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.

Main: Temple of Aton in Amarna (CC by SA 3.0). Inset eclipse (public domain)

20 August, 2017 - 23:10 anand balaji

Eclipse over Amarna: Beginning of the End for Akhenaten in his City of Light?

The ancient Egyptian civilization was wedded to the Sun, and yet, extant records only ever mention the solar aspect as the giver and sustainer of life that shines brightly for all eternity. Sterling...

Roman Ruins of Timgad (Wilaya of Batna, Algeria). Street leading to the Arch of Trajan.

20 August, 2017 - 01:53 ancient-origins

Mythbusting Ancient Rome – Did All Roads Actually Lead There?

We all know the phrase “All roads lead to Rome”. Today, it is used proverbially and has come to mean something like “there is more than one way to reach the same goal”. But did all roads ever really...

19 August, 2017 - 22:54 aprilholloway

Archaeological Mystery: 10,000 or More Caves were Dug into the Himalayas Over 2,000 Years Ago

One of the world’s greatest archaeological mysteries is hidden in the Himalayas. 10,000 man-made caves have been tunneled through the rock from above or dug into the cliffside. Who built these...

Modern Mekong Delta floating market, Vietnam. Still an area of extensive trade.

19 August, 2017 - 02:01 ancient-origins

Extensive Neolithic Trading Network Uncovered in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

A team of archaeologists from The Australian National University (ANU) has uncovered a vast trading network which operated in Vietnam from around 4,500 years ago up until around 3,000 years ago. A...

From this map of the site, all the main structures and rock carvings are visible.

18 August, 2017 - 18:48 Marco M. Vigato

The Megalithic Temple of Malinalco: Could these Magnificent and Complex Rock-Cut Structures Actually Pre-Date the Aztecs?

The little town of Malinalco lies at the margins of the Valley of Tepoztlan, some 115 kilometers (71 miles) to the southwest of Mexico City. Since Prehispanic times, its name has been associated with...

View point towards Katun River, Atlai Mountains

16 August, 2017 - 01:56 ancient-origins

Discovered: The Great Wall of Siberia Dating to 1st millennium BC

By Anna Liesowska, The Siberian Times Giant ramparts guarded Altai Mountains against attack from the north, says leading archaeologist Professor Andrey Borodovsky. The wall complex - now almost...

Colonial image of Manco Cápac and the Sun God, Inti. (Public Domain),Koricancha (Author Provided)

15 August, 2017 - 18:56 Ken Jeremiah

God’s Gate and the Sun Temple: A Mysterious Incan Portal Leading to Other Worlds

Peru has a rich and mysterious history. With extant indigenous groups such as the Uros, Quechua, Aymara, and the Jivaro, which are known for their head-shrinking techniques, and historical...

7 August, 2017 - 22:57 dhwty

An 8-Hour Walk to Get Groceries: This Monastery is so Remote That Almost No One Has Heard About It

The Phugtal Monastery is a Buddhist monastery located in the Ladakh region of the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. This monastery was constructed inside a natural cave, and is considered...

6 August, 2017 - 23:17 dhwty

Fleckenstein Castle: From Impregnable Fortress to a Chateaux in Ruins

Fleckenstein Castle is a castle located near Lembach, in the eastern French region of Alsace. This castle is known to have existed since the 12 th century, and was the property of the powerful...

A photo of the Warangal Fort’s Kakatiya Kala Thoranam.

5 August, 2017 - 14:02 dhwty

Warangal Fort: More Spiritual Haven than Safe Haven

When you think of a fort you probably picture a pretty solid and intimidating structure. A practical, no frills affair. The Warangal Fort was somewhat different. A huge and opulent construction built...

5 August, 2017 - 01:59 Riley Winters

A Discovery That Shook the Archaeological World: Sir Arthur Evans and the Unveiling of Knossos

"A gentleman and a scholar." There are few such men who fit this description from the "archaeological" community of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There were certainly gentlemen and scholars...

