Asia

Ancient places can be found all over Asia. Their fascinating histories and impressive artifacts open intriguing glimpses to times past, and open up a window on Asian history. Visiting such historical places in Asia can be an unforgettable experience.

Science is constantly discovering new archaeological places and uncovering more evidence into what we once thought we knew about our history, therefore offering new pieces to the ever changing puzzle of humanity’s past and altering how we interpret it. This section will present the most interesting archaeological sites all over Asia, as well as new discoveries of ancient places that are worth paying a visit.

Great Death pit of Ur

30 June, 2018 - 17:32 dhwty

The Great Death Pit of Ur: Mass Human Sacrifice in Ancient Mesopotamia

During Sir Charles Leonard Woolley’s excavation of Ur from 1922 to 1934, any burial without a tomb chamber was given the name ‘death pit’ (known also as ‘grave pits’). Arguably the most impressive...

A view of the Ancient Pagoda in the Ayuthaya World Heritage park.

8 June, 2018 - 17:50 mrreese

The Powerful Past of the Former Siamese Capital Revealed in the Splendor of 400 Temples

Long ago, the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was a global center of economics and commerce. Within a few centuries of being founded, the city grew to having a population of one million inhabitants...

The Eerie Balbal Statues of the Eurasian Steppe

4 June, 2018 - 22:01 dhwty

The Eerie Balbal Statues of the Eurasian Steppe

Ancient nomads are virtually invisible in the archaeological record, as they left few traces of their lifestyle behind. Unlike sedentary populations, nomads did not have permanent structures, nor did...

Great Wall of Gorgan

2 June, 2018 - 22:47 dhwty

The Great Wall of Gorgan: Red Snake of Iran Saw Empires Rise and Civilizations Crumble

The Great Wal l of Gorgan, also known as the ‘Red Snake’, is a defense system located in the northern Iranian province of Golestan. This defensive wall dates to the Sassanian period, and is believed...

The Secret Tomb of the First Chinese Emperor

25 May, 2018 - 23:51 dhwty

The Secret Tomb of the First Chinese Emperor Remains an Unopened Treasure

The tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, despite being involved in one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all times, endures as a mystery to archaeologists and historians as...

The Porcelain Tower.

23 May, 2018 - 23:03 dhwty

The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing: One of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World

Many children have been warned to be careful around their grandmother’s fine porcelain plates. Those kids may grow up thinking that porcelain is a fragile material which has to be handled with care (...

Detail of ‘Spring Morning in the Han Palace’ (17th century) by Qiu Ying

19 May, 2018 - 02:03 dhwty

Ancient Weiyang Palace: Exemplifying Han Dynasty Splendor

Today it is in ruins, but Weiyang Palace was once the largest palace complex on earth. The few remains you can see now bear silent witness to the splendor and grandeur of the Han Dynasty monument...

Reconstruction of Arkaim archaeological site in Russia.

16 May, 2018 - 18:47 Alicia McDermott

Arkaim: Aryans, Advanced Astronomy and Untold Secrets of a Russian Citadel

Arkaim is a mysterious site located in Russia . Experts believe the citadel, not necessarily the oldest feature of the site, was built between the 17th and 16th century BC. But there are several...

Was Wang Mang a visionary, or a murderous villain – or both? (Wang Mang art italkcafe.com, The Analects of Confucius; Deriv)

16 May, 2018 - 13:58 dhwty

The Emperor is Dead, Let Confucianism and Chaos Reign! The Rise and Fall of Wang Mang and the Xin Dynasty

Some saw Wang Mang as an evil usurper – others a selfless visionary. Either way, an emperor lay dead, and a learned Confucian scholar sought to bring peace and harmony, but the dynasty would descend...

‘The Tower of Babel’ (1595) by Lucas van Valckenborch.

10 May, 2018 - 18:57 Mark Oliver

Inside Etemenanki: The Real-Life Tower of Babel

If there was a tower of Babel, it was Etemenanki: a massive, stone ziggurat at the center of Babylon built to be a passageway up to heaven. The Babylonians didn’t see their tower of Babel as a...

Limestone ‘tower’ karst region in the south of Sulawesi, where Leang Burung 2 is located.

15 April, 2018 - 01:54 ancient-origins

Ancient Stone Tools Found on Sulawesi, but who made them Remains a Mystery

Adam Brumm /The Conversation Another collection of stone tools dating back more than 50,000 years has been unearthed on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Details of the find, at a rock-shelter known...

The famous Great Wall of China has an underground companion.

