All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

afterlife

Statue of Anubis at the Gregorian Egyptian Museum. Source: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Rise of Hermanubis: The Hybrid God of Both Rome and Egypt

When the Romans invaded and incorporated ancient Egypt into their vast empire, they inevitably brought with them their own customs, traditions, and religion. But, even so, they could not extinguish...
This man underwent complete mummification in just over 16 days.  His mummified corpse was found near a railway in Bulgaria leaving scientists perplexed about this quick natural mummification.   Source:  Mileva B, Tsranchev I, Georgieva M, et al. /CC-BY 4.0

Man Discovered Mummified After 16 Days: Bulgarian Scientists Perplexed

Investigators in Bulgaria have been perplexed after finding “a complete mummified corpse,” just 16 days after the man was last seen alive. Sherlock once said, "Once you eliminate the impossible,...
A view of the The Dahshur necropolis in Egypt, from the Saqqara necropolis.  Source: Blumesser/Adobe Stock

Exposing Egypt's Military Zone Protected Dahshur Necropolis

The cult of death played a crucial role in the history of ancient Egypt - they believed that their souls would continue to exist in the afterlife after they died. The concept of the afterlife was...
View of the cave ‘Cueva de los Marmoles’ entrance from inside, where the manipulated human remains have been found. Source: J.C. Vera Rodríguez/ PLoS ONE

Manipulated Human Remains Found at Cave Site in Spain

The Iberian Peninsula witnessed a particular form of human burials in caves, which were later manipulated and modified, over thousands of years! In the southern Iberian Peninsula, this practice...
Ancient frescoes often depict scenes from the daily life, religious rituals, or important events of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Source: EdNurg/Adobe Stock

A Day in the Life of an Egyptian Pharaoh

Ancient Egypt, one of the greatest civilizations to have ever existed, spanned a vast timeline, lasting for approximately 3,000 years. For much of that time, it was ruled over by god-kings known as...
The golden mummy of Lady Isaious, at the Manchester Museum. Source: Allan Gluck/CC BY-SA 4.0

Golden Mummy of Lady Isaious and Her Lavish Journey into the Afterlife

Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie was one of the foremost Egyptologists and archaeologists of our time. Renowned for his discoveries in Egypt, as well as for pioneering systems of preserving...
Head and shoulders of an Egyptian mummy, the best-known of mummification methods.        Source: Andrea Izzotti/Adobe Stock

7 Fascinating Ways Ancient Cultures Mummified Their Dead

Mummies have long captured the imagination of people all over the world. These preserved remains offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives, beliefs, and traditions of ancient cultures. From the...
Ancient Egypt’s Book of the Dead. Source: Paolo Gallo / Adobe Stock.

Book of the Dead: Ancient Egypt’s Quest for Eternal Life (Video)

The Egyptian Book of the Dead , or "The Book of Coming Forth by Day," is an ancient religious text that played a significant role in Egyptian funerary practices around 1550 BC. It contains spells,...
Depiction of Death in an 18th-century Russian icon.

Ivan Turbinca – The Man Who Belonged in Neither Heaven Nor Hell

Myth, legend and literature are full of tales about people ending up in either Heaven or Hell. However, every now and then a story arises about someone who belongs in neither. Such is the tale of...
Tibetan monk. Source: Supermelon / Adobe Stock.

The Mysteries of Tibet’s Ancient Bon Religion

High in the mountains of Tibet, nestled among the majestic peaks and breathtaking landscapes, lies a spiritual tradition that has withstood the test of time. The Bon religion, one of the oldest and...
The unearthing of the U shaped Miraflores stone temple in Huaral, Peru. Source: Global News/ YouTube Screenshot

Incredibly Ancient Temple Found in Peru with Mysterious Cross Symbol

While exploring in and around Lima, a team of Peruvian archaeologists from the National Major University of San Marcos (UNSM) uncovered the remains of a U-shaped stone temple that was somewhere...
The funeral rites of a mummy on the Nile, by Frederic Arthur Bridgman (1876–77). Speed Art Museum, Louisville (Public Domain)

The Dead Below Deck: Funerary Boat Customs

Archaeologists discovered a 5,000-year-old Egyptian funerary boat, measuring 60 feet (18 meters), that was so well preserved that it still had intact plant fibers attached to it, in 2016. Found near...
Malangan carvings, now world-famous, are the wooden carvings which are created for use in malangan ceremonies. Traditionally these were burnt at the conclusion of the event; in modern times most are now retained.      Source: Rita Willaert/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Honoring and Negating the Dead through Malangan in Papua New Guinea

