assyrian

60 of the almost 100 cuneiform clay tablets were found at the archaeological site of Bassetki in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

25 October, 2017 - 13:58 Alicia McDermott

Almost 100 Cuneiform Clay Tablets Unearthed and Archaeologists Cannot Wait to Decipher Them

The discovery of ancient writing is always exciting for researchers. Documented events, letters, lists, literature – it is all helpful in reconstructing the story of our predecessors. Thus, the...

Assyrian attack on a town with archers and a wheeled battering ram, 865–860 BC.

27 August, 2017 - 13:56 Cam Rea

Were the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel Ever Lost?

When examining the mysteries of the 8th century BC, all one has to do is look in the Bible or an ancient history book to realize that Assyria had no outside threats. The Hittites and Egyptians were a...

From the Biblical tale, Jacob wrestles with an Angel

18 August, 2017 - 15:27 Cam Rea

Flaming Swords and Winged Beasts: What Were These Ancient Creatures? The Origins of Cherubim – Part II

The word angel comes from the Old English engel , or ‘messenger’. Angels have an ancient and global tradition, but with belief in these powerful but elusive supernatural beings still going strong...

Archaeologists haven’t even had time to write up their findings for a scholarly journal about this ancient Assyrian tomb found in Erbil, Iraq.

29 March, 2017 - 23:02 Mark Miller

Skeletons and Sarcophagi: Was This Newly Discovered Tomb Made for a Family of Elite Ancient Assyrians?

Though the Islamic State group (Daesh) recently plundered and wrecked a few ancient Assyrian cities, fighters recently successfully defended Erbil in Iraq, known long ago as Arbela. In that city,...

25 January, 2017 - 17:01 Kerry Sullivan

What is the Mysterious Handbag Seen in Ancient Carvings Across Cultures and Countries?

One of the more mysterious symbols that has been found in ancient carvings is an image that looks uncannily like a handbag. The shape appears in depictions made by the Sumerians of Iraq, in the ruins...

22 January, 2017 - 22:51 aprilholloway

2,800-Year-Old Cursed Assyrian Stele Brings Bad Luck for Police Commissioner

Whoever discards this image from the presence of Salmanu puts it into another place, whether he throws it into water or covers it with earth or brings and places it into a taboo house where it is...

7 January, 2017 - 02:17 Cam Rea

Madyes: Master of Asia, Historical Enigma

Madyes, the mysterious Scythian stepped onto the world stage. There is not a great deal of information about him, nor has his name turned up in any of the Assyrian tablets. Herodotus and Strabo are...

The British Museum - Room 6. Foreground: Assyrian Gateway Human Headed Winged Lions 'Lamassu' from the North West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud.

30 December, 2016 - 03:55 Natalia Klimczak

Make Way for the Powerful Assyrian Kings: The History of the Message-Laden Balawat Gates

Over the years, researchers uncovered some remarkable Assyrian gates which led to different areas in the ancient city of Imgur-Enlil, now called Balawat, in Iraq. The huge gates were built during the...

Assyrian relief of a horseman from Nimrud, now in the British Museum

1 November, 2016 - 00:59 Cam Rea

The Iron Army: Assyria - Deadly and Effective Siege Machine - Part II

Assyrian sappers (soldiers for building, demolitions, general construction) would approach the walls possibly under the cover of shield bears, the same type that protected the archers one could...

29 October, 2016 - 02:37 Cam Rea

The Iron Army: Assyria - Terrifying Military of the Ancient World - Part I

Before the famed Persian Empire, whose borders spanned from India to Thrace, there was another empire—the Assyrians. The Assyrian Empire, while much smaller than the future Persian Empire to come,...

22 October, 2016 - 01:28 Cam Rea

The Military Campaigns of Tiglath-pileser III: Priest King and Conqueror – Part 1

The year is 745 BCE and much of the Middle East is about to be conquered and confiscated by the powerful Assyrian Empire under King Tiglath-pileser III. Tiglath-Pileser III: stela from the walls of...

9 October, 2016 - 14:49 ancient-origins

The Powerful Assyrians, Rulers of Empires

Much of Assyria's history is closely tied to its southern neighbor, Babylonia. The two Mesopotamian empires spoke similar languages and worshipped most of the same gods. They were often rivals on the...

