...
An artist’s representation of Giovanni Battista Belzoni’s expedition. Belzoni is one of many researchers who entered the tomb KV20.
22 March, 2017 - 13:01 Natalia Klimczak

KV20: The Famous Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut Has a Magnificent Temple, But What Became of Her Body?

Father and daughter, Tuthmose I and Hatshepsut were two famous pharaohs of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt; Hatshepsut being only the second confirmed female pharaoh. KV20 is one of the...
The Red Monastery: Will the Last Byzantine Monument in Egypt Survive Local Development?
3 March, 2017 - 02:01 dhwty

The Red Monastery: Will the Last Byzantine Monument in Egypt Survive Local Development?

It has been claimed that the Red Monastery, more specifically, its principal church, is one of three surviving examples of Byzantine architecture from the early period of that empire’s history, the...
The Magnificent Temple of Hathor, Goddess of Love: Best Preserved Temple in all of Egypt
13 February, 2017 - 13:57 dhwty

The Magnificent Temple of Hathor, Goddess of Love: Best Preserved Temple in all of Egypt

Hathor was a major goddess in the ancient Egyptian pantheon , who personified the principles of joy, feminine love, and motherhood, and her cult center was at Dendera, one of the best-preserved...
The Great Sphinx of Giza.
5 February, 2017 - 16:45 Kerry Sullivan

Depicting Man or Beast? Can You Solve the Riddle of the Great Sphinx of Giza?

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most fantastic monuments of ancient Egypt. A monolith carved into the limestone bedrock of the Giza plateau, the statue depicts a mythical creature with the...
The Monumental Temple of Hibis: Memories of Glory Days by the Last Egyptian Pharaoh of Kemet
7 January, 2017 - 21:56 Natalia Klimczak

The Monumental Temple of Hibis: Memories of Glory Days by the Last Egyptian Pharaoh of Kemet

Nectanebo II is known as the last native ruler of ancient Egypt; Persians and the ancestors of Alexander the Great took over after his reign. Although these circumstances led to Nectanebo II being...
The Oldest University in the World May Not Be Where You Think And the Founder May Also Surprise You
22 December, 2016 - 00:38 Kerry Sullivan

The Oldest University in the World May Not Be Where You Think And the Founder May Also Surprise You

Although many people would imagine that the oldest university in the world is in Europe or China, it’s not. The oldest standing university on Earth is in Morocco. Founded in 859 AD, Al-Qarawiyyin is...
The Tomb of Pharaoh Seti I: A Missing Mummy, An Unexpected Tunnel and a Mummified Bull
21 December, 2016 - 15:01 Natalia Klimczak

The Tomb of Pharaoh Seti I: A Missing Mummy, An Unexpected Tunnel and a Mummified Bull

The mummified face of Pharaoh Sety I (Seti I) still shows that he was not only extremely powerful but also very handsome during his lifetime. Sety’s tomb was brought back to the world on October 16,...
Aerial view of Thebes' Ramesseum, showing pylons and secondary buildings and the Medical Papyri.
2 December, 2016 - 14:50 Natalia Klimczak

Revealing the Ramesseum Medical Papyri and Other Remarkable Finds from the Temple of Ramesses II

The mortuary temple of Ramesses II is one of the most magnificent temples in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt. It was discovered by Jean-Francois Champollion, the same man who deciphered the...
The Royal Tombs of Tanis
4 November, 2016 - 02:54 Natalia Klimczak

Three Famous Sites in One – The Story of the Legendary City of Tanis

For centuries, it was believed the city of Tanis was nothing more than a legend. Many people had doubts that it ever really existed. But that all changed when researchers who Napoleon Bonaparte...
What Treasures Were Lost in the Destruction of the Great Musaeum of Alexandria?
2 November, 2016 - 02:54 ancient-origins

What Treasures Were Lost in the Destruction of the Great Musaeum of Alexandria?

The monumental Musaeum of Alexandria was famous for its legendary library. The tragic story of the building’s destruction continues to be a painful one for people who love ancient history and...
Interpreting the Murals of Egypt through the Eyes of the Hopi
30 October, 2016 - 00:50 Thomas O. Mills

Interpreting the Murals of Egypt through the Eyes of the Hopi

There has to be something missing in our explanation of the murals of Egypt. Why are there so many symbols— snakes, birds with human heads, feathers, buzzards, life symbols, monkeys, scarabs,...
Prince Akinidad of Kush and the One Eyed Kandake in the Meroite-Roman War
21 October, 2016 - 14:56 Clyde Winters

Prince Akinidad of Kush and the One Eyed Kandake in the Meroite-Roman War

Strabo in his Geography (17 1.54) talks about the “one eyed Kandake” who fought the Romans. Between 30 BC and 22 BC the Romans and Meroites were at war. Meroitic-Kush never became part of the Roman...
The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Air and Fire – Part II
14 October, 2016 - 03:46 Willem Witteveen

The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Air and Fire – Part II

The water was pushed via the Sphinx into the Great Pyramid under great pressure and filled up the lower part of the interior system. After closing the water supply a special return valve fell back...
The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Earth and Water – Part I
14 October, 2016 - 00:51 Willem Witteveen

The Great Pyramid of Giza: A Modern View on Ancient Knowledge, Earth and Water – Part I

The four visible side faces of the Great Pyramid of Giza reflect the four earthly elements Earth, Water, Air and Fire. The fifth invisible element Aether is represented by the invisible ground...
A Dream Destination for Egyptologists: The Amazing Amarna Necropolis
28 September, 2016 - 14:55 Natalia Klimczak

A Dream Destination for Egyptologists: The Amazing Amarna Necropolis

Amarna is a dream destination for many Egyptologists. The temples, tombs, and houses left by the people who lived in the area thousands of years ago make up one of the most impressive discoveries in...
The Nile – Its Fertile Past and Its Imperiled Future
27 September, 2016 - 21:59 Inge_H._Borg

The Nile – Its Fertile Past and Its Imperiled Future

History means looking back. But man must also learn from it or his tenuous grasp on the Earth risks a bleak future – a future that may become dire history only all too soon. This rings especially...
The Magnificent Tomb and Treasures of Forgotten Couple Yuya and Tuya
20 September, 2016 - 21:59 Natalia Klimczak

The Magnificent Tomb and Treasures of Forgotten Couple Yuya and Tuya

The couple known as Yuya and Tuya (also known as Thuya or Tjuyu) gave Egyptian royalty at least one, but perhaps even two, famous officials. Their daughter Tiye was a wife of Amenhotep III, mother of...
Great Pyramid of Giza in the rays of the sun.
7 September, 2016 - 03:42 Rudra

Unraveling the Mystery of the Great Pyramid Air-Shafts – Part II

[Read Part I] The Design There are two air shafts each going out towards the North and the South direction in both King’s and Queen’s chamber. While, the King’s Chamber shafts go all the way to the...

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