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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Ancient Places

Ancient places can be found all over the world. Their fascinating histories and impressive artifacts open intriguing glimpses to times past, and visiting such ancient places in the world 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 the most interesting archaeological sites all over the world, as well as new discoveries of ancient places that are worth paying a visit.

Pentagon

Was the U.S. Pentagon inspired by ancient monumental architecture?

Architectural shape and design featured strongly in the prehistoric design of ancient sites. We are all familiar with the pyramid structures of Egypt and South America and the distinctive megalithic...
The pyramid of Amenemhat III in Hawara - Lost Labyrinth

The Lost Labyrinth of Ancient Egypt – Part 3: Uncovering its Location

(Read Part 1 / Read Part 2 ) More than 2,000 years ago, ancient Greek historians, Herodotus and Strabo, recorded their visits to the legendary labyrinth of Egypt, before it disappeared into the pages...
Sobek, the Crocodile God - Egypt

The Lost Labyrinth of Ancient Egypt – Part 2

(Read Part 1 ) The lost labyrinth of ancient Egypt is a colossal temple said to contain 3,000 beautifully adorned rooms connected by a confusing array of passages, chambers, porticoes, and stairs. It...
The Maijishan Grottoes

The Ancient Treasure of the Maijishan Grottoes

Just a few miles south of the Silk Road in Gansu Province, lies one of the most spectacular artistic treasure of China’s past – the Maijishan Grottoes, a series of 194 caves cut into the side of a...
Ten incredible texts from our ancient past

Ten incredible texts from our ancient past

There are literally thousands of incredible texts that have survived from the ancient world, which are etched onto copper, beautifully inscribed on papyrus, chipped onto tablets, and even written...
The ancient site of Canal in Peru

Unique artifacts shed light on daily life in 5,000-year-old city of Caral

(Read Part 1 ) The Sacred City of Caral is a 5,000-year-old metropolis which represents the oldest known civilization in the Americas, known as the Norte Chico. When it was first discovered,...
The 5,000-year-old Pyramid City of Caral

The 5,000-year-old Pyramid City of Caral

It is widely taught in the field of ancient history that Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and India, gave rise to the first civilizations of mankind. However, few are aware that at the same time, and in...
Women and Medicine in Rome

Women and Medicine in Rome

Anyone who has interest, even minimally, in the history of medicine in classical antiquity, knows the names of Hippocrates and Galen. The two Greek physicians were the pillars on which the entire...
Etruscan sarcophagus

The Enigmatic Etruscans

The Etruscans emerged in what was Etruria (modern day Tuscany) in the Western and central regions of Italy, North of Latium. While their origins are continuously debated in the academic world, one...
The Tomb of the Lord of Sipan, Mochican Warrior Priest

Tomb of the Lord of Sipan, Mochican Warrior Priest

(Part 1: The spectacular Mochican tomb complex of Huaca Rajada ) In 1987, an enormous complex of unplundered Moche culture tombs was unearthed at the Huaca Rajada archaeological site, near Sipán on...
The Mochican tomb complex of Huaca Rajada in Peru

The spectacular Mochican tomb complex of Huaca Rajada, Peru

In 1987, some of the most extraordinary tombs in the world were found in Sipán’s Huaca Rajada, a Moche archaeological site on the North coast of Peru, which predates the Inca by some 1,000 years...
Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan

The Forgotten Stones of Aswan Quarry, Egypt

The unfinished obelisk in Aswan, Egypt, is estimated to be around 1168 tons, but the largest Obelisk that was actually erected in Egypt was no more that 500 tons. I visited the immense unfinished...
Hand-woven Mayan textiles from Guatemala

Weaving the World of Ancient Mayan Women

Weaving colorful cotton fabric was an art form among high ranking ancient Mayan women. The Mayas cultivated cotton and used natural dyes from plant, animal and mineral sources. They used spinning...
Ancient Sumerian Love Poem

The 4,000-Year-Old Sumerian Love Poem and the Sacred Ritual of Marriage

'Bridegroom, dear to my heart; goodly is your beauty, honeysweet; lion, dear to my heart'. These are the passionate words of a lover to a king, from more than 4,000 years ago, in the oldest known...
The Ancient Parliamentary Plains of Iceland

The Ancient Parliamentary Plains of Iceland

In the modern world, the parliamentary system is one of the most common forms of government. The modern concept of this system has its origins in 18 th century Great Britain and Sweden. Nevertheless...
The stepwell of Rani-Ki-Vav

The ornate and beautifully-carved stepwell of Rani-Ki-Vav

The Rani-Ki-Vav is a stepwell located at Patan, Gujerat, India. Stepwells are a unique form of water resource and storage system in India, as they are wells in which the water may be reached by...
Karajan Tepe in Turkey

The Forgotten Stones of Karahan Tepe, Turkey

Read Part 1 - Forgotten Stones: Secrets of the Megalithic Quarries: Göbekli Tepe Read Part 2 – The Forgotten Stones of Baalbek, Lebanon Karahan Tepe is the sister site to the enigmatic Göbekli Tepe,...
Pre-historic rock art in Kurnool, India

Pre-historic rock art in Kurnool, India

The region of Rayalaseema is comprised of four districts within the state of Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur, Chittor, Kadapa and Kurnool - all of which record a very good cultural evolution from the...
The Ancient Caves of Uplistsikhe, Fortress of the Lord

The Ancient Caves of Uplistsikhe, Fortress of the Lord

Uplistsikhe, whose name translates to 'Fortress of the Lord', is an ancient rock-hewn town which played a significant role in Georgian history over a period of approximately 3,000 years...
The Polovtsian Statues of the Eurasian Steppes

The Polovtsian Statues of the Eurasian Steppes

The Polovtsians (derived from the Ukrainian word polovtsy , meaning blonde) were nomadic warriors of the Eurasian steppes during the Middle Ages. In the area that is now Ukraine, the Polovtsians came...
Mount Nemrut and the God King of Commagene

Mount Nemrut and the God King of Commagene

Mount Nemrut ( Nemrut Dagi in Turkish) is a monumental site belonging to the Kingdom of Commagene, a small, independent Armenian kingdom that was formed in 162 B.C. This was a period during which the...
Masyaf Castle, the Seat of the Assassins

Masyaf Castle, the Seat of the Assassins

Fans of the popular video game series Assassin’s Creed would be familiar with the castle of Masyaf in Syria. In the series, the castle of Masyaf was the headquarters of the notorious Assassins, and...
Sunken city in Cuba

What Happened to the Sunken City of Cuba?

Just over a decade ago, a team of explorers were working on an exploration and survey mission off the western coast of Cuba when their sonar equipment picked up a perplexing series of stone...
The ancient origins of the ceremonial Kava drink of the Pacific

The ancient origins of the ceremonial Kava drink of the Pacific

The ancient origins of Kava drinking is known to trace back at least 3,000 years and is associated with both social and ceremonial function. It was, and is, highly valued for its medicinal uses as a...

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