This photo shows the opening to two of the tombs at the Khalet al-Jam'a necropolis.

5 March, 2016 - 22:24 mrreese

4,000-Year-Old Necropolis with more than 100 Tombs Discovered Near Bethlehem

By studying and excavating ancient burial grounds, we can learn about how final respects were paid when people died during ancient times. The artifacts located alongside these remains also provide...

The Gate of Nimrud (Metropolitan Museum)

16 February, 2016 - 03:53 Natalia Klimczak

The Mythical Lamassu: Impressive Symbols for Mesopotamian Protection

Lamassu are human-headed, eagle-winged, bulls or lions that once protected cities in Mesopotamia. They were believed to be very powerful creatures, and served both as a clear reminder of the king’s...

Anonymous Venetian Orientalist painting, The Reception of the Ambassadors in Damascus, 1511, the Louvre.

13 January, 2016 - 03:48 dhwty

Damascus: The Ancient City that was Fought Over by Numerous Civilizations is Facing its Biggest Crisis Today

The city of Damascus, which lies in the southwestern part of Syria, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. This city is located in a desert oasis on the eastern foothills of...

Human-headed winged bulls guarding a door in Dur-Sharrukin.

19 March, 2015 - 23:51 ancient-origins

All is not lost in ISIS’s attempt to smash the past

Amy Gazin-Schwartz / The Conversation The archaeological and historical communities are deeply dismayed about ISIS destroying archaeological sites and materials in the last few weeks. We have seen...

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Myths & Legends

Quetzalcoatl, detail. Source: Manzanedo/Deviant Art

The Real Story of the ‘Bearded God’ Named Quetzalcoatl

Many myths have cropped up in the centuries since Columbus landed upon the shores of Hispaniola. While some of these myths have come to be seen for what they are, many more persist in the zeitgeist as fact.

Cossack-Sorcerers: The Secretive and Magical Warrior Society of Ukraine

Of Runes And Sacrifice: The Initiation Ritual Of Odin in Norse Myth

The Last of the Siberian Unicorns: What Happened to the Mammoth-Sized One-Horned Beasts of Legend?

Unravelling the True Story of the Legendary Trojan Horse

The Jade Emperor: Taoist Ruler of Heaven - and Celestial Bureaucrat

Human Origins

Rembrandt - Christ with Hands Folded (Public Domain), and Nivedita, Sister - the Departure of Siddhartha

The Christ And The Buddha: How Can You Explain the Uncanny Similarities?

Buddhism and Christianity arose independently of each other, separated as they were by almost 3,000 miles and at least 500 years. In terms of religious belief systems they are even farther apart.

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

Religion Isn’t The Enemy of Science: It’s Been Inspiring Scientists for Centuries

Asherah: God’s Forgotten Wife

The Theory of ‘Three Human Species’

Rh-Negative Blood: An Exotic Bloodline or Random Mutation?

Ancient Technology

Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked!

Although we still cannot accurately predict earthquakes, we have come a long way in detecting, recording, and measuring seismic shocks. Many don’t realise that this process began nearly 2000 years...

An Unbreakable Story: The Lost Roman Invention of Flexible Glass

Romans Mastered Nanotechnology and Used it for Eye Catching Decoration

Egyptian Blue – The Oldest Known Artificial Pigment

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

The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Places

The circular structure was first detected in a sonar survey of part of the sea in the summer of 2003.

Enormous Underwater Structure in the Sea of Galilee is a Mystery to Archaeologists

A gigantic monument at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, as well as several mysterious structures, including a gigantic stone wheel and a moon-shaped monument, were recently found in northern Israel...

The Colossal Hand of Hercules, So Where is the Rest of Him?

5,600-Year-Old Ceremonial Center Found Near Stonehenge, Built 1,000 Years Before Stone Circle was Erected

Dumbarton Castle: Ancient Stronghold and Symbol of Scottish Defiance

Homer’s Iliad Casts Doubt on the Aegean Location of Troy

The Hidden History Of Egypt: Khemitology

Opinion

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

Paleo rock art from around the world ranges in style, method, and age, and includes cave paintings, petroglyphs, pictographs, polished and engraved stones such as effigies, stone sculptures, and portable ceremonial objects.

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

Our Mission

At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained.

The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.

We’re the only Pop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives.

By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings.