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Ancient Writings

There are literally thousands of incredible texts that have survived from the ancient world, which are etched onto copper, beautifully inscribed on papyrus, chipped onto tablets, and even written using the ink of ground down gold and precious stones. Here we feature many ancient writings, which have served to open a window onto the daily lives of our ancestors and enhanced the knowledge we hold about our ancient past.

Henry VIII Portrait, 1539-40, Hans Holbein the Younger

How Henry VIII Accidentally Changed the Way We Write History

By Raphaëlle Goyeau /The Conversation In 1534, King Henry VIII infamously broke away from the Catholic Church, becoming the head of the Church of England. Following this, two lesser-known acts were...
Close up of ancient carved stone.

The Origins and Development of Alphabets in Ancient Cultures

In the course of early human development, there appeared the distinct need to write. To protect thoughts and ideas and tasks from the passing of time, to remember and keep for posterity. Oral...
Newly Discovered Euripides Fragments: A Happy Day for Greek Tragedy

Newly Discovered Euripides Fragments: A Happy Day for Greek Tragedy

In a significant development for the study of ancient Greek literature, two scholars from the University of Colorado Boulder have identified previously unknown fragments of works by the famed...
Linear A incised on tablets found in Akrotiri, Santorini

Linear A and The Machine: a Brute Force Attack to Decrypt the Minoan Code

This is the story of a quest. A story which stems from a stream of failures and some gleams of perseverance, where countless attempts clash with repeated falls, a story which exists because of people...
 Larger Than Life: England’s Chalk Figures Explored

Larger Than Life: England’s Chalk Figures Explored

The Pagan heritage of England is still very much felt in the modern age and can even be seen - if one looks at the right places. England’s chalk figures, a series of large geoglyphs carved into the...
Massive Mayan Hieroglyphic Text Holds Secrets of Cobá’s Founding Dynasty

Massive Mayan Hieroglyphic Text Holds Secrets of Cobá’s Founding Dynasty

A remarkable discovery has emerged from the heart of the ancient Mayan world: an extensive Mayan glyph text has been uncovered in the Cobá Archaeological Zone, Quintana Roo. This newly unearthed...
The painting of the three orders of the Angelic Hierarchy in all their glory: “Assumption of the Virgin” by Botticini, 1475

Enochian: The Mysterious Lost Language of Angels

Enochian is a mysterious language that 16th century occultists John Dee and Edward Kelley recorded in their private journals. They claimed this ‘celestial speech’ allowed magicians and occultists to...
One of the cuneiform tablets the researchers deciphered. Source: © The Trustees of the British Museum

Death of a King and Other Prophesies of Doom Deciphered on Cuneiform Tablet

It was more than a century ago that some extraordinarily rare cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia dating to the second millennium BC were discovered during an archaeological expedition in Iraq. Now,...
AI image of a South American man preparing for a traditional ceremony at an Aztec pyramid.

The Medical Practices and Treatments in Ancient Civilizations

The worn-out pages of human history are replete with fascinating insights into the medical practices and treatments of ancient civilizations. From the rudimentary healing methods of prehistoric...
Left; Photos of the papyrus fragments, Right; Text from the Herculaneum scroll.

The Secrets of the Herculaneum Papyri (Video)

The Biblioteca Nazionale in Naples is one of Italy's largest libraries, housing over a million books and manuscripts. Among its collections, the Herculaneum Papyri stand out as some of the most...
Kobayashi Eitaku, Izanagi and Izanami, c. 1885	Source: Public Domain

Kojiki: Japan’s Oldest Surviving Chronicle

The Kojiki, or "Records of Ancient Matters," holds the prestigious title of being Japan's oldest surviving chronicle. Compiled in 712 AD, this amazing text offers a window into the myths, legends,...
The Singapore Stone.	Source: Jon Callas/CC BY 2.0

Linguistic Experts Hope to Decipher the Singapore Stone

Francesco Perono Cacciafoco /The Conversation If you pay a visit to the Singapore Stone , displayed at the National Museum of Singapore, you might be disappointed. That’s because the inscription –...
A unicorn coming out of a bible.

