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.

The ancient and mysterious Sphinx, Giza, Egypt.

15 October, 2017 - 18:43 Cliff Dunning

Mystery of the Sphinx: An Ancient Message of Ethnic Diversity in Dynastic Egypt

In 1995, NBC televised a prime-time documentary hosted by actor Charlton Heston and directed by Bill Cote, called Mystery of the Sphinx . The program centered on the research and writings of John...

Castillo de San Felipe del Morro (El Morro), Puerto Rica

10 October, 2017 - 23:04 ML Childs

El Morro: The Great 16th Century Fort That Saved Puerto Rico from British and Dutch Invasions

Castillo de San Felipe del Morro is a fort that sits majestically on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico in the capital city of San Juan. In 1983, the fort was declared a world heritage site by the...

7 October, 2017 - 18:51 aprilholloway

5 Pyramids of the Ancient World that You May Not Have Heard About

The Great Pyramid of Giza is undoubtedly one of the most well-known icons of the ancient world. But thousands of other pyramids exist, not just in Egypt, but across the entire globe, including Europe...

The Giza Pyramids - CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, and Egyptian god Thoth – CC0)

2 October, 2017 - 18:55 Armando Mei

Who Really Built the Pyramids of Giza? Thoth’s Enigmatic Emerald Tablets May Provide the Answer

The Emerald Tablets are one of the greatest enigmas of archaeology. They can be considered an obscure side of Egyptian mythology, characterized by events where myth seems to meet history. Scholars...

Western passage at the megalithic site of Knowth with decorated orthostat on left. Co. Meath, Ireland.

30 September, 2017 - 22:49 Riley Winters

Mystifying Megaliths: Knowth, Keeper of Ancient Tombs

The rolling green hills outside of Ireland hold more history than can be seen. Legend blends into folklore, and folklore transforms into history. Knowth, located not far from Dublin, is part of a...

Tumulus F at the Neolithic Tumulus of Bougon necropolis.

29 September, 2017 - 22:49 dhwty

The Outstanding Megalithic Necropolis that is the Tumulus of Bougon

The Tumulus of Bougon (known also as the Necropolis of Bougon) is a group of barrows dating to the Neolithic period. This site is located in Bougon, a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department of the...

View inside the prehistoric Tarxien Temples, Tarxien, Malta.

29 September, 2017 - 14:00 dhwty

Tarxien Temples: This Megalithic Complex is the Height of Temple Building in Prehistoric Malta

A group of enormous megalithic structures stand tall in Tarxien, on the southeastern part of the main island of Malta. Called the Tarxien Temples, the huge structures remain as a testament to the...

18 September, 2017 - 19:07 pkoutoupis

In Search of King Alcinous: Who were the Legendary Phaeacians?

The mythological Alcinous and his kingdom have remained one of the most mysterious and elusive topics of ancient Greek literature. Not much is known of this foreign monarch, or at least not much has...

This is the ceiling of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy Photograph by Anne Dirkse

18 September, 2017 - 01:59 dhwty

The Roman Pantheon: National Treasure and Legacy of a Powerful Empire

Anyone who has paid a visit to Rome will know that around just about every corner of the historic center lies a reminder of Rome’s glorious and inglorious history. Be it buildings, fountains, statues...

16 September, 2017 - 19:05 Hugh Newman

Was the Devil’s Dyke in England once Part of the Legendary City of Troy?

In a small village northeast of Cambridge, near the most northern route of the ancient Icknield Way, a great 'dyke' emerges smoothly from the ground and rises to over two stories high. This...

Detail of the Mycenaean-era tomb’s façade and the dry-stone masonry that sealed the entrance.

12 September, 2017 - 22:56 Alicia McDermott

Rare Tomb Shows Bronze Age Mycenaean-era Nobleman had a Fondness for Jewelry

After 3,350 years, a Mycenaean-era nobleman’s tomb has been re-entered and his favored possessions have been seen by modern eyes. Archaeologists consider his burial an odd one, with grave goods and...

12 September, 2017 - 02:03 ancient-origins

The Forgotten History of Beijing’s First Forbidden City

Jonathan Dugdale / The Conversation An ancient site rooted in the heart of modern Beijing, the Forbidden City is one of China’s most famous attractions. Completed in 1420, the city served as the...