29 March, 2018 - 01:41 ancient-origins

Hidden For A Thousand Years – China's “Underground Great Wall”

By The Epoch Times In ancient Chinese history it is recorded that The Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD) battled for 200 years with the Liao and Jin Dynasties, which at the time were ruled by...

The underwater ruins of Fuxian Lake in China are an enigma. Their age is enough to set the forgotten city apart, but the strange carvings still gracing the submerged stones really confuses archaeologists.

24 March, 2018 - 01:02 ancient-origins

Enigmatic Carvings on Underwater Ruins in China Mystify Investigators

By Myadmin , Epoch Times In an underwater investigation in Fuxian Lake, Yunnan Province, China, started on June 13, 2006, archeologists discovered remains of a group of huge ancient buildings at the...

HDR of the giant statue of Lord Shiva at Murudeshwar, Karnataka, India

10 March, 2018 - 14:07 dhwty

God Shiva Towers Over His Worshippers at 230 Feet and 20 Storeys High

Murudeshwar is a coastal town in India. It is also one of the names of the Hixxxndu god Shiva, and the association of the town with this deity is evident in the temple dedicated to him and the...

A 14th century depiction of a camel caravan on the Silk Road.

1 March, 2018 - 13:55 dhwty

Treacherous Trading: Dangers of the Silk Road

The Silk Road is arguably the most famous long-distance trade route in the ancient world. This trade route connected Europe in the West with China in the East, and allowed the exchange of goods,...

The Oval Forum and Cardo Maximus in ancient Jerash

27 February, 2018 - 14:00 Caleb Strom

Garshu, Gerasa, Jerash: the Everchanging City of the Ancient World

Today, Jerash is a relatively unimposing town in the modern-day country of Jordan but its expansive and majestic ancient ruins reveal its glorious past. Even beneath its existing ruins lies a history...

A photo of the Ramanathaswamy Temple’s outer corridor.

24 February, 2018 - 13:55 dhwty

The Ramanathaswamy Temple and its Infinite Corridors

The Ramanathaswamy Temple is regarded as one of the holiest Hindu temples in India. This sacred site is located on Rameswaram Island, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu between mainland India...

High relief of standing dromedary on sandstone spur at center of image.

14 February, 2018 - 01:41 ancient-origins

Rock art: Life-sized Sculptures of Dromedaries Found in Saudi Arabia

At a remarkable site in northwest Saudi Arabia, a CNRS archaeologist and colleagues from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) have discovered camelid sculptures unlike any...

A photo of the Solovetsky Monastery

13 February, 2018 - 13:41 dhwty

The Tragic Fall of Solovetsky Monastery: From Religious Order to Labor Camp

Located on the Solovetsky Islands of Russia’s White Sea, the Solovetsky Monastery is a fortified monastic complex that dates back to the 15 th century. Initially, the monastery was home to a small...

Left: The temple of Ain Dara before. Right: The temple after its recent destruction.

1 February, 2018 - 18:49 aprilholloway

3,000-Year-Old Ain Dara Temple in Syria Reduced to Rubble by Turkish Airstrikes

The Syro-Hittite temple of Ain Dara built in the 1 st millennium BC boasted intricate stone sculptures of lions and sphinxes, elaborately decorated walls with geometric designs, floral patterns,...

The ruins of the Ma’rib Dam.

7 January, 2018 - 14:02 dhwty

The Ma’rib Dam: An Engineering Wonder of the Ancient World… Torn Apart by Rats?

The Ma’rib Dam is an engineering marvel of the ancient world that is located in central Yemen. This dam is easily one of the finest examples of masonry architecture in the Arabian Peninsula. Local...

Aerial view of an ancient irrigation system discovered in the foothills of Xinjiang, China.

6 January, 2018 - 01:58 ancient-origins

Did Ancient Irrigation Technology Travel Silk Road?

Using satellite imaging and drone reconnaissance, archaeologists from Washington University in St. Louis have discovered an ancient irrigation system that allowed a farming community in arid...

Arge Bam, Bam, Iran.

3 January, 2018 - 13:55 Riley Winters

Castle in the Sand: Arg-e Bam as a Pillar of Middle-Eastern Longevity

Iran’s Arg-e Bam, Bam Citadel, once stood as a pillar of longevity in the Middle East. Created upon the beginnings of the Achaemenid Empire (6th-4th centuries BC), and building on the commercial...

Sogmatar temple ruins

29 December, 2017 - 13:54 Caleb Strom

The Celestial Temple of Sogmatar: A Sacred Site Dedicated to Sin and the Planets

Ancient Arab accounts tell of a mysterious temple in eastern Anatolia dedicated to the planets. The ruins surrounding the modern village of Sogmatar used to be an important city during the...

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