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.

Azerbaijan's Walled City of Baku holds centuries of bloody history and early oil wealth, and now its skyline is a mixture of ancient, modern and contemporary architecture. Source: Boris Stroujko / Adobe Stock

9 July, 2022 - 22:44 Robbie Mitchell

Blood, Tears, and Oil: The Bloody History of the Walled City of Baku

Today Baku is most well known for being the capital of the Azerbaijan Republic. Thousands of tourists every year flock to Baku to visit the Walled City of Baku and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and...

The half-human, half-plant caryatids in the tomb of Sveshtari; these sculpted female figures served as architectural support like a column in the stunning Thracian tomb design. Source: Nenko Lazarov /

9 July, 2022 - 18:56 Mark Brophy

The Staggeringly Well-Preserved Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari

In 1982, the now-famous Thracian tomb of Sveshtari was discovered by archaeologists just south of what is now Sveshtari, Razgrad Province in Bulgaria. The tomb of Sveshtari likely belonged to...

The aftermath of the Gezer fire of early July 2022 shown in this image reveals that ancient stone ruins can survive grass fires, but that climate change is making more fires overall. Source: Roee Shtrauss / INPA

7 July, 2022 - 22:56 Sahir

Gezer Fire Engulfs Canaan Site, But With Little Permanent Damage

The Gezer fire that broke out on Monday in Israel’s Biblical Tel Gezer National Park was fierce and swift. Initial reports of the fire at Gezer “proclaimed” widespread damage to this protected and...

Karnak temple in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. Source: Calin Stan / Adobe Stock

7 July, 2022 - 18:58 Lex Leigh

The Ten Essential Ancient Egyptian Cities: Relics of Egypt’s Storied Past

The various civilizations which developed within ancient Egypt were some of the most technologically advanced and beautiful of their time, giving birth to some of the greatest cities the world has...

The Palace of Palenque, Mexico, seen from the Temple of the Inscriptions. Source: Mauricio Marat/ INAH

6 July, 2022 - 22:58 ashley cowie

A Red Palace for the Red Queen at Palenque, Mexico

Archaeologists and restorers working Mexico’s Palenque Palace have not only discovered a new entrance to the complex, but evidence that the roofs were painted red. Located within the Archaeological...

An imaginary depiction of Cerdic of Wessex from John Speed's 1611 "Saxon Heptarchy." Source: John Speed / Public domain

6 July, 2022 - 19:00 Mark Johnston

The Question of Ancient Kings: Cerdic of Wessex, First Saxon King of England?

Historians of the ancient world face a myriad of challenges when studying the past. Centuries of legends and myths become intertwined with recorded facts, leaving behind a complex web of mystery...

The 1274 and 1281 AD Mongol invasions of Japan were well equipped and favored overall but both times the samurai and their “magical” storms won the day! Two Samurai with a dead Mongol at their feet from a votive image (ema) at the Komodahama Shrine on Tsushima, approximately halfway between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula. Source: Public domain

4 July, 2022 - 23:00 Jake Leigh-Howarth

When Mongols Met Samurai: The Two Failed Mongol Invasions of Japan

Throughout time, there are a few instances where the weather became a determining factor in the outcome of a battle. The Mongol invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281 AD have often been cited as salient...

Baths of Caracalla Source: Fabio Caricchia / Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma

1 July, 2022 - 22:59 Sahir

2,000-Year-Old Frescoes Discovered Under the Baths of Caracalla

2,000-year-old frescoes dating back to the time of Emperor Hadrian will be on public display at the site of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. The frescoes, which belong to different time periods and...

The entrance to Wayland's Smithy, one of the Cotswold-Severn Group Neolithic stone structures, seems primitive but megalithic mathematics can be found here, and experimental archaeology proves it. Source: Msemmett / CC BY-SA 3.0

30 June, 2022 - 14:51 Dr. John Hill

Megalithic Mathematics Revealed at the Cotswold Severn Long Barrows!

During the British Neolithic, circa 4000-2500 BC, we witness the appearance of numerous ceremonial and domestic monuments dominating the prehistoric landscape. Providing an absolute total of how many...

Marble busts of Didius Julianus who bought the Roman Empire at the end of the 2nd century AD in a facial reconstruction artwork created by Daniel Voshart. Source: Daniel Voshart / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

28 June, 2022 - 22:44 Jake Leigh-Howarth

Didius Julianus, the Man Who Bought the Roman Empire

In the year 193 AD an auction took place that sent shockwaves throughout the ancient world, as buyers competed for the greatest prize of a generation, the Roman Empire. Following the murder of...

Field archaeologist Michael Gibbons, left, discovered the outlines of this gigantic Bronze Age fortress, partially visible in the background of this image, which may be nearly 3,200 years old, while carrying out routine field work in a nature preserve in County Galway, Ireland. Source: YouTube screenshot / RTE News

28 June, 2022 - 14:55 Nathan Falde

Huge New Bronze Age Fortress Discovered in Irish Nature Preserve!

While carrying out routine field work in the Burren lowlands of County Galway in Ireland, field archaeologist Michael Gibbons discovered a Bronze Age fortress that may be almost 3,200 years old. The...

Kelenderis archaeological excavation site. Source: Suzi / Adobe Stock

27 June, 2022 - 22:56 Sahir

Infant Burial Site Along with Furnace Discovered at 2,800-year-old Kelenderis

The ancient city of Kelenderis on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey is the site of the Greek Celenderis, a port and fortress in ancient Cilicia and later Isauria. From here, a furnace for commercial...

