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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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‘Merlyn’ a wizard.

A Spellbinding Story of Discovery: A Medieval Grave for a Wizard and a Magical Artifact

Powerful wizards, warlocks, and sorcerers wielding supernatural staffs and spells have captivated our imaginations for thousands of years. Characters like Merlin, Gandalf, Dumbledore, and Yoda are...
Face of the Statue of Idrimi. Tell Atchana, Turkey, 16th century BC.

Valuable 3,500-Year-Old Statue of a Syrian Refugee Turned King from Aleppo Goes Online

A 3,500-year-old statue of a refugee from Aleppo, Syria, that has been in the British Museum for about eight decades due to conservation concerns, can finally be viewed by millions of people from...
This rare ritual mask fuses together the exotic beauty of Luba with the hypnotic power of Songye art.

Half A Million Dollar Mask With Otherworldly Origins

Deep in the Congo, at the darkest moment within a three-day long drug enhanced ritual, this mask is revealed to initiates as representing a being from another dimension, a collision of man, animal...
The 130-million-year-old fossil.

The 130-Million-Year-Old Human Fossil Heist

In 2016, a telephone interview with an artefact collector led me to uncover a scientific conspiracy of Biblical proportions. Professors are the high priests of our technology driven society, but as...
Will It Work? Greece Is Willing to Loan Archaeological Treasures in Exchange for the Parthenon Marbles

Will It Work? Greece Is Willing to Loan Archaeological Treasures in Exchange for the Parthenon Marbles

Despite a strong desire to return the Parthenon Marbles to their rightful home in Athens atop the Acropolis , the Greek government decided against taking legal action against the UK last year. Some...
The Braganza Brooch.

Celtic Secrets in Enchanting Gold, What is the Story Behind the Braganza Brooch?

The story of a warrior and animals depicted in a small but gorgeous ancient fibula increases the pulse of researchers and others who are passionate about Celtic history. Of the dozens of precious...
How Was This 7,000-Year-Old Mysterious Artifact Carved from Granite Without Metal Tools?

How Was This 7,000-Year-Old Mysterious Artifact Carved from Granite Without Metal Tools?

A strange bird-like statuette from around 5,000 BC has puzzled Greek archaeologists, who can’t explain what it depicts or what its origin is. The "7,000-year-old enigma," as they have labeled it, is...
Inscribed Curse on the Sarcophagus of King Ahiram Displays Earliest Use of Phoenician Alphabet

Inscribed Curse on the Sarcophagus of King Ahiram Displays Earliest Use of Phoenician Alphabet

The Sarcophagus of King Ahiram (spelled also as Ahirom) is an incredible monument that was unearthed in Lebanon. As its name suggests, the sarcophagus belonged to a king by the name of Ahiram, who...
The Lost Artifacts of Clover Hollow - Definite Proof of an Ancient Civilization or Just a Pile of Rocks?

The Lost Artifacts of Clover Hollow - Definite Proof of an Ancient Civilization or Just a Pile of Rocks?

Buried meticulously and ceremonially around the foundations of rock formations aligned across Clover Hollow Mountain are strange and creative portable artifacts that will stretch the imagination of...
Upcycling Ancient Beauty – How Precious Stones, Monuments, and Jewels Have Been Re-Used

Upcycling Ancient Beauty – How Precious Stones, Monuments, and Jewels Have Been Re-Used

Sculptures, monuments, jewels, and even floors of churches and palaces… Impressive artifacts, outstanding pieces of art, and treasures which could satisfy even the most demanding person... Many of...
The British Museum Distorts History and Denies its Racist Past

The British Museum Distorts History and Denies its Racist Past

Thomas Melin/ University of Gothenburg The British Museum in London is rewriting history to appear in a better light and defend itself against demands to return objects to their countries of origin...
Detail of the Wenhaston Doom

The Wenhaston Doom: A Surprising Medieval Relic, Doomsday Message—and a Reminder of Pre-Christian Traditions

A ‘Doom’ is a remarkable survival of a type of church decoration once common in the Middle Ages but largely destroyed during the iconoclastic excesses of the English Protestant Reformation during the...
The Bronze Age rattle discovered at the Acemhöyük excavation site in Turkey.