Detail of Painting of Hopi man returning home. By Homer Coayama, ‘Hopi Man Coming Home From the Field’ (From author’s collection)

9 September, 2017 - 18:52 Thomas O. Mills

Help Find the Missing Corner of the Hopi Tablet To Prove Their Creation Story: Seeking Answers in the Chapel of the Tablet, Africa

[Editorial by Thomas O Mills, Hopi Cultural Center in Second Mesa, Arizona, USA ] I am sometimes asked, “How can we help the Hopi People?” Having lived with the Hopi for a number of years, I can...

Sean's Bar is located on Main Street, Athlone, on the West Bank of the River Shannon, and was originally known as Luain's Inn.

9 September, 2017 - 01:54 dhwty

Quaffing Here For 11 Centuries: Sean’s Bar Claims Title of Oldest Pub in Ireland, Europe and Possibly the World

Sean’s Bar is a pub (abbreviated from ‘public house’) located in Athlone, in Ireland’s County Westmeath. This bar holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest public house in Ireland. In...

Borobudur Temple is surrounded by mountains nearby

8 September, 2017 - 19:00 davidchildress

One of the Greatest Monuments in the World but Who Built it? The Strange Origins of Borobudur and the Lost World of Cham

Borobudur is one of the great monuments of Southeast Asia. It is a colossal Buddhist stupa that rises out of the rice paddies and palm trees with the nearby volcano Gunung Merapi in the distance...

7 September, 2017 - 01:58 dhwty

Meenakshi Amman Temple: Unique Towers, Migrants from a Lost Continent, and Sacred Marriage Celebrations

Legends say Meenakshi Amman Temple was created by migrants from a lost continent. Perhaps that is just a story, but the unique and monumental towers with their brightly-colored sculptures of...

Dragon's Blood Trees, Socotra Island, Yemen

3 September, 2017 - 19:03 aprilholloway

The Lost World of Socotra: The Most Alien-Looking Place on Earth

The landscape of the remote island of Socotra looks so foreign that it could almost pass as an alien planet. Its native flora is so rare and unique that the island looks like something out of a...

Statue of the God Chac-Mool, located inside a chamber in the pyramid of Kukulcán in Chichén Itzá, Mexico

2 September, 2017 - 19:02 Cliff Dunning

A Rogue Archaeologist, Atlantis, and the Chac-Mool

In the late 1890s, as America was developing into an industrial heavyweight, its scientists and explorers were rediscovering Earth’s ancient past and charting forgotten civilizations around our...

1 September, 2017 - 22:35 Caleb Strom

Taos Pueblo: Evoking the Story of Ancestral Puebloans for 1000 Years

North and South America had their own civilizations which flourished in pre-Columbian times. The western hemisphere’s population before the 15th century is estimated at about 100 million people...

The famous Roman theater at Aspendos, Turkey.

30 August, 2017 - 22:48 Alicia McDermott

Ancient Mall Found in Famous Theater City of Aspendos Shows Commerce and Entertainment Went Hand-in-Hand

The ancient city of Aspendos was a major commercial center in Roman times. The recent excavations of a large shop complex with offices and storage facilities dating back some 2,000 years provide more...

29 August, 2017 - 22:56 ancient-origins

Was Orion the Heavenly Overlord of Stonehenge?

In the 1960s, a portion of a ditch excavated into chalk bedrock west of the henge at Stonehenge was discovered during construction for the pedestrian underpass that provided access to Stonehenge...

Egypt: The pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx. Colour lithograph by G.W. Seitz, ca. 1878

29 August, 2017 - 18:58 Calumy

A Forgotten Sphinx and Faked Cartouche: Changing the Course of Ancient Egyptian History?

When Gerry Cannon invited me to co-author his forthcoming book, “The Giza Plateau Secrets and a Second Sphinx Revealed”, I’m sure that neither of us could have foreseen the most explosive revelation...

28 August, 2017 - 19:10 James O Kon

Remembering the Future: How Ancient Maya Agronomists Changed the Modern World

The Maya were the longest-lived civilization in history. Their history lasted for 3,500 years and traced parallel time lines with other ancient civilizations. They began their civilization in 2500 BC...

Artist’s interpretation of activity in and around Lake Titicaca

28 August, 2017 - 02:01 Riley Winters

For a Metal or Forgotten Parents: The Mysterious Origins of Lake Titicaca’s Name

Value, status, memory, family… These are ideals encompassed in names. Across cultures, the naming of persons and places hold varying levels of significance. The Norse named their swords; the Scottish...