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Ancient Traditions

Ancient Origins brings you articles related to Ancient Traditions from all over the world. Find related articles in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends.

Sculpture details of classic male form in Venice, Italy. Source: Andrew Deer/Adobe Stock
16 February, 2024 - 23:57 Robbie Mitchell

A Brief History of Homosexuality in Rome (Video)

Homosexuality in ancient Rome was a multifaceted aspect of society, often overshadowed in historical narratives. From prominent figures like Julius Caesar to Emperor Nero, instances of same-sex...
Cupid and Psyche (Amore e Psiche) - symbol of eternal love, by sculptor Giovanni Maria Benzoni. Source: Paolo Gallo/Adobe Stock
14 February, 2024 - 16:41 ancient-origins

Love May Be Timeless, But the Way We Talk About It Isn’t

By David Albertson /The Conversation Every year as Valentine’s Day approaches, people remind themselves that not all expressions of love fit the stereotypes of modern romance. V-Day cynics might plan...
Sigismunda Mourning Over the Heart of Guiscardo by William Hogarth (1759). Source: Tate/ CC BY NC-ND 3.0
14 February, 2024 - 13:45 ancient-origins

Forget Flowers, 18th Century Romantics Gave Their Actual Hearts

Jolene Zigarovich /The Conversation Every Valentine’s Day, we’re inundated with hearts. We purchase cards with hearts and heart-shaped balloons. We wear clothing with hearts and adorn ourselves with...
Aerial view of Amazon tributary river, San Jose do Rio Claro, Mato Grosso, where ancient manufacturing of terra preta has been found. Source: Uwe Bergwitz/Adobe Stock
12 February, 2024 - 13:25 Sahir

Advanced Amazonian Agriculturalists Intentionally Created ‘Terra Preta’ Thousands of Years Ago

A fascinating body of research has revealed how intimately our ancestors were connected to the earth – specifically, ancient Amazonians, who intentionally created a fertile dark earth or ‘terra preta...
Pirate crew members diligently swab the deck, maintaining the condition of their ship while sailing across the ocean. Source: Davivd/Adobe Stock
11 February, 2024 - 19:49 Robbie Mitchell

The Five Worst Jobs on a Pirate Ship... (Video)

Life on a pirate ship was fraught with peril, particularly for those assigned to the five most dreaded roles: topmen, forced men, swabbers, liars, and shipboard musicians. Topmen, the nimble climbers...
Caves and rock shelters dot the mountains in the northwestern highlands of Thailand. Over 40 in Mae Hong Son province contain wooden coffins on stilts, dating back 1,000 - 2,300 years. Source: © Selina Carlhoff/ Max Planck Society
8 February, 2024 - 14:02 ancient-origins

DNA Elucidates Thailand's Iron Age ‘Log Coffin Culture’

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology A mortuary practice known as ‘Log Coffin culture’ characterizes the Iron Age of highland Pang Mapha in northwestern Thailand. Between 2,300 and 1,...
The bone, black henbane seeds and tar plug used to keep it sealed. Source: BIAC Consult
8 February, 2024 - 00:00 Nathan Falde

For Pain or Pleasure? Poisonous Plant Henbane Used by the Romans

While digging at the site of a rural, first-century AD Roman settlement in Houten-Castellum in the Netherlands, archaeologists uncovered a most unusual artifact. Inside a hollowed-out animal bone,...
Reenactment of two Armored Medieval Knights Fighting with Swords. Source: Gorodenkoff/Adobe Stock
7 February, 2024 - 20:01 Robbie Mitchell

What a Medieval Duel Really Looked Like (Video)

In medieval Europe , justice was often sought through grim ordeals, and the judicial duel was a stark example. The murder of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders, triggered a brutal confrontation...
Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing, China . Source: rabbit75_fot/Adobe Stock
7 February, 2024 - 13:53 Aleksa Vučković

Guardians of History: How the Dazu Rock Carvings Captivate the World

The Dazu Rock Carvings are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings located in the Dazu District of Chongqing, China. These carvings date back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) and the...
Divination was an important aspect of everyday life in ancient Mesopotamia. Source: breakermaximus / Adobe Stock
4 February, 2024 - 16:37 Aleksa Vučković

Divination and Omens in Mesopotamian Society

Ancient civilizations, throughout history, depended on the skill and intricacy of their diviners. Divination is the method of ritually foreseeing the future and the outcome of big events. In this way...
Ancient bas-relief on grave stele in Kerameikos in Athens, Greece depicting two wrestlers in action. Source: National Archaeological Museum of Athens/ CC BY-SA 2.0 DE
1 February, 2024 - 23:54 ancient-origins

From Ancient Greece to Now: the Bravado of Athletes Transcends Centuries

Peter J. Miller /The Conversation “I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I was really the greatest.” This quote...
Portrait of medieval bearded pirate holding sword and gun. Source: Oulaphone/Adobe Stock
29 January, 2024 - 20:00 Robbie Mitchell

The Horrifying Torture Methods Used By Pirates… (Video)

