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.
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...
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...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 /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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
Unveiling the intricate tapestry of New Year's celebrations, a history often overshadowed by the commonplace revelry. Contrary to the universal January 1st celebration, the roots of this global...
The ubiquitous New Year's Eve anthem, "Auld Lang Syne," holds a rich tapestry of cultural interpretations. Originating as a Scottish celebration song penned by poet Robert Burns in the 1700s, its...
During ongoing excavations at the 9,000-year-old extinct Anatolian city of Çatalhöyük in central Turkey, a team of archaeologists discovered something remarkable. While examining the skeleton of a...