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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.

View of the 2019 construction site and the alignment of steles, standing stones. Source: © SBMA - ARIA SA.
1 August, 2019 - 18:39 Ed Whelan

Rare Stone Steles With Unknown Figures Found At Neolithic Site in Switzerland

A remarkable series of standing stones have been found near one of the most important Neolithic sites in Switzerland , and indeed in the entire Alpine region of Europe. The unearthed stones are...
Religion of the Aztecs: Keeping the Balance in an Unpredictable and Terrifying World
27 July, 2019 - 22:49 Caleb Strom

Religion of the Aztecs: Keeping the Balance in an Unpredictable and Terrifying World

The Aztec Empire was the largest and most successful Mesoamerican empire in terms of size and demographics. It stretched across highlands, coastal plains, valleys, and forests. It is not surprising,...
Japanese erotic art. Credit: fotoember / Adobe Stock
21 July, 2019 - 22:08 B. B. Wagner

Sex, Scandal, and Allure: The Erotic Art of Shun-ga from Edo to Early Modern Japan

In the year 1770, within a large village house by the bustling city of Edo, Japan (modern day Tokyo City), a large collective of apprentices studied under their teacher, Utagawa Toyoharu, in...
The fear of being buried alive is taphophobia. (Sergey Nivens / Adobe Stock.)
18 July, 2019 - 18:52 Aleksa Vučković

Saved by the Bell - The Surprising History of Safety Coffins

Modern medicine is full of wonders and lifesaving, revolutionary methods - many of which are taken for granted. But if we were to look back in time, we’d quickly realize that even death was uncertain...
Catacomb Saint - Saint Gratian. Source: Xenophon / CC BY-SA 4.0.
10 July, 2019 - 19:08 Aleksa Vučković

A Beauty in Darkness: The Hidden Secrets of the Catacomb Saints

Death was always a source of mystery for people around the world. But what happens when we erase that invisible border and make the dead a thing to worship? Never too far from every major turn of...
Detail of a hurdy gurdy
10 July, 2019 - 18:07 dhwty

Hurdy Gurdy Man: Rock Star of the Medieval Music Scene

The hurdy gurdy is a musical instrument, or more precisely, a string instrument, that traces its origin to the Middle Ages of Europe. The hurdy gurdy was initially used to play sacred music, before...
Temple of Edfu illustration by artist David Roberts.
5 July, 2019 - 23:14 Morgan Smith

The Grand Architect: The Sacred Link Between Architecture and the Divine Across Ancient Cultures

In 1892, architect W.R. Lethaby wrote: “The main purpose and burden of sacred architecture - and all architecture, temple, tomb, or palace, was sacred in the early days - is…inextricably bound up...
Are Shamir and Pito the answer to how people performed ancient stonework? Are they the “green chisel” gifted from the gods? Source: Anjocreatif / Adobe.
26 June, 2019 - 23:02 Lia Mangolini

Melting Stone With Plants: Was the Mythical 'Green Chisel' A Real Ancient Tool?

Archaeology is not an exact science. It is full of doubts, uncertainties, surprises, and unanswered questions. One of its unsolved mysteries concerns the methods of ancient stone work, which is lost...
Flamingoes have been admired throughout history. Source: CC BY 2.5
25 June, 2019 - 23:03 Maura Andreoni

The Ancient Admiration of Birds: Flamingos as Masterpieces of Art and Food

In the ancient past, relationships between humans and animals were stricter than today and included the sphere of the imaginary and the sacred. Investigations on how the ancients approached different...
Following the Footsteps of the Ancestors: The Walkabout Coming of Age Ceremony
25 June, 2019 - 18:53 Sarah P Young

Following the Footsteps of the Ancestors: The Walkabout Coming of Age Ceremony

Australia has been inhabited for more than 50,000 years and the Aboriginal people have a complex and fascinating spiritual life. Their culture is filled with traditions and ceremonies with special...
Bird are the messengers of omens. Source: Yuriy Mazur / Adobe Stock
24 June, 2019 - 13:59 ancient-origins

Birds in the Ancient World: Messengers of Omens and Auguries

Translators regularly face the problem that the words and expressions of one language do not always translate exactly into those of another. In fact, a literal translation can sometimes seem...
Summer solstice Utah sunrise. Source: Heath /Adobe Stock
21 June, 2019 - 22:23 Alicia McDermott

6 Spectacular Summer Solstice Celebrations Around the World

With the sun shining high, the summer solstice, aka the longest day of the year, is a day for celebration for many people around the world. For people living north of the equator, Friday, June 21 is...
The practice of Onmyōdō. Source: Epiximages / Adobe Stock.
11 June, 2019 - 23:01 NisaRyan