The term “malangan” has a dual meaning. It can either represent the elaborate memorial festivals held in New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) in honor of deceased members of a clan, or it can refer to the...
Head end and left side of the Nakhtkhnum coffin showing an example of coffin texts. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art/CC0

Unveiling the Mystical World of the Egyptian Coffin Texts

One of the most fascinating discoveries of ancient Egypt was the discovery of the Egyptian Coffin Texts, a collection of spellbinding funerary spells and incantations inscribed on coffins, sarcophagi...
The creation myths understood by many cultures and civilizations through their beliefs and mythology.  Source: QuietWord/Adobe

10 of the Wildest Creation Myths in History

Across the world’s various cultures and civilizations, there was always a firm belief that humans - and the world that they dwell in - had some sort of supernatural origins. These beliefs were the...
CT images of the mummy revealed amulets were placed on or inside the mummified body of the Golden Boy mummy, including a two-finger amulet discovered next to the boy’s uncircumcised penis. (Saleem, Seddik and el-Halwagy / CC BY 4.0)

Scans Reveal Magic Amulets Inside Egyptian Golden Boy Mummy

CT scans conducted during a recent study of the “Golden Boy” mummy, which was discovered in 1916 in southern Egypt, has revealed a hidden collection of 49 magical amulets, including many forged in...
Charon on the River Styx in the Greek Underworld. Source: Dracus / Goodfon

Dark Sketches & Stories from the Underworld in Greek Mythology

One of the most fascinating concepts of Greek mythology is that of the underworld. The Greek underworld is one of three realms that make up the cosmos. It was believed that after death, an individual...
The Weighing of the Heart ritual, shown in the Book of the Dead of Sesostris. Source: Manfred Werner - Tsui / CC BY-SA 3.0

Did the Ancient Egyptians Create Art as a Way to Manifest Reality?

Among the extravagantly decorated tombs and temples that made Egyptian art immortal, there is something obscure. It could even be considered supernatural or otherworldly. Telling the stories of what...
The terracotta figure represents an acrobat, created to provide entertainment in the afterlife for Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Source: Xinhua

One In 8,000! This Unique Terracotta Figure Is Unlike All The Rest

Let’s begin this story with an exercise. If you are not driving, lie down on your back. Bend your knees and place your feet on the ground about your hips-width distance apart. Now, place your right...
One of the six sacrificed children found in the tomb of an important man in the ancient Andean city of Cajamarquilla. The tiny skeletons were wrapped tightly in cloth.		Source: PHYS

Mummies of Six Sacrificed Children Found at 1,000-Year-Old Peru Site

Archaeologists from Peru recently discovered the remains of six mummified sacrificed children, who were apparently the victims of human sacrifice sometime between the years 1,000 and 1,200 AD. The...
The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures

The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures – Part I

The faeries appear in folklore from all over the world as metaphysical beings, who, given the right conditions, are able to interact with the physical world. They’re known by many names but there is...
The entrance to this ancient Lycian rock-cut tomb in Turkey was recently blasted open with dynamite!		Source: Yenisafak

Looters Blast Open 2500-year-old Lycian Rock-cut Tombs in Turkey

Hoping, perhaps, to lay their hands on something comparable to the famed Elmali Treasures, looters used explosives to break through the entrance of a 2,500-year-old Lycian rock-cut tomb in the Elmali...
An Egyptian Book of the Dead manuscript papyrus. Recently two pieces of a death shroud worn by an ancient Egyptian, which had been torn into fragments, were "reunited." One fragment was from the Getty Museum collection in California and the other fragment was in the collection of the Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities in New Zealand.

Two Egyptian Book Of The Dead Shroud Fragments Have Been Reunited!

Thanks to researchers on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean two ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead shroud fragments, one in New Zealand, and the other one in Los Angeles, have been reunited. The two...
Anubis and Xolotl: The Remarkable Resemblance of the Death Dog Gods

Anubis and Xolotl: The Remarkable Resemblance of the Death Dog Gods

Few ancient cultures have captured the modern imagination like the Egyptian and Maya civilizations, with their elaborate belief structures. The author traces a remarkable resemblance between two dog-...

Pages