Wizards and Unicorns? 5 Things You Won’t Believe Are In The Bible (Video)

Even if the Bible has familiar stories known through cultural osmosis, there are many surprising elements within its pages that might be less well-known. Here are five astonishing things you might...
 The silver amulet found at Deultum, Debelt, Bulgaris, the oldest Christian relic of Bulgaria.

1,800-Year-Old Silver Amulet is Bulgaria’s Oldest Christian Relic

Excavations near the village of Debelt in southeastern Bulgaria produced an astonishing artifact that changes the understanding of the history of Christianity in the country. At the site of an...
3,500-year-old cuneiform tablet found at Accana Mound, Hatay, Turkey.

3,500-Year-Old Cuneiform Tablet Found Containing a Shopping List in Turkey

Archaeologists excavating the Aççana Mound, also known as Eski Alalah, have made an amazing discovery: a cuneiform tablet detailing a shopping list of purchases from almost 3,500 years ago. The...
The script known as Freising manuscripts. 	Source: National and University Library of Slovenia

The Freising Manuscripts - a Crucial Part of Shared Slavic Heritage

The Freising manuscripts, also known as the Freising folia, are a collection of Latin and Old Slovenian religious texts dating back to the late 9th or early 10th century AD. These manuscripts are...
The stone carvings found during a diving expedition near Aswan, Egypt.	Source: © Dr Cristian Craciun/Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs Rediscovered Underwater Near Aswan

Archaeologists recently unveiled a remarkable discovery near Aswan, Egypt: rock carvings depicting ancient Egyptian pharaohs, submerged for decades due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam. This...
The Hittite royal seal

Hittite Royal Seal Found in Büklükale Warns ‘Whoever Breaks This Will Die’

During extensive excavations in Büklükale, a historically significant site believed to have served as a crucial military base for the Hittites, archaeologists unearthed a remarkable seal belonging to...
Dunhuang Silk Road History. AI illustration.

Dunhuang Manuscripts: Insights into Ancient China

Dunhuang is situated in the northwestern part of Gansu province in the west of China. The ancient town occupied a strategic position at the crossroads of the ancient Southern Silk Route and the main...
Dated Rock Art Panel at Leang Karampuang	Source: Provided by Griffith University /Nature

Earliest Narrative Cave Art Discovered in Sulawesi: A 51,200-Year-Old Marvel

A groundbreaking discovery in Sulawesi, Indonesia, has unveiled the oldest known narrative cave art, dating back at least 51,200 years. This revelation, published in the journal Nature , not only...
An enhanced view showing some of the rock art found in Venezuela.  Source: José Miguel Pérez-Gómez/Simón Bolívar University

4,000-Year-Old Rock Art From Unknown Culture Uncovered in Venezuela

An archaeological team in Venezuela has uncovered 20 ancient rock art sites in Canaima National Park, consisting of both pictograms and petroglyphs, estimated to be around 4,000 years old! Located in...
A collection of over 3,000 years old endangered prehistoric engravings Source: Author provided

History Sleuth Explores Cordillera's Little Known 3,500-Year-Old Alab Petroglyphs

Carved on a boulder resting at Mt. Data of Alab Oriente, Bontoc, Mt. Province is a remarkable plethora of 2 nd millennium BC petroglyphs. The oldest and only kind of engravings that is discovered by...
Golden Bull of 1222.			Source: Public Domain

Golden Bull of 1222

The Golden Bull of 1222: Hungary's Magna Carta The Golden Bull of 1222, issued by King Andrew II of Hungary, is one of the most significant legal documents in medieval European history. Often...
Images of the slate recovered

New Paleo-Hispanic Alphabet Discovered in Spain

R esearchers in have announced a groundbreaking discovery at the Tartessian site of Casas del Turuñuelo in Guareña, Badajoz, Spain. A slate tablet inscribed with what appears to be a third southern...

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