In the grim era of the 1600s, humanity bore witness to a dark chapter marked by massacres, persecution, and cruelty. The so-called Golden Age of Piracy unfolded amid this brutality, with pirates...
Book of Gregorian chants within a cathedral. Source: Ivan / Adobe Stock
28 January, 2024 - 13:57 Robbie Mitchell

Harmonies from Heaven: Tracing the Origins of the Gregorian Chant

Enter the ethereal realm of Gregorian chant, a venerable form of liturgical music that resonates through the corridors of time. Originating in the early Christian period, this sacred musical...
Dogs being taken care of in an image from Livre de la Chasse (Book of the Hunt). Source: The Morgan Library and Museum/Faksimile Verlag Luzern
27 January, 2024 - 00:00 ancient origins

Dogs in the Middle Ages: What Medieval Writing Tells Us About Our Ancestors’ Pets

Emily Savage /The Conversation In the Middle Ages, most dogs had jobs. In his book De Canibus , the 16th-century English physician and scholar John Caius described a hierarchy of dogs, which he...
Jay Silverstein with an Olmec head he helped discover in Mexico in 1994. Source: Jay Silverstein, Author provided
25 January, 2024 - 23:57 ancient origins

Has the Archaeologist’s Spade Been Replaced By Modern Technology?

Jay Silverstein /The Conversation A valley of lost cities has been discovered in the Ecuadorian Amazon. When you hear of such a discovery you might think of archaeologists with chisels and brushes or...
AI illustration of Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Source: Michael/Adobe Stock
25 January, 2024 - 20:12 Robbie Mitchell

How Does the Line of Succession to the British Throne Work? (Video)

The British line of succession is a complex historical tapestry woven over centuries, marked by twists and turns. Beginning with Egbert in 827 AD, the hereditary path to the throne was often...
A close up of the woman buried with neck rings at the 1000-year-old burial site found near Kyiv, Ukraine. Source: Courtesy of Vyacheslav Baranov/National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
23 January, 2024 - 23:50 Gary Manners

Bizarrely Adorned Ancient Burials Found In Ukraine

A recently unearthed cemetery in Ukraine, dating back 1,000 years, has yielded an array of fascinating finds, including weapons, jewelry, and, unusually, buckets positioned around the feet of some of...
An ancient Roman gladiator. Source: Luis Louro /Adobe Stock
21 January, 2024 - 19:51 Robbie Mitchell

The Reality of Gladiator Life and Their Training (Video)

In the world of gladiators , once perceived as either heroic warriors or despised villains, their existence is marked by brutality and ritualized training rather than the romanticized notions of...
Image of books and family tree diagrams, tracing surname origins. Source: Bazoom
20 January, 2024 - 23:56 Sadie Smith

How to Sleuth Your Ancestral History From Your Surname

Have you ever wondered where your last name comes from or what hidden stories it might hold? Embarking on a surname search journey can be both enlightening and engaging. With curiosity and clever...
Left; the reconstruction imae of Feb=nsatantion Man. Right; The first evidence of Roman-British crucifixion has been found in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, England. The heel of a man found with an iron nail pounded through his heel bone was clear evidence of crucifixion. Source: Left; Impossible Factual/BBC, Right; Albion Archaeology
18 January, 2024 - 02:57 Nathan Falde

Face of the Only Victim of Roman Crucifixion Found in Britain is Revealed

Experts have successfully reconstructed the face of a man who was a victim of Roman crucifixion, a discovery hailed as "almost unique" by Corinne Duhig, a bone specialist from Cambridge University...
Painting of a Renaissance banquet, by Władysław Bakałowicz. Source. Public Domain
14 January, 2024 - 19:55 Robbie Mitchell

The Most Decadent Banquets in History (Video)

Indulging in extravagant feasts throughout history, these banquets were grand spectacles of excess and luxury. In 1873, a German businessman orchestrated a lavish gathering in New York, featuring a...
Representational image of a medieval troubadour. Source: artemstepanov / Adobe Stock
14 January, 2024 - 13:56 Robbie Mitchell

The Chivalrous Melodies and Colorful Lives of the Medieval Troubadours

From the 11th to 14th centuries, medieval Europe was home to a class of poet-musicians known as troubadours. They started out in Occitania in the 11th century before spreading across much of the...
AI portrait of fearless powerful warrior Viking man with blood marks. Source: Asiri/Adobe Stock
9 January, 2024 - 19:55 Robbie Mitchell

The Vikings Had a Justice System Based On Blood Feuds (Video)

The Icelandic Vikings of the Middle Ages had a justice system centered on blood feuds , in stark contrast to modern legal proceedings. Unlike today's courtroom dramas with attorneys and evidence,...
Scene of cannibalism based on European accounts of expeditions to the Americas from America tertia pars by Theodor de Bry, circa 1592. Source: Public domain
5 January, 2024 - 14:13 Robbie Mitchell

8 Ancient Cultures Practicing Cannibalism Through the Ages

When we think of cannibalism today it usually conjures up images of characters like Hannibal Lecter. In reality, many cultures practiced cannibalism throughout history. Therefore, while it may be a...

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