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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Artifacts

There are undoubtedly millions of ancient artifacts from the past that have served to shed light on the lives of our ancestors from many millennia ago. But some ancient mystical artifacts stand out for their uniqueness, their intrigue, or their ability to expand our knowledge about previously unknown aspects of our history. Here we feature many such ancient history artifacts, from amazing examples of ancient technology, to artistic masterpieces, unexplained objects, ancient texts, and mysterious artifacts that shed light on the daily lives of our ancestors.

 Imprints found in the cave allowed analysis of ancient human behavior

14,000-year-old Footprints in Italian Cave Reveal Ancient Human Behavior

Evidence of crawling in an Italian cave system sheds new light on late Stone Age human behavior in groups, especially when exploring new grounds, says a study published today in eLife. The Discovery...
Archaeological excavations illuminate human environmental impact.

New Data Platform Illuminates History of Human Environmental Impact

The human environmental footprint is not only deep, but old. Ancient traces of this footprint can be found in animal bones , shells , scales, and antlers at archaeological sites. Together, these...
The Copper Scroll part of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Copper Scroll Abacus: Is the Real Treasure Found In the Numbers?

Even the most intriguing mysteries have a sell-by date in a 24/7 mass communications age. But one has proven itself to be more enduring since a copper scroll was unearthed on the coast of the Dead...
Sumerian tablets, Sumerian script is known as cuneiform. Source: Pixabay/ CC0

Sumerian Tablets: A Deeper Understanding of the Oldest Known Written Language

Ancient languages are captivating despite the fact that studying them or learning about them is a long, complex process. Of course, many students just get briefly acquainted with this subject and...
Quedlinburg Castle and Monastery, Quedlinburg, Germany where the Annals of Quedlinburg were written.

The Annals of Quedlinburg: Rare Example of Female Scholarship in Medieval Europe

Mention medieval scholarship , and the first image that most people will have would probably be that of a monk with a quill in his hand and an open book before him. The most well-known scholars of...
The Burney Relief

The Famous Burney Relief: Who Was the Mysterious Mesopotamian Goddess?

The Burney Relief (known also as the Queen of the Night) is a terracotta plaque from ancient Mesopotamia . The relief is dominated by a nude female figure with wings and talons . She is usually...
Was sophisticated Roman technology used in construction of the Roman Colosseum?

Romans Had Ancient Tech for Creating Seismic Invisibility Cloak Around Monuments

A team of civil engineers in France have revealed that the Romans had ancient technology for building structures that acted like modern-day electromagnetic cloaking devices. The pattern of...
Representation of the cuneiform inscription discovery about the ancient city of Karkemish

Ancient Inscription Details Conquest of Assyrian King Sargon II

In "A New Historical Inscription of Sargon II from Karkemish," published in the Journal of Near Eastern Studies , Gianni Marchesi translates a recently discovered inscription of the Assyrian King...
Assyrian Cuneiform

Deciphering Cuneiform to Get a Handle on Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

Cuneiform is a system of writing that was invented by the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia. Believed to have been created sometime during the 4th millennium BC (between 3500 and 3000 BC), this script...
Was the Brazil Tablet left by early Transatlantic explorers?

The Brazil Tablet: Dropped in the Jungle by Early Transatlantic Explorers?

In 1310, Malian explorers led by Mansa (King) Abubakari set sail to discover new lands across the Atlantic. A mysterious statuette was left by these ancient explorers in the Brazilian jungle...
Artistic representation of a shotel sword (PetriBot / CC BY-SA 4.0) on a fractal background. (Pixabay License)

The Shotel Sword: Ancient African Weapon Was Worn To Impress the Ladies

One thing that every culture has in common is weaponry, and that weaponry is often unique and distinctive in its appearance. Swords are a particularly prevalent example of this – from the...
Jean-Marc Fournier is chaplain of the Paris Fire Brigade.