The Oriental Magical Practice of Onmyōdō and Its Checkered History

The practice of Onmyōdō has a contentious history in Japan and, for reasons that will become clear, was outlawed for some time along with its close cousin, Shugendō (修験道). Onmyōdō, means literally, ‘...
Maat, goddess of truth and justice
9 June, 2019 - 17:35 Bryan Hill

Maat: Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Truth, Justice and Morality

Maat, also known as Ma’at or Mayet, was a female goddess in the ancient Egyptian religion who represented truth, justice, balance and morality. The daughter of the Egyptian sun deity Ra and wife of...
Cleaned skulls stacked under a tree in the cemetery as per tradition on Skull Island, Trunyan, Bali. Source: dani3315 / Adobe Stock.
7 June, 2019 - 23:00 dhwty

The Decomposing Bodies of Skull Island: The Unique Funerary Custom of Trunyan

Trunyan (also spelled as Terunyan) is a village located on the Indonesian island of Bali. This village is known colloquially as the ‘Skull Island’, due to its unique funerary practice , known as...
Skulls painted with names, colorful flowers, and crosses in the Charnel House in Hallstatt, Austria. Source: J. Ossorio Castillo / Adobe.
31 May, 2019 - 23:06 Sarah P Young

The Incredible World of Painted Skulls and Bone Houses

Overlooking the Alps, in the idyllic Austrian mountain town of Hallstatt , a few hundred grave markers indicate the resting place of former residents. But those who choose to be buried there know...
The animal trials were common in the Middle Ages. (The Trail of Bill Burns by P. Mathews, 1838) Source: דוג'רית / Public Domain
31 May, 2019 - 18:54 dhwty

Strange But Serious Medieval Animal Trials Were No Kangaroo Court!

One of the more unusual aspects of the Medieval world was that animals could be put on trial like human beings. Yes, there was such a thing as legal animal trials! While the veracity of many Medieval...
Inca in a religious event. The Inca civilization is accredited with the first peanut paste.
29 May, 2019 - 16:31 dhwty

Who Invented Peanut Butter? Origins of the Tasty Sandwich Spread

Peanut butter is a popular type of food commonly used as a spread, though it may also be used as an ingredient in various recipes. As many already know, peanut butter is made from ground dry roasted...
Ancient carpenter, woodworking. Source: deanjs / Public Domain.
24 May, 2019 - 14:01 Rachel Brown

How Ancient Woodworkers Sculpted Civilization

Humans have a remarkable relationship with trees . Trees not only provide the oxygen we need to breathe, but also wood in its rawest form. For millennia, woodworking by carpenters, turners, and...
Samurai armor is both brutal and delicate.
22 May, 2019 - 01:36 Kerry Sullivan

The Brutality and Delicacy of Samurai Armor: Superior Protection with a God-like Aesthetic

The Samurai class was officially dissolved over 150 years ago. Nonetheless, the warriors’ elaborate armor is still recognized globally as an iconic emblem of Japanese military strength and virtue...
Full Contact Sword Combat during the Medieval combat in Russia. Source: Wranglerstar / YouTube Screenshot.
21 May, 2019 - 14:04 ashley cowie

World Championship in Medieval Combat Unfolds Like a Ukrainian Game Of Thrones

This weekend the ‘World Championship in Medieval Combat’ was held in the Ukraine where hundreds of warriors clanking around in armor , swinging swords and axes, in a scene reminiscent of an episode...
The passage of carts over decades could cause ruts (like the one shown), particularly in high-traffic areas of Pompeii.
17 May, 2019 - 12:37 Ed Whelan

Romans in Pompeii Repaired the Roads with Molten Iron

The buried city of Pompeii continues to provide many insights into Roman society , economy, and culture. The ash and pumice , that fell on Pompeii from Mount Vesuvius , froze the city in time. A...
Medieval knight armor with chain mail
14 May, 2019 - 18:52 dhwty

Advances in Medieval Knight Armor Could Not Match Weapon Technology!

The knight in shining armor is undoubtedly the first image that comes to mind for most people when they think about warfare during the Middle Ages . The knight in this mental image is often a warrior...
Chamber of torture devices and ancient punishments in Prague Castle
12 May, 2019 - 18:53 ancient-origins

9 Methods of Ancient Punishment That’ll Make You Squirm

For as long as societies have had to deal with crime, they’ve had to deal out punishment. In some, places, and situations the process was only meant to humiliate the guilty, but most of the following...

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