Greek hoplite in armor and with weapons and shield. Source: anibal / Adobe Stock

27 June, 2022 - 18:54 Jake Leigh-Howarth

Soldiers of Bronze: The Greek Hoplite, the Phalanx, and the Battle that Defined Them

Hoplite comes from the Greek word “ ta hopla ,” which means “tool” or “equipment,” and was the name given to legions of citizen soldiers who were tasked with protecting their territories from outside...

Close-up of one of the Palmyra Aramaic inscriptions to the “Anonymous God”. Source: Aleksandra Kubiak-Schneider / PAP

27 June, 2022 - 14:47 Sahir

Aramaic Inscriptions in Palmyra, Syria, Solve Mystery of the ‘Anonymous God’

The analysis of over 2,500 Aramaic inscriptions in Palmyra in south-central Syria has helped solve a 100-year-old mystery. Two hundred texts, dated mainly to the 2nd and 3rd century AD have been...

The skin-on Yukon baby mammoth that is now the most complete mammoth specimen ever found in North America! Source: Government of Yukon

26 June, 2022 - 18:42 ashley cowie

30,000-Year-Old Baby Mammoth Is The Most Preserved Mammoth Ever Found in America

A 30,000-year-old baby mammoth has been discovered perfectly preserved in permafrost in the far reaches of Canada’s northwest Yukon province. Covered in skin and patches of hair, the Yukon baby...

The history of Egypt is very much the history of ancient Egyptian weapons and how they evolved. Here Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II charges his war chariot into battle against the Nubians in south Egypt. Source: Ahmed88z / CC BY-SA 4.0

25 June, 2022 - 18:51 Robbie Mitchell

Ancient Egyptian Weapons: The Evolution of Warfare

Anyone interested in the history of warfare or weaponry should make sure to look at ancient Egyptian weapons and how the Egyptian armies utilized their technological superiority. Whilst most famous...

The grotto of the seven sleepers from the Menologion of Basil II. Source: Public domain

25 June, 2022 - 15:04 dhwty

The Ancient Grotto of the Seven Sleepers

The short story Rip Van Winkle , written in 1819 by the American writer Washington Irving, is about a man who woke up after a sleep of more than two decades. Although such a work of fiction is a...

Aethelred II or Aethelred the Unready sitting on his throne unaware that history would judge him to be unready for what lay ahead as the Anglo-Saxons battled the Danish Vikings. From the illuminated manuscript, The Chronicle of Abindon, circa 1220 AD. Source: The British Library / Public domain

24 June, 2022 - 22:48 Molly Dowdeswell

Aethelred II: Aethelred the Unready, or Was He Just Unlucky?

Immortalized forever as an incompetent, ill-advised monarch by his epitaph, King Aethelred II has been viewed unfavorably by history. Over the last decade, historians have made moves to reinterpret...

Discovery of an elite tomb was made ahead of renovation work in a working-class neighborhood in Lima. Source: Reuters / YouTube

24 June, 2022 - 18:46 ashley cowie

Pre-Colonial Elite Tomb Discovered Under Working-Class Home in Lima

In May 2022 I wrote an Ancient Origins news article about the discovery of “42, syphilis -ridden, colonial Spaniards.” These bodies were unearthed at a 500-year-old hospital in Lima, Peru’s capital...

Excavation site of the settlement believed to be Bassania, on a hill near Bushat village, Albania. Source: M. Lemke / Science in Poland

24 June, 2022 - 14:42 Sahir

Has the Lost Illyrian City of Bassania Finally Been Exposed in Albania?

Archaeologists believe they are uncovering the lost city of Bassania, an ancient Illyrian settlement mentioned by Livy as lying between two important ancient centers - the Illyrian capital of Shkodër...

The Macedonian Tomb of Lyson and Kallikles has long fascinated art scholars and more than a few see Roman stylistic influences in the ancient tomb. Source: Ancient painters of Macedonia / Public Domain

23 June, 2022 - 18:56 Mark Johnston

The Tomb of Lyson and Kallikles: A Roman-style Macedonian Grave?

The Tomb of Lyson and Kallikles is the smallest of the four Macedonian Tombs of Lefkadia and holds a mystery that has become the subject of debate amongst scholars of art and architectural history...

George Long performing genomic data analysis on the mummy where the E. coli was detected. Source: Georgia Kirkos / McMaster University

22 June, 2022 - 22:41 Sahir

436-Year-Old Neapolitan Mummy Found To Have E. Coli Hidden in Gallstone

Escherichia coli, popularly known as E. coli , is a bacteria that is commonly found in the lower intestine of healthy, warm-blooded organisms. Most E. coli bacteria are harmless, but a few have the...

A topographic reconstruction from satellite photos of the Richat Structure with false coloring. False coloring as follows: Brown: bedrock; Yellow/white: sand; Green: vegetation; Blue: salty sediments. Source: NASA/JPL/NIMA / Public domain

21 June, 2022 - 18:59 Mark Johnston

What Do Astronauts, Atlantis, and Africa Share? The Richat Structure!

Tucked away in Mauritania, surrounded by the imposing, shifting dunes of the Sahara Desert, lies the Richat Structure. A spectacular rock formation of many names, the “Eye of the Sahara” has guided...

The Stone of the Pregnant Woman at Baalbek quarry. Source: Lodo27 / CC BY-SA 3.0

18 June, 2022 - 18:46 Molly Dowdeswell

Baalbek’s Stone of the Pregnant Woman: How Was This 1000-Ton Megalith Moved?!

One of the biggest feats of Roman ingenuity lies in Lebanon’s historic Bekaa Valley, home to the ancient city of Heliopolis, now Baalbek. Here, the 2,000-year-old Temple of Jupiter was built on top...

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