The archaeology team were delighted to find the large statue. (Image: Apsara Authority)

3 August, 2017 - 13:50 Theodoros Karasavvas

Unexpected Find of Impressive Ancient Statue at Cambodia's Angkor Complex

A team of archaeologists has uncovered a large ancient statue that is thought to have once stood as a guard over an ancient hospital to the north of Cambodia’s Angkor Thom city complex. Impressive...

31 July, 2017 - 18:50 Caleb Strom

It Looks Like a Laser Cut But What Really Split the Ancient Al Naslaa Rock?

The Tayma oasis in Saudi Arabia is famous for its rock art and its historic legacy. It was a major trade route in antiquity and was once the dwelling place of a Babylonian king, Nabonidus. It is...

Photo in the Valley of Balls, Torysh Valley, Kazakhstan.

28 July, 2017 - 18:58 Caleb Strom

Kazakhstan Valley Filled with Giant Balls Has Geologists and Fringe Scientists Butting Heads

Are they the remains of a hastily abandoned game of giant billiards? Probably not, but the array of huge boulders in Torysh Valley, Kazakhstan may bring this fantastical image to mind. Actually...

The Palace at Sayil, a Maya city on the Gulf of Mexico side of the Yucatan Peninsula. Heavily damaged by ancient floods, complete reconstruction is impossible because of scattered stoneworks.

27 July, 2017 - 18:45 Cliff Dunning

The Maya Controversy: Startling New Evidence for an Antediluvian People who Influenced the World

The oral traditions of Native Americans are historical content that most academics refuse to reference, even in the face of startlingly accurate perceptions of early earth conditions and human...

Painting of the 12th century mausoleum оf Sultan Sanjar, located in Merv.

27 July, 2017 - 13:57 Caleb Strom

Merv: In Ruins Today, How Does the Eternal City of the East Live on?

The city of Rome has long been nicknamed the eternal city because of its association with the Roman Catholic Church and the belief among ancient Roman pagans that the city would last forever -...

A mausoleum in the northern region of Mali.

26 July, 2017 - 14:00 Clyde Winters

Does a Mysterious Manuscript Describe a Forgotten Malian Mausoleum in Brazil?

Almost 300 years ago Brazilian bandits stumbled upon a ruined city. It was such an intriguing site that the city was eventually described in ink. This text became known as Manuscript 512 – a document...

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...

Tower of London as viewed from across the River Thames.

25 July, 2017 - 13:59 ML Childs

Tower of London: A Palace, a Prison and a Place of Execution

The White Tower, most commonly known as the Tower of London, is situated on the north bank of the river Thames in central London and is one of the oldest, long-standing edifices in England. It is...

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...

23 July, 2017 - 23:04 Riley Winters

Urnes Stave Church: A Final Vestige of Viking Innovation

At the edge of the world lies the last trace of Viking Christianity. Urnes Stave Church (c. 1130 AD) stands tall in Sognefjord in the west of Norway, yet it represents as much of an end as it does a...

23 July, 2017 - 19:02 Veronica Parkes

Would You Dare to Visit an Ancient Maya Cave of Human Sacrifice? If So, Head to Belize

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Natural Monument, or the “Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre,” in Belize is where archaeologists have uncovered evidence of human sacrifice rituals dating back to 3rd century...

22 July, 2017 - 19:08 ancient-origins

Mysterious Map Emerges at the Dawn of the Egyptian Civilization and Depicts Antarctica Without Ice – Who Made it?

On a chilly winter day in 1929, Halil Edhem, the Director of Turkey's National Museum, was hunched over his solitary task of classifying documents. He pulled towards him a map drawn on Roe deer skin...

Buckland Rings - artist's impression from gates

20 July, 2017 - 23:02 Theodoros Karasavvas

LIDAR Reveals 2,000-Year-Old Dwellings of Earliest Occupants of an Iron Age Hill Fort

A team of archaeologists has detected a conurbation of houses at a hill fort that once hosted some of the earliest occupants of a New Forest town, an area of southern England which includes one of...