Echoes of Ancient Children: 4,200-Year-Old Rattle Discovered in Turkey

An early Bronze Age toy equivalent to the modern rattle has been discovered at the Acemhöyük excavation site in Yeşilova, Aksaray. It is a unique artifact which sheds some light on children and daily...
Moche Sacrifice Illustration

By the Cut of a Tumi: An Iconic Ceremonial Artifact of Ancient Peru

The tumi was a ceremonial knife used by several pre-Columbian cultures that inhabited the Peruvian coast, including the Moche, Sicán, Chimu, and Inca cultures, to carry out blood sacrifice and...
A child carrying an artifact at the cemetery.

Silent Victims of Grave Robbers: Children and Mummies Suffer from Extensive Looting in Egypt

The ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for a few millennia. The people who created the unforgettable culture are now buried in the sands of the desert. The number of cemeteries they left behind is...
Rare Discovery of Late Roman official and Precious Belt Buckle Unearthed in Leicester

Rare Discovery of Late Roman official and Precious Belt Buckle Unearthed in Leicester

Archaeologists from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) have recently excavated a Late Roman cemetery at Western Road in Leicester's West End. Amongst the 83 skeletons recorded by...
The Spectacular War Helmet of Meskalamdug, the Powerful King of Kish

The Spectacular War Helmet of Meskalamdug, the Powerful King of Kish

The war helmet of Meskalamdug is an artifact that was discovered in one of the graves in the Royal Cemetery at Ur. This grave was found to have belonged to an ensi (roughly translated as ‘ruler’) of...
Chiseling Away at the Mystery of the Neanderthal Mask of La Roche-Cotard

Chiseling Away at the Mystery of the Neanderthal Mask of La Roche-Cotard

A piece of flat flint may have been shaped by the hands of a Neanderthal who once lived near the cave La Roche-Cotard in the territory of Langeais, France. Many people see a face in this artifact,...
Part of a Naval Battle Scroll from the Imjin War.

Not a Shot in the Dark: How Crossbows Changed War in Ancient China

The crossbow is a missile weapon that had a major impact on the way battles were fought in the ancient world. Prior to the widespread use of crossbows, it was the bow and arrow that was the...
The Tereshchenko and Hope Diamonds, two rare, blue, and world famous diamonds.

Dazzling and Dangerous? Examining the History of the Exquisite Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is one of the most well-known diamonds in the world. This famous diamond has been on exhibition in the National Museum of Natural History (which is administered by the Smithsonian...
A modern statue of a Viking with the mythical horned helmet

Exposing the Roots of the Viking Horned Helmet Myth

Yes, some helmeted Vikings traveled around Europe, West Asia, and even North America raiding and pillaging. It is a myth, though, that their helmets were decorated with horns, antlers, or wings. But...
The outline of the phallus can be faintly seen in the left image. It is from Roman times, was found in Lincolnshire in 1995, and will go on display in a Lincoln, England, museum. The object is also thought to depict a vagina or an evil eye.

Ancient Roman Garden Ornament of a Phallus Revealed to the Public

The ancient Romans were obsessed with phallic images in art and architecture. Now, The Collection , a museum in Lincoln, England, will put on display a Roman phallus carved in stone that a family in...
The Ashalim cave artifact

Oldest Known Lead Artifact was Found with Skeletons, Suggesting Mystical Significance

Archaeologists working in a cave in Israel, which prehistoric people used as a burial ground, have found an object made of lead that is at least 6,000 years old. They are unsure what the artifact was...
Divers from Tomsk State University say they have located another 'previously unknown' outpost of the ancient world.

One more ancient civilization found in Lake Issyk-Kul: could this be where St Matthew is buried

By Olga Gertcyk | The Siberian Times Siberian scientists have made a discovery of a 2,500-year-old Saka settlement in up to 23 meters of water in Kyrgyzstan. The new find at this mysterious lake is...

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