Heroic Priest Saved Ancient Crown of Thorns from The Flames of Hell

As the flames of every disaster fade, stories emerge about heroes and this is again the case in Paris where a brave French priest not only attended to the wounded after the Notre-Dame cathedral fire...
Plates vi and vii of the Edwin Smith Papyrus

Edwin Smith Papyrus: 3,600-Year-Old Surgical Treatise Reveals Secrets of Ancient Egyptian Medical Knowledge

The Edwin Smith Papyrus is a medical treatise from ancient Egypt. This papyrus is named after Edwin Smith, the American collector of antiquities who purchased the papyrus. The Edwin Smith Papyrus is...
Cherokee inscriptions found in Manitou Cave, Alabama.

Cherokee Inscriptions in Alabama Cave Speak of Sacred Sport, Nose Bleeds, and the Old Ones

For the first time, a team of scholars and archaeologists has recorded and interpreted Cherokee inscriptions in Manitou Cave , Alabama. These inscriptions reveal evidence of secluded ceremonial...
Four of the Tucson Artifacts  Source: The Tucson Artifacts / Photographs by Robert C. Hyde. © Donald N. Yates, 2013. All rights reserved. Used by special permission.

Genuine Ooparts Crucial to History or a Colossal Hoax? A Thorough Examination of The Tucson Artifacts [Exclusive Images]

The Tucson Artifacts created quite a sensation when they were discovered in the 1920s. Over 30 crosses and other relics were recovered, and they tell the story of a group of Roman colonists who were...
Ancient Peruvian mask made of gold (Carlos Santa Maria / Adobe Stock)

From Medicine to Nanotechnology: How Gold Has Quietly Shaped our World

The periodic table of chemical elements turns 150 this year. The anniversary is a chance to shine a light on particular elements – some of which seem ubiquitous but which ordinary people beyond the...
Codex Gigas Devils Bible

What You Should Know About the Codex Gigas, aka the Devil’s Bible

Codex Gigas, also known as ‘the Devil’s Bible,’ is the largest and probably one of the strangest medieval manuscripts in the world. Dark legends surround the tome and its origins and the full page...
Meet the 800-Year-Old Golden Rhinoceros that Challenged Apartheid South Africa

Meet the 800-Year-Old Golden Rhinoceros that Challenged Apartheid South Africa

It may be small enough to sit in the palm of your hand, but even now – nearly 800 years after it was lost to sight in what is now South Africa – the Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe has powerful...
A box bed from the 18th century

The Medieval Box Bed Returns: Closing Yourself in for a Good Night’s Sleep

The box bed, sometimes known by its French name of lit clos, is a bed built into a piece of furniture. It looks curious to us today and it’s somewhat of a novelty to climb into bed and shut the doors...
The Janus figures of Boa Island

Mysterious Janus Figures of Ireland Reflect Pagan - Christian Fusion

Tucked away on two tiny islands in Northern Ireland – Boa Island and White Island – are a series of ancient anthropomorphic figures that are regarded as the most enigmatic and remarkable stone...
Copy of the 8th century Tara Brooch.

Unravelling the True Story of the Beautiful Tara Brooch: A Masterpiece of Celtic Metalwork

The Tara Brooch is an ancient Celtic metalwork masterpiece. Stories say it came from the Hill of Tara - traditionally regarded as the seat of the Irish High Kings. Although that is a fabrication...
I Ching disk.

The I Ching: Ancient ‘Book of Changes’ That Provides A Personal Path of Balance and Harmony AND Predicts Your Future!

The I Ching (commonly translated as ‘Book of Changes’ or ‘Classic of Changes’) is an ancient philosophical Chinese text and one of the most important books in world literature. It is the oldest of...
Detail of ‘Christ in the House of Martha and Mary’ (1886) by Henryk Siemiradzki. Questions abound on the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife and the relationship between Mary and Jesus.

Forgery or a Lost Account? Examining the Authenticity of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife

...not [to] me. My mother gave me life... The disciples said to Jesus,... deny. Mary is (not?) worthy of it. ... Jesus said to them, "My wife... she is able to be my disciple... Let wicked people...
The Norimitsu Odachi.

Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword?

The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. Apart from the basic knowledge of it having been forged in the